Afternoon flight tomorrow afternoon. How much time do we need for security?

Where are you flying from? If from France (you posted in France), TSA pre check is meaningless.

There is no answer to this question -- it just depends. How long is the line? -- that is the key. TSA pre-check is a a US program for flyers at US airports. Don't go looking for it was it doesn't exist in France. Global Entry will be useful after you land in the US. I would allow an hour to maybe an hour and half. If lines are short it will be quicker. However, you should be at the airport at least three hours early. Besides security you will need to go through exit immigration -- and that depends on lines again. Go early, go through the hoops, and relax in the duty free lounge or one of the airline clubs.

I'd plan on being there at least 2 hours before flight time. Better to have time to spare than to be stressed and possibly miss the flight.

If it is CDG, I always allow the full 3 hours for that airport; I particularly hate that airport. YMMV.

I agree with some of the others. If flying from France back to North America, your TSA precheck is useless. You will want at least 3 hours to check in, go through security, clear exit Passport Control and find your gate. If the lines are short, count yourself lucky and indulge in some duty free browsing.

What CJean said.

Note that there is also a general strike on for today, which sometimes clogs entry to CDG (for taxis) or backups at security. So it may take even more time than usual.

We left France to USA last Tuesday and took a very short time to go through channels to get to our gate..I think our flight was at 1PM. Perhaps we got lucky but I would still allow three hours as you never know. And I agree we do not like CDG at all, never have. First time there thirty years ago and still feel the same. Just our experience and opinion. Good luck.

If you check closely within the AA website, you will find their recommendation of being at the check in desk 3 hours before scheduled departure. For a period of time last year, AA was posting a recommended 4 hour lead time. The problem is not usually security as often as it is passport control. I have spent more than one 90 minute wait to get through passport control.

You should be planning a worst case scenario, not best case.

The recommendation is 3 hours. If you have your boarding pass and are 'flight ready' check in is just baggage drop, you tag the bag yourself and goes relatively quickly. Emigration passport control is very unpredictable. We had one plane ahead of us this last week and we spent maybe half an hour in line. We have waited an hour for check in and 90 minutes for passport control before. With a high stake flight we just have a good book and plan to get coffee once through the line and to our gate area. Sometimes we have a couple of hours to kill; on one occasion we didn't have time to go to the restroom before the flight. Since Oct 13 is a strike day, I would give it plenty of time.

We are traveling by train in southern France right now and are prepared for strike disruptions.

Quiet in terminal 2B today at CDG. Minimal line for security, no line for passport control. It took less than 90 minutes from the time we got off the RER at CDG to our gate, and that includes bathroom and coffee stops. Safe travels everyone 💗

you are so lucky. Happy flight home...

So glad that you had an easy time of it. Hope your flight home was uneventful and that you had a great trip while you were here

We flew out on Icelandair last Sunday. Security was very fast. The security is broken up into multiple areas, not like, for example Denver, where the lines go out of the switchbacks and way down the corridors !

Good that the CDG experience proved to be normal, no problems, etc

On the return flight from CDG, I take the RER staying the night before at an airport hotel. On departure day I allow for 3 to 3.5 hours, no problem milling around the airport.

At CDG now, from being dropped off by our taxi to dropping 3 bags & car seat, through immigration and security - 45 minutes!

CDG airport does such a nice job making it easy for families to get through!