Right now, I'm booked for JFK to VIE through AMS on Jan 15. I had been worried about having only 1h50mn to connect at AMS (absolutely must be in Vienna for an event that evening, and the next flight out of AMS won't get in until late night).

Award seats have now opened up for an earlier flight leaving from EWR, with 4 hours to connect in CDG, so I'm considering paying $100 to change to that itinerary. Not only does 4 hours feel safer than <2, there are multiple back-up flights out of CDG to get to VIE that evening.

However, I can't leave work too early that day. In the past, leaving just after 4pm from Penn Station allowed plenty of time to take the NJ Transit / AirTrain to EWR for a 7:05pm flight. Is that still the case, or are they requiring more time for security and check in after last week's incident?

You'll need more time now. I wouldn't arrive at EWR with less than a full 3 hours before an international flight. You simply won't make it if the new security rules are still in effect in mid-January. If the rules have been pulled by then, you'll probably make it

But I suspect the 1h50min connection in Amsterdam would be just fine. I'd be more concerned right now with missing the original flight to CDG.

Thanks Doug. Would you also recommend 3 hours for JFK, or more? (That's for a 10:10pm flight)

What about EWR for domestic flights?

I have a 12:35 PM flight coming up in a few weeks back to Michigan. I'll be just half an hour away in Staten Island, but have never driven to EWR before.

Thanks in advance!

Other complication for you--isn't January 15th the Friday of a the 3-day MLK weekend? I would expect the crowds/lines to be comparable to your previous experiences of Friday evening of holiday weekend at EWR no matter whether the screening is the same by then.

The TSA is already beginning to relax the onerous security changes, but I would still arrive for an international flight with 3 hours to spare. EWR in particular can be very difficult and have long security lines, even at odd hours. Though there are times when you'll simply fly through. It's so hard to predict. Same at JFK.

The security hassles are going to be more considerable on the way back to the U.S., where I reckon the European security people are going to be hyper-vigilant for the next few weeks, though most of the really onerous security checks (the personal frisks) are being done right at the gate. I think that's where you'll run into more problems in Amsterdam, for example. After previous incidents, there were also really onerous security checks in Switzerland and Germany as well as some Eastern European countries.

Has anyone flown out of the NYC area airports recently? I'm actually most interested in JFK. What are the lines like?

If you really can't leave work so as to allow plenty of time at EWR, the better bet would surely be to keep your current flights and hope you make the AMS connection.

Missing your flight at EWR would be costly or prohibitive...

I, personally, wouldn't risk trying to catch an international flight from EWR arriving less than three hours ahead of departure.

Either way, you never know about weather delays from JFK or EWR in January, so either option for connecting is quite risky.

So anyone with recent experience for EWR or JFK? Thanks.

Any unusual new carry-on rules encountered at JFK recently?

3 hours prior, no exeptions these days.

I have about two hours to kill at Admirals Club at JFK. Security is more or less exactly the same as it was pre-Christmas attempted bombing.