You Can Check TSA Wait Times Again At NJ Airports: Here's How

Travelers flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport can see real-time security wait times.

The Transportation Security Administration has once again begun sharing its security checkpoint wait time for travelers at airports, including in Newark.

Below is a snapshot of security and customs wait times as of 11 a.m. on Thursday:

Additionally, travelers taking to the skies through United Airlines will also have the ability to check security wait times.

United's mobile app rolled out on Wednesday and includes estimated TSA security wait times using data collected by the airline, including standard security and TSA PreCheck.

Travelers can view the security wait times for the airline's U.S. hub airports in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington D.C by visiting the Travel section of the United mobile app.

"We appreciate the work and professionalism of our TSA agents, and while most began receiving back pay earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues and people want to stay informed about expected security wait times at our airports," said Jason Birnbaum, United's Chief Information Officer. "Our customers rely on our mobile app for all their travel needs, and this new feature lets them know what to expect and better plan their trip."

The delays at local airports were due to the Department of Homeland Security having been partially shut down for more than a month, and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents working without pay for weeks.

This prompted hundreds of TSA agents to walk out of U.S. airports, and staffing shortages are contributing to “significant” security and travel delays.

However, on Monday, TSA officers were expected to start getting their first full paychecks in more than six weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 27 instructing the Homeland Security secretary to pay them immediately.

But travel experts and labor leaders said the mammoth security lines at some U.S. airports would not disappear overnight and could linger into next week or longer while TSA workers wait for their back pay, airports assess their staffing and Congress remains at odds over funding the Department of Homeland Security.

TSA personnel have worked without pay since Feb. 14 due to the dispute in Congress over federal immigration operations.

As the record-long partial government shutdown went on, some of the officers who screen passengers and bags called out of scheduled shifts; several thousand missing work on a given day was enough to cause hours-long wait times and closed express lanes at airports in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York and elsewhere.

On Friday, Trump signed the executive order after House Republicans rejected a bill passed by the Senate early Friday that would have funded the TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency but not ICE and Border Patrol.

A handful of airports experienced daily TSA officer callout rates of 40 percent. Nationwide on Thursday, more than 11.8 percent of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, the most so far.

— With reporting by Anna Schier and Associated Press