Vasco

Apologies in advance, as I know it is an oft discusses topic; but I keep getting conflicting opinions over and over again.

I've never flown into EWR before, only to the other two airports. I'm arriving at EWR at 5pm on Friday. Need to be in Midtown (near the UN) by 7pm.

1. Train to Penn Station then cab?
2. Express Shuttle to Grand Central, then walk/cab?
3. Uber (or cab) straight to my location

Cost is not a big concern, but my schedule is. For every person that tells me to take the train, another 3 tell me it is unreliable and that I should take the bus to Grand Central. And then others tell me the bus will be stuck in traffic, and I should take the train. My instinct is just to take a cab/uber, but the fact that I arrive at 5pm on a Friday makes me think that I'll likely be stuck in traffic for a long time.

Advice?

guv1976

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If you will be traveling with a smartphone, here's what I would do:

Once your flight lands and you are able to use your phone, visit http://m.njtransit.com/mo/mo_servlet...ageAction=DvTo, and check NJ Transit train status for trains departing EWR Rail Station, and for trains departing NYP back to New Jersey. If trains from both stations are departing on or close to schedule, then I would take the train.

There are no fewer than five NJ Transit departures from EWR Rail Station to NYP between 5:20 PM and 6:00 PM on Fridays. Assuming that you can make one of them, and it is running on or close to schedule, you should have enough time to take a cab (or maybe even a city bus) to your destination.

flossy3001

Can someone please help! I am flying from Heathrow to Newark arriving 16.00 at terminal B, transferring to terminal C for a connection to Orlando. All flights with United. My travel agent has booked connecting flights with the minimum permissible transfer time. I think making the connection will be a challenge! After a long conversation with United customer care I have established that after clearing immigration and customs we can immediately recheck our baggage and then make our way to terminal C. I was told that after bag drop we go up the escalator through security and then remain airside for a walk to terminal C. Can anyone confirm this? I think if we have to exit the terminal, use airtrain and then go through main security at Terminal C we have no chance of making the flight. Any insight gratefully received

guv1976

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Insight will cheerfully be given -- when you post the departure time of your EWR-MCO flight.



EWR AirTrain access is from inside the terminals, but in the unsecured (landside) portion.

Welcome to FT!

flossy3001

Arrival into terminal B at 16.00 (UA), departure to MCO 17.30 terminal C (UA). I carry a US passport, but the rest of my party does not. Knowing how lengthy the immigration queues can be, our chances of making that connection are slim. Trying to get the travel agency to push back our connecting flight, but I am not hopeful. :-/ Therefore I need to be clear on what we need to do and the best routE through the airport. Mission Impossible springs to mind! And thank you guv1976!

guv1976

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That does sound tight -- at least for the non-U.S. passport holders.

UA should accommodate you on the next EWR-MCO flight if you mis-connect, but only if there are available seats on the next flight.

After the post-Customs bag drop, go up to the Terminal B AirTrain station, take the (correct) AirTrain to Terminal C (only a two- or three-minute ride), and then go through Terminal C security to get to your connecting gate.

flossy3001

Arrival into terminal B at 16.00 (UA), departure to MCO 17.30 terminal C (UA). I carry a US passport, but the rest of my party does not. Knowing how lengthy the immigration queues can be, our chances of making that connection are slim. Trying to get the travel agency to push back our connecting flight, but I am not hopeful. :-/ Therefore I need to be clear on what we need to do and the best routE through the airport. Mission Impossible springs to mind! And thank you guv1976!

guv1976

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That does sound tight -- at least for the non-U.S. passport holders.

UA should accommodate you on the next EWR-MCO flight if you mis-connect, but only if there are available seats on the next flight.

After the post-Customs bag drop, go up to the Terminal B AirTrain station, take the (correct) AirTrain to Terminal C (only a two- or three-minute ride), and then go through Terminal C security to get to your connecting gate.

travel_geek

I have a ticket booked on CX EWR-HKG leaving at 1:10am at end of Sept. I am in the process of booking a ticket from YYZ to connect to this flight. Not having connected through this airport before and this being separate tickets, would it be prudent to book a flight that arrives early and head into NYC to spend the day?

guv1976

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What do you plan to do with your luggage (checked or carry-on) while you go into NYC? How far in advance of your CX departure time will CX permit you to check in a bag at EWR?

If you plan to go into NYC anyway, you don't have to fly into EWR: you can fly into LGA or JFK, too. (You could also fly Porter YTZ-EWR if YTZ is easy for you to get to, and the fare is right.)

Regardless of which airport you fly into, you can day-check your bag at Amtrak's baggage counter at Manhattan's Penn Station for $4.50/bag. You may be required to show an NJ Transit rail ticket to do so, so buy your NJ Transit ticket from NYP to EWR Rail Station before you attempt to day-check your bag with Amtrak.

If you do not want to spend the day in NYC, book a ticket on AA to LGA or JFK with at least four hours to get from either airport to EWR. AA will protect you in the event that you miss the CX flight due to IRROPS. (If you have any BA Avios and can find a "SAAver" Coach seat on AA from YYZ to either LGA or JFK, you should be able to get that seat for just 4,500 Avios, plus about $45 USD in fees.)

travel_geek

Thanks for your reply. I don't really have any plans to be in NYC (but wouldn't mind visiting it), just that I had read the warnings about separate tickets and wanted to give myself a comfortable margin in case.

I do have Avios and there are seats available to both LGA and JFK. My CX flight is booked with AS miles..... will AA still protect me? I read that the protection only applies to oneworld tickets.

I am okay with flying into NYC early in the day and following your plan regarding day checking the bag at Penn Station.

guv1976

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"I do have Avios and there are seats available to both LGA and JFK. My CX flight is booked with AS miles..... will AA still protect me? I read that the protection only applies to oneworld tickets."

If your CX ticket is issued by AS, then I think you are right to be concerned. I believe that AA's protection on separate tickets only applies if both tickets are issued on the stock of a oneworld carrier, and are eligible under the "Endorsement Waiver" agreement.

If you want to spend the day in Manhattan, then take a morning flight into any NYC airport, and day-check your bag at Penn Station. If you fly into LGA and buy a Metrocard at one of the newsstands in your arrival terminal, you can get from LGA to Penn Station for just $2.75. (Getting to Penn Station from EWR/JFK will cost more.)

Make sure you retrieve your day-checked bag at Penn Station before Amtrak's baggage-service counter closes for the night.

SusanDK

I have a similar connection, arriving EWR Terminal B (SK) ca. 15.00 and connecting to UA flight Terminal C at 17.00. We are a US passport holder and a US Green Card holder. We have planned to have checked baggage but if pressed could possibly go with only cabin baggage if necessary to avoid a mis-connect.

Should we be fine with 2 hours, even if claiming and rechecking bags?

Analise

Assuming flights are all on time, I think that could be cutting it closely even with carry-on bags only because you'll have to go through lines at immigration/customs, get the Airtrain to Terminal C, and then wait on what could be a very long line at security. If you're going to do this, I hope your travel date is a Tuesday or a Wednesday.

SusanDK

Ugh - doesn't sound promising! But thanks for the input. We've connected in EWR in the past but I cannot remember how much time we had between flights. And I know things can go perfectly smooth or completely pear-shaped depending on the day and whether the incoming is on time or delayed.