jwhite4

Does anyone know what time the checking counter at EWR opens? Also, is there a good place to sit / hang out at the airport in advance of the checkin counter opening? I'm looking at perhaps a 5:30am flight, and wondering if I get there before the checkin counter opens, is there a place (for 4 people) to sit and wait.

Thanks.

Jeff

EWR Rocks

2 hours before first flight of the day is schedule to depart
flight #611 EWR-IAH departs at 5:30 am

Olton Hall

I don't think there are any chairs on the landside of Terminal C. You could sit on the edge of the baggage carrousels I suppose which are on the level the hourly parking garage dumps people to along with the buses.

sdm1130

There are some chairs along the windows on the International check in level, but I don't recall ever seeing chairs on the domestic check in level.

jwhite4

If checkin opens at 3:30am, that should be fine. I'd be driving up from Philly, so I'd want to leave early enough to have plenty of time, but not too early that we're standing in the checkin area waiting for an agent. I'd he happy to checkin at 3:30am (or soon after), clear security, and then wait in the gate area for our flight to depart.

Jeff

sdm1130

FYI - even if check in opens at 3:30, I don't think the security checkpoints (starting with C1) open until 4:15 or 4:30. It has been a number of years since I have been at EWR that early, so this may have changed.

jwhite4

That's not good. Guess I'll need to send an email off to EWR and see what they have to say.

Jeff

EWR Rocks

Security opens at 4:30 sometimes a bit later.
There is a coffee stand on the baggage level which is open 24 hours.
Also baggage level has seats around the area where you exit customs.

jwhite4

No EWR email contact, so I called. They said, "they generally open 3:30am-4:00am, some time before the first flight out of that concourse." I said, "I have a 5:30am flight", they said, "they'd be open before then." But I asked, "would they definitely be open at 3:30a-4:00a?", the agent said, "I don't have specific times, I just know they open ahead of the first flight out of the terminal."

I'd like to think the checkin counter wouldn't be open that much in advance, only to end having everyone needed to wait potentially an hour for security to open up.

Jeff

Xyzzy

3:30am is absurdly early. Plan to walk in the door of the terminal at 4:30am and you'll have no problems.

belynch

Agreed.

CO launches 530am flights every day and everyone manages to get on board that's at the airport. You'll be fine.

I've taken the 530am IAH flight out of LGA before (ughhhh) and showed up at 455. It was desolate.

Olton Hall

But not much after 4:30 as the airport very quickly wakes up at that point and the TSA people are busy trying to get the store employees through at that point too. I was surprised to see it like that in April as the last time I took the 5:30 flt it was completely dead.

jwhite4

I sort of have an alternate motive. Looking to do the 530am EWR-IAH flight, then onto HNL. I'm tossing around the idea that instead of trying to wake up early to leave from Philly (awkward with an ~230am or so likely departure time), it might be better try to leave real late (~130am), ie. not going to sleep at home that night. I thought maybe non-drivers could nap in the car, then in a chair/bench at the airport (whether before checkin or at the gate), enough to have enough energy to get onto the first flight, sleep there, then catch more sleep on the 8h+ flight to HNL.

Part of my travelling party is favoring the 130pm EWR-HNL nonstop, one reason being because they can get a regular night's sleep, and leave for EWR in the morning. I'm not thrilled with it because with a 6pm HNL arrival, by the time we catch an interisland flight, land on our other island, get our luggage, get a rental car, and drive to the resort, it could be 9pm HDT, basically killing the entire travel day. Plus, do we necessarily need a good night sleep if you have a 10hr flight you'll likely sleep at least partly the way on?

At 90min or so for the drive up, I also don't think it's any better to get a hotel near EWR for the night. Besides the extra expense, we'd still need to be airport ~4am or so. Sometimes it's easier just to stay up, then to try to get up in the middle of the night.

Any thoughts?

Jeff

hughw

Everyone is different. For me 5:30 am is horrible whether or not I had a few hours sleep or stayed up. You might catch a few hours sleep on the plane, but you'll probably arrive at your final destination around 4:00pm exhausted; you'll look at the beach, have a drink and some dinner and go to bed. Now don't get me wrong, if you take the later flight, arriving at 9:00pm or so is really 3:00 in the morning east coast time so you'll be tired anyway, but at least you've didn't have to stay up essentially all night and you can enjoy your flight with movies, books, drinks, etc. But each to his own.