MAN connecting question
 

Newbie here, asking on behalf of sister.
Two separate tickets:
1. UA 81 from EWR to MAN arriving at 6:15a.m.
2. Aer Lingus 203 MAN-DUB leaving at 8:10a.m.
Will she have to exit customs and go through security again for her next flight?
Will she have enough time to connect?

Any tips and advice will be greatly appreciated.

That is an extremely tight connection for separate tickets even with no checked bags, I highly doubt she'll make it. She'll have to go thru immigration in MAN on arrival. Why not EWR-DUB direct?

YYCowboy, Thanks for the prompt response.
EWR-DUB non-stop is not available on her day of travel.
Should I ask her to change to 11:40a.m.flight?
(No idea that 2-hour at MAN is an extremely tight connection.)

I can't speak to the connecting bit. However, at 6:15AM immigration should be empty. I flew SQ IAH-MAN which gets in at that time. When I got to immigration the officer jokingly said "we been waiting for you guys".

In and of itself it's still ok given the early hour at immigration as JHake10 has said above, but UA81 is notorious for being late, in fact it's almost never on time and routinely departs/lands 1+ hour late. The B752 is a bit long in the tooth.

When is this flight?

Under no circumstances would I be booking anything like what you've described beyond March 31 until and unless they hammer out a Brexit deal. I have no idea what procedures they could end up with for a International to UK to Schengen / EU transfer.

That said, the minimum connection time is listed as 1:15 for a transfer to EI, so if the UA flight is on time, and if there are no new regulations put in place about travel to Ireland, she'd probably make it. I'd take a later flight.

Note that UA will not interline bags to EI on a separate ticket, so if she has checked luggage, she would have to pick it up and re-check it.

I have done an international transfer between two different terminals at MAN without having to go through immigration, customs, or security. I already had the boarding pass for the connecting flight and I had no checked bags. I don't know if this feature is available for all connecting flights, of if iit even still exists. It was a long walk, there is no inter-terminal transport provided at MAN.

If it turns out that you do have to go through security, prepare for the worst experience, not just in the UK, but possibly in the world. Folks there are famous for being capricious and uncaring. They do things like routinely testing the .01 ounce of liquid in a contact lens case, as but one minor example.

Thank you, YYCowboy, jsloan, RichardInSF for the helpful advice.
I changed her MAN-DUB flight to 11:40a.m. for peace of mind.

Thank you for the correction. ^ I'd forgotten about that distinction, and it's definitely important.

As for a Brexit delay -- that certainly seems possible, given today's vote by the UK Parliament, but it wouldn't take effect without EU approval. However, what I've read is that the CTA agreement, because it's bilateral with Ireland and not part of the larger EU freedom of travel agreements, would carry through in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

That said, I still wouldn't try to make a separate-ticket transfer at MAN with two hours between flights, and I think the OP did the right thing by changing the second ticket.

In the AM, immigration at MAN is okay. Small queues but still count 15mns minimum.

Security on the other hand, long queues and long process times. Unless you have a premium ticket you will want to buy a "fast track" or whatever they call it.

Finally since you made the right call and extended your ticket, there are lounges which you can book for a fee (again, if you dont have a premium ticket) so your sister can take it easy.

Thank you, JHake 10, GFrye, worldclubber, Maestro Ramen.

This is correct. The CTA has nothing to do with the EU and will not be changing.

I fly that flight a lot and immigration is rarely empty and more often it takes over 30 minutes.