TSA Watch: EWR

As of Tuesday, Mar 24, 9:00 AM ET, TSA wait times at Newark are running 25 minutes across all lines—about 18 minutes longer than typical. This represents the most current official report. However, individual traveler reports from the same morning (Tue Mar 24, early hours) show wide variation: some cleared in 4–5 minutes (Tue Mar 24, 8:35 AM and 5:45 AM), while others waited 20 minutes in Terminal A (Tue Mar 24, 4:10 AM). PreCheck holders have fared better, with one traveler reporting a 7-minute wait using touchless screening (Tue Mar 24, 6:03 AM) and another clearing in 16 minutes with Clear and PreCheck combined (Tue Mar 24, 5:21 AM).

Earlier reports show similar patterns. On Monday, Mar 23, the general security line in Terminal A hit 30–40 minutes (Mon Mar 23, 3:49 PM), while PreCheck users reported 5 minutes (Mon Mar 23, 6:27 PM). Terminal C appeared normal on Monday morning (Mon Mar 23, 8:29 AM) with PreCheck clearing in 5 minutes. Sunday evening (Sun Mar 22, 11:30 PM) saw the worst conditions reported: 68 minutes at EWR—though some travelers that same weekend had unusually quick experiences.

Recommendation: Plan to arrive at least 45 minutes before domestic departure if using general security, or 30 minutes if you have PreCheck. Early morning departures (before 7 AM) showed shorter waits in reports from Tuesday. If available, use PreCheck or touchless options—they consistently cut wait times in half. Times vary significantly by terminal and time of day, so build in extra buffer during peak hours.