Connection time CO - Virgin at EWR

On an upcoming trip I'll be arriving at Newark on an international Continental flight and then connecting onto Virgin Atlantic.

Two hours and twenty mintutes seemed like plenty of time to make the connection but I've just realised they use different terminals.

Is it possible to stay airside in making the connection or will I have to pass through US immigration and then back through security, in which case do I have enough time? This trip is booked as two separate tickets, to max elite miles/tier points, so if I miss the Virgin flight I'm stuck.

Grateful for any advice.

You'll have to pass through immigration, get on the AirTrain to Terminal B and check in with VS there. What time of the day are you arriving on your CO flight? The line for immigration can be extremely long during the mid-afternoon period. Also - do you have a US passport? That will make the process somewhat faster.

Also, if you have checked bags that will add additional time to the process.

You should use the VS online checkin feature, so when you arrive at their counter you can use a shorter line - this can make a big difference. If you're travelling in prem. economy or upper class this won't have as much of an effect as the line will be shorter anyway.

Hope this helps!

Thanks star_world. My CO flight is due to arrive at 7.25pm and I do have a US passport.

I'd also wondered about the baggage thing. I would normally never check, but with the current fuss I thought it might be easier. I called the Elite desk and was told they'll be able to check my bags all the way through to my final destination from my departure point. Does this sound right?

They may be able to, but you'll still have to pick up the bag when you arrive on the CO flight, take it through customs and re-check it afterwards anyway. This applies to all incoming international flights in the US (with a handful of exceptions)

If you're arriving that late there's a good chance immigration / customs will be quiet, as it's well past the usual afternoon rush. I arrived at 7pm recently and it took just a few minutes to get through.

Overall I think you've got a good chance of getting through on time. And in the absolute worst case, if you turn up late for the VS flight and explain what has happened, there's a very good chance they'll just put you on the next morning's LHR flight - the VS staff at EWR are very good.

Don't forget to do the online checkin though on VS if you're in economy - really does make a difference!

Terminal map is at http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTrave.../ewr_maps.html

Now I'm confused. I called the Elite desk to move up my inbound flight but the guy I spoke with assured me I could transfer to another terminal at Newark without having to pass through immigration, and confirmed this with a supervisor when I was sceptical.

Anyone have any experience of doing this?

Definitely not true I'm afraid. I usually arrive into EWR on an international CO flight and there is absolutely nowhere to go once you land except the US immigration counter. Incoming international flights arrive at a different (upstairs) level in Terminal C, you walk along a long corridor over the normal concourse (you can see it below) and at the end of this is the US immigration area.

I can't see where they were getting their information from but it's definitely not true. Can't believe 2 people even confirmed it!

The only new addition to terminal C recently, which has absolutely no benefit to you is an airside shuttle bus service to Terminal A, but this is on the main concourse level - not the international arrivals level - so you wouldn't be able to use it anyway, besides the fact that it goes to the wrong terminal!