NEWARK — It was a busy Thursday at Newark Liberty International Airport. How busy was it? Yesterday, April 18, was a record-setting day for the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA set an all-time record for the number of passengers screened at the checkpoints at Newark on Thursday, April 18, when 78,811 travelers passed through the checkpoints and onto their departing gates. Of that number, approximately one third of those individuals, 25,006, were screened between the early hours of 4 and 9 a.m. The previous record was set last year, on June 25, 2018, when 76,963 passengers were screened at the security checkpoint.
The highest wait at the airport’s checkpoints yesterday was 27 minutes with an average for the day of 12 minutes in standard/non-TSA Pre✓® lanes, however passengers who were enrolled in TSA Pre✓® saw the highest wait time of only six minutes with an average of four minutes for the day.
With the Passover and Easter holidays both starting this weekend, “we expect that today (Friday) will challenge the record yet again, and passenger volume will remain high throughout the weekend,” said Tom Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “Our officers are focused on security and the safety of the traveling public, but they are also extremely efficient. However, with the volume we are seeing, the best advice I can offer travelers is to get to the airport early and listen to the helpful guidance that the TSA officers are providing at the checkpoints. I recommend arriving two hours prior to a domestic flight and three hours prior to an international flight.”
Carter also recommended that travelers have a high awareness of the contents of their carry-on bags to ensure that they are not carrying any prohibited items to the checkpoint because doing so will slow down the process.
Passengers with questions about whether an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither, they can reach out to TSA in several ways:
Visit the TSA.gov’s “What can I bring?” page to type in an item.
Use social media. Tweet your question to @AskTSA or reach out via Facebook Messenger.
Download the free MyTSA app and use the “What can I bring” feature.