When is the Best Time to Fly Out of Newark Airport?

Every seasoned traveler has a Newark story. Maybe you sprinted past Terminal C’s dim sum counter only to find your flight delayed, or you watched the sun set over the tarmac while your plane sat motionless. The secret to avoiding that chaos? Timing.

Why Early Birds Catch Their Planes

Morning flights out of Newark are the undisputed winners. According to the FAA, average delays begin around 85 minutes in the early morning and climb to more than two hours by late afternoon. KAYAK’s data backs that up: flights leaving before 7 a.m. have roughly a 10 percent chance of delay, while evening flights are delayed nearly half the time.

Weather also plays a role. Morning departures between 5 and 9 a.m. experience far fewer weather-related disruptions than afternoon flights, especially in summer when storms develop later in the day. The takeaway: the earlier, the better.

Midweek Magic

Timing your travel day matters almost as much as the hour. Midweek departures—especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays—are calmer, cheaper, and less delay-prone. NerdWallet found that flights departing early in the week cost about 13 percent less than weekend tickets, while The Vacationer reports that Tuesday and Wednesday are consistently the cheapest and least crowded days to fly. If you can, aim for a Tuesday or Wednesday morning flight; your wallet and sanity will thank you.

When Not to Fly

Avoid Friday afternoons, Sunday evenings, and Monday mornings—the busiest times for both business and leisure travelers. These peaks mean longer security lines, more crowded gates, and higher odds of rolling delays. Even the skies get congested; air-traffic-control delays are most common at the start and end of the workweek.

Afternoons, in general, are the riskiest hours. Thunderstorms, residual delays, and airspace congestion all collide. If you must fly on a weekend, treat an early morning flight as non-negotiable.

Holiday and Seasonal Surges

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is one of the most congested travel days of the year. Christmas traffic spikes about a week before the holiday, with December 23 as the worst day to fly. By contrast, Thanksgiving Day itself or Christmas Eve are often surprisingly smooth. Summer brings its own challenges—storms, heavy vacation travel, and late-August crunches as families squeeze in last trips before school starts.

Smart Traveler Takeaways

  • Aim for 5–9 a.m. departures whenever possible
  • Choose Tuesday or Wednesday flights for cheaper, calmer travel
  • Avoid evenings and weekend rushes
  • If flying during holidays, go on the holiday itself or right after
  • Pad your layovers—Newark’s layout and weather can turn short connections into sprints

Final Thought

Newark Liberty may have a reputation for chaos, but smart timing turns it into a smooth gateway. Fly early, fly midweek, and you’ll skip most of the turbulence before ever leaving the ground.