Newark Airport staffing shortages expected to cause Thanksgiving travel delays

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- For Thanksgiving travelers heading to their holiday destinations out of Newark International Airport, staffing shortages could add some travel time to your trip.

Air controller staffing issues at the hub continue to be an issue. The average delay time was 95 minutes on the Monday ahead of Thanksgivng.

The airport also experienced delays last weekend.

The Transportation Security Administration projects that Tuesday and Wednesday will be the busiest travel days as they expect to screen 2.8 millon people.

The agency said it expects to screen 2.9 million travelers on Wednesday alone.



So far, crowds are moving smoothly through terminals without any delays.



Between today and the Monday following Thanksgiving, the TSA anticipates it will screen more than 18 million passengers at U.S. airports, which is an increase from the same period last year.



According to AAA, nearly 80 million Americans are expected to hit the roads, the skies and the water during the holiday week.



That marks a jump of 1.7 million travels compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019.



As usual, travel experts suggests arriving to the airport early, checking itineraries before leaving out and being patient.

ALSO READ: Record number of Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving holiday across the U.S.

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