C3 can concurrently handle maybe 9 widebody flights plus 2-3 narrowbody flights. Some of the widebody flights will block use of adjacent gates. Only using C3 for widebody international arrivals and departures would be suboptimal because of the gate blocking.
UA gates all departures at terminal C for optimal hub operations. The international widebodies at C2 help to spread pax around the three concourses.
What UA should be doing is renovating C2 to allow for international widebody arrivals processing. Alternately and probably preferable for pax, UA and PANYNJ should look at bussing operation similar to FRA, unload via air stairs and have the bus take pax directly to customs.
Originally Posted by
Continited
I was once told by a customs officer in EWR that they will sometimes send UA flights over to B if the C customs facility is really packed and backed up. It allows for quicker passenger processing if B is emptier.
Yes it's is another reason why UA arrivals are gated at B, USCBP staffing levels and available facilities. It would not surprise me to learn that for staffing purposes, USCBP treat terminals C and B as completely separate facilities, therefore Officers do not commingle between the terminals and there are no split shifts (e.g. 4 hours at B followed by 4 hours at C). This is how operations are conducted at YYZ with both US CBP and CBSA ( Canandian counterpart).