Another DP from my trip to NYC - AC flight to EWR last Saturday at 9 am (originally delayed to 9:50 am, further delayed to 11 am due to late inbound), arrived at the airport T1 at around 6 am and it was already a zoo. The 'friendly' AC agent told me to wait in the Lounge 15 area (you can only line up 2 hours prior to departure). Ended up sneaking in the line at 6:40 am and it took about 2.5 hours to clear security (40 minutes) + US customs (remainder). Not sure if the CATSA people are new (thus more conservative), but there are a lot more bags being selected for secondary during security screening, to the point where the machines are backed-up and at a standstill.
(For those that are holding US passports, there is a separate line against the right wall in the customs hall where you can bypass the 'main customs line' - YMMV)
Last edited by comeflywithmeTO; Jun 22, 2022 at 2:10 pm