Nitanitt

We are going on a cruise out of Los Angeles in the beginning of October, and are flying in from Europe a couple of days earlier. We do not have a direct flight from Europe to Los Angeles, but we do have a connecting ticket all the way, with two different flight carriers (Scandinavian Airlines from Oslo to Newark, and then United Airlines from Newark to LAX). That there are two different flight carriers shouldn’t be a problem, since they are “partner” airlines with co-shared flight numbers. And, as I said, the ticket is purchased as one ticket for the whole trip and not separate for the different parts of the trip.

What I am worried about, is that we have exactly 2 hours in Newark to do the transfer. We will be arriving at Terminal B, and then the departure to LAX is with United Airlines at Terminal C. And since it is our first stop in the US after coming from Europe, we have to pick up our luggage, go through customs, drop-off the luggage again (it will be checked in all the way to Los Angeles already in Europe). Then we have to take the Skytrain from Terminal B to Terminal C, and be at the gate in time for our flight to LAX. We will be arriving Newark on a Wednesday at 1.15 PM, and our connecting flight is at 3.15 PM.

My question is: Would two hours normally be enough time to do the transfer??? My travel agent told me that the transfer time is within international rules, so we shouldn’t worry. But I do… I have done several cruises out of port in the US before, and also then had to transfer to a domestic flight at Newark airport, but we then had several hours to do it so I never paid attention to how much time we actually needed for picking up our luggage, get through customs, drop-off luggage, and take the Skytrain to a different terminal, and finally be at the next gate in time.

It probably doesn’t matter in this case, but we do have business/first class tickets all the way (also for United Airlines). I am an experienced traveler, but not when it comes to business or first class tickets, so would I be correct in assuming that IF we missed the connection they would place us on the next flight, without any additional cost?

I hope some of you have experienced this “dilemma” and can put my mind at ease, that 2 hours (120 minutes), should be enough time to do the transfer.

dvs7310

It all depends on how busy immigration is when you get off the plane. If there's a long line for foreigners then it's very tight. If there's no line then you'll have more than enough time to spare.

I take there is no chance of flying further west on SAS before transferring to domestic? Realize it means a transfer in CPH but ORD or SFO maybe? Even the new Stavanger to Houston flight? Since you're in business class I'd personally want to minimize the time in Domestic F, EWR-LAX is a long flight in a fairly uncomfortable seat.

milepig

The bad news? Every square inch of EWR sucks, and a 2 hour transfer is dicey.

The good news? You have 2 days to get to LAX and UA will rebook you if you misconnect.

WIRunner

Two hours can be tight as mentioned. But before you go I would take a look at United's schedule for flights from EWR-ORD-LAX, EWR-IAD-LAX, EWR-
CLE-LAX, EWR-IAH-LAX, and lastly EWR-DEN-LAX (those are all of UA's hubs, including Cleveland which is no longer) If you have a smartphone with a data plan that will work in the US download UA's app, it would likely be of great help as well. They'll rebook you if needed, but being able to see what you'll end up on can be helpful.

CodeAdam10

Can your travel agent put you on a later flight? United has direct flights from EWR to LAX every hour during the day.

BearX220

You really want three hours for a Terminal B-->C transfer with Customs. Another case of the published minimum connecting times being unrealistic in many real-world circumstances.

Nitanitt

Thank you all very much for taking the time to answer me. Most of you have actually confirmed my concerns, so even though my flight tickets is booked through Scandinavian Airlines, I just took a call to United Airlines service center. And the person I spoke to agreed that two hours for the transfer with customs was very tight, and suggested I called SAS to change to the next direct flight with UA to LAX, that leaves Newark at 16.36. She thought they would do the change without any charges, and I hope she is right about that. Last week I upgraded my ticket from economy to business/first because of some health issues, and that upgrade was NOT cheap....

rubesl

Always remember, there is a difference between MCT (minimum connect time) and CCT (comfortable connect time) - this especially applies when connecting international to domestic.

Nitanitt

Last update:
They have now changed my flight from EWR to LAX from 15.15 to 16.35, and that gives us 3h21m to do the transfer, and I didn't have to pay anything for the change. Now I am not worried anymore regarding the transfer time, and I would like to thank you all one more time for your inputs.

Ocn Vw 1K

Nitanitt, welcome to FlyerTalk!

In case you wish to see more discussion on this EWR connection issue or wish to continue the discussion, I'll move this to a thread in the United Airlines forum about issues connecting in EWR, including international to domestic as per your itinerary. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz and United forums.

cas_de

How comfortable would you feel with the following connection (travelling on Friday, September 12, btw)?

CVG-EWR UA4629 4:10p-6:08p arriving in A.
EWR-MUC LH413 8:15p-10:15a+1 departing from B.

Since LH does not participate in TSApre and I am not keen on going through security in EWR again I am looking at taking the airside transfer bus from A to B.

Xyzzy

ver two hours and the availability of the airside bus -- you should be perfectly fine.

recreationguru

The United Express gates at EWR are far from convenient and modern to start with, but I discovered yesterday that the Pre-Check for the gate is often unavailable. I was allowed to leave my shoes on and went through the mag rather than the full-body screening device. But it took almost 15 minutes to clear security and eliminated my opportunity for a quick charge of my phone battery. Likely to have to do the IAD to EWR run several times in the near future -- how often should I anticipate no Pre-Check ... and is it worth going to another terminal with Pre-Check and doing the post-security shuttle over to Terminal A?

emcampbe

Unless I'm short on time, I always do security at pre-check at terminal C and take the shuttle bus over. I've never had to wait for more than a few minutes. Much better food choices, as well, if you want to eat and also a nicer club if you have access.

UA-NYC

+1. Even though there's a UC in A, I just detest that terminal and spend as little time there as possible.