Central Jersey travelers have a few options when it comes to flights. EWR (Newark Airport), PHL (Philly Airport), TTN (Trenton Airport), and ACY (Atlantic City Airport).

JFK and LGA are too far for most people to want to travel, and ACY and TTN have very limited destination options, and very few flights to the destinations that they do fly to, so lets focus on the 2 major ones, EWR vs PHL.

Here are 4 reasons why to consider PHL over EWR:

1: Last Minute Partner Award Space Availability (Especially Business Class)

If you have Amex points but not so many Chase points, you can’t transfer points from Amex to United. So using your Amex points to fly United can be tough.

The main airline flying out of EWR with destinations to wherever you need to go is United Airlines.  Last minute partner award space on United can be very hard to find, at least in my personal experience.

When it comes to PHL, the main airline flying out of there is American Airlines. American barely ever lets me down when it comes to finding award space on their flights with partners, (maybe because its a quieter airport?) My favorite place to search for Award availability is British Airways, since they show how many seats left are available on each flight. If you don’t have a BA account you can sign up here.

Once your account is created and you are logged in, go to the top where it says Book, and hit “Book a flight with Avios.”

Search for your destination, and see what comes up. Let me give you an example of AA Partner award space vs United Partner Award space. Lets say I wanted to fly from NJ to LAX on August 30th, 2024.

When I check Aeroplan from EWR, its giving me one flight option, economy only. When I check BA from PHL, I’m getting 7 flight options, with 5 of them also having business award space. (Note that it shows you the amount of seats available, which is why I like searching with BA. The most it’ll show is 7, but there can be more). See comparison below:

Aeroplan (United Partner Award Space)

BA (American Partner Award Space)

Once I have that, I can go to Qatar Airways website, and book that flight for 16,000 avios in economy, or just 43,000 avios in business. If I tried to book any of those flights with cash, it would cost me minimum $1,341.00!

Again, this isn’t always the case, but in my experience, whenever I need a last minute flight American from PHL always has better award space than United from EWR.

2: PHL Generally has Shorter Lines

This is probably because its a smaller, quieter airport, but I personally have never waited more than 10 minutes in the security line at PHL. Can’t say the same with EWR. Again, no guarantees, I’m just saying what I’ve personally experienced.

3: Cheaper Airport Parking

PHL charges a $15 daily flat rate for on airport economy parking, which includes all taxes and fees.

EWR’s economy lot is called P4, and they usually charge closer to $30 a day.

You can always save money by parking at an off airport location and taking a shuttle to the airport, but that can be very time consuming and a little bit of a pain.

4: Lounge Access

Most people get their access to lounges with Priority Pass and Amex Centurion, which come included with many high end credit cards.

EWR does not currently have an Amex lounge, although they are officially getting one in 2026. They also don’t have a Priority Pass lounge that you can access.

PHL has an Amex Centurion lounge, A Delta Air Lines Sky Club lounge, and a Minute Suites lounge, which are all accessible with the Amex Platinum card. (Note that for the Delta lounge you also need to be flying on Delta, they won’t let you in if you are flying on another airline).

If you do have the Amex Platinum card, I recommend the Amex Centurion lounge over the other 2.

The Minute Suites lounge is also accessible with a Priority Pass card.

In conclusion, Philadelphia International Airport offers a compelling alternative to Newark Liberty International Airport. With shorter lines, excellent award space, affordable parking, and better lounge access, PHL provides a more enjoyable and stress-free airport experience. If you’re seeking efficiency, convenience, and value, consider PHL for your next trip.