EWR · Newark Liberty International Airport

EWR TSA wait times: how busy will security be?

We forecast how many travelers each EWR security checkpoint will screen, hour by hour, from the official TSA throughput reports. Pick your flight time to see which checkpoint should be the least busy for you.

Forecasts, not live wait times. Busy levels compare each checkpoint with its own past year. Times are local airport time.

Foxy waiting patiently in the airport security line, holding a boarding pass

When is your flight?

Security checkpoints before a 9 AM departure on Tuesday, October 27

Foxy's pickTerminal A should be moderately busy before your flight.

Checkpoint6 AM7 AM8 AM
Terminal A Best bet Moderate~1,638 travelers Moderate~1,289 travelers Moderate~1,365 travelers

At EWR, each terminal has its own security: we only compare the checkpoints of Terminal A. Source: official airport website, checked 2026-10-09.

A typical week at EWR security

Travelers screened per minute, all checkpoints together, forecast average over the next four weeks. This is a flow of people, not a wait time.

Calm Moderate Busy compared with the rest of the week.

Day3 AM4 AM5 AM6 AM7 AM8 AM9 AM10 AM11 AM12 PM1 PM2 PM3 PM4 PM5 PM6 PM7 PM8 PM9 PM10 PM11 PM
Mon12/min47/min79/min83/min79/min72/min64/min57/min58/min61/min69/min75/min81/min76/min68/min55/min42/min26/min15/min10/min5/min
Tue10/min37/min67/min73/min65/min58/min51/min50/min54/min48/min57/min64/min69/min64/min57/min44/min36/min22/min14/min11/min4/min
Wed10/min42/min68/min74/min68/min59/min56/min50/min53/min47/min60/min69/min75/min71/min70/min55/min38/min24/min15/min10/min5/min
Thu11/min49/min77/min84/min74/min68/min60/min57/min51/min52/min65/min75/min82/min75/min77/min61/min50/min31/min20/min10/min5/min
Fri11/min52/min83/min90/min79/min69/min61/min52/min56/min53/min67/min69/min82/min74/min74/min56/min40/min29/min18/min13/min5/min
Sat11/min42/min69/min82/min72/min60/min53/min47/min46/min43/min50/min61/min67/min63/min53/min40/min28/min26/min16/min11/min4/min
Sun10/min43/min67/min74/min69/min67/min57/min54/min55/min53/min64/min74/min79/min74/min69/min64/min46/min29/min19/min12/min4/min

Busiest days ahead

  1. Monday, December 21: about 81,713 travelers screened
  2. Tuesday, December 22: about 80,422 travelers screened
  3. Monday, December 28: about 80,397 travelers screened
  4. Wednesday, December 23: about 78,935 travelers screened
  5. Thursday, December 17: about 78,909 travelers screened

How we forecast

Every week, the TSA publishes how many travelers each checkpoint screened, hour by hour. Our model learns each checkpoint's patterns from years of these reports (weekdays, seasons, holidays) and is retested every week against what really happened.

Tested on 2026: for the 3 hours before a departure, our forecasts were off by 18% on average, and the busy level was right 78% of the time. Treat them as typical conditions, not a guarantee.

Source: TSA throughput data (FOIA Reading Room), U.S. government work. Updated Oct. 27, 2026. For live wait times, see the official airport website.