Continental EWR connection help

[2Tiggies]

For those of you who have done the Continental EWR change, is there a terminal change? From what I can see it is all Terminal C. We have 88 minutes to connect and have to grab our luggage, clear customs, drop our bags and get to the gate for our domestic flight.

I was wondering if someone could walk me through the process from getting off the longhaul flight through to boarding the connection. What I am looking for is some info on time/distance we may have to walk with our luggage, etc. I will need DD to take both hand luggage bags and which ones I use will depend on how easy it will be for her as I will have two full size suitcases once we collect our luggage.

Many thanks

 

[tinks_1989]

Hello,

I have done this journey twice and both were different the first time we went we got off the plane went through immigration went and got our bags took them to a desk which was just out side from where collected our bags went through security and by then we were being called to our plane walked to the gate and got on our plane.

Second time we landed went through immigration got out bags and collected our suitcase this time it wasn't a desk where we had to take our bags it was just a corned off area then we had to go to another terminal so had to walk over to the trains/monorails go to another terminal go through security and then wait for our flight

Sorry cant really help with time and distance as both were so different but both times we didn't really have to carry our luggage far so I am you and your daughter will cope between you

Just want to say very jealous I am having serious WDW withdrawal this week as Friday was a year ago we left for the best holiday ever!

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks Tinks

I just don't want the wee lass struggling with heavy bags and I know from past experience that it is impossible for me to pull a third one along with the two (very large) ones. According to the website for EWR it doesn't look like there is a terminal change. Our booking confirmation shows us arriving at C and departing again from C but I know that can change at any time.

 

[plb626]

If you are flying Continental/United they have their own Customs location at terminal C. All other airlines do customs in Terminal B. If you are staying on the same airline, once you clear customs, you hand the luggage right back to be loaded on the plane. Then you can go to your gate. It is pretty easy.

 

[janiebubble]

its a few years since I did the change (2006) but I do remember it being quite a hike - but the bit with your cases was just collect off bag, walk through customs and hand them back (think about MCO, collect cases, walk through customs and at the foot of the escalator you can hand them back - that's the sort of distance I recall)

 

[2Tiggies]

If you are flying Continental/United they have their own Customs location at terminal C. All other airlines do customs in Terminal B. If you are staying on the same airline, once you clear customs, you hand the luggage right back to be loaded on the plane. Then you can go to your gate. It is pretty easy.

thanks, yes we are on CO from here to EWR and then stay with CO, just a plane change, to MCO

(think about MCO, collect cases, walk through customs and at the foot of the escalator you can hand them back - that's the sort of distance I recall)

Oh cool - that we can deal with

 

[howlongtillsummer?]

Hey buddy,

We have done this route for two consecutive years and this is what happened both times.

We landed in Terminal B and flew out of C - I think international flights tend to use B for the immigration facility.

*Off the plane into a longish queue for immigration which moved fairly quickly (toilets here too if needed.)
*Through immigration and down an escalator to baggage carousels. (more toilets too)
*There are trolleys here if you need but we didn't bother.
*Carry bags to customs which is about 50 metres, through customs.
*Still with bags bear left to baggage recheck only about another 50ms.
*They take your bags here so you will have handluggage only.
*Up escalator to airtrain to terminal C or whichever you are using - takes about 2 mins but we had to wait for a few trains to fit on - you should walk right to the furthest back carriage as the queue is smaller.
*Off airtrain and down escalator
*Back through security with snakey queue but does go quickly
*Follow signs to the gate and RELAX

I was terrified of this first time but it is easy. I am a total worrier and I can do it!! And Charlotte (9) has to carry two handluggage bags until we get rid of the cases - she does fine and is not good at things like that!!

BTW we were on Continental for both flights.

I think I remembered everything but will try to answer any more questions if you need.

 

[2Tiggies]

Thank you Kathryn You are a star. I am printing this out to take with us. I am terrible with directions and almost always get 'lost' which to be honest, I find quite amusing as I have no qualms with asking the nearest person to point me the right way however it stresses DD out no end and with the short connection time I don't really want to do that to her. About 3 years ago at MCO I was wondering around having got onto the wrong monorail (which I manage to do every year) and out of sheer frustration, she just walked up to this guy and said "Please can you tell us where to go. My mum said she can get lost in a paper bag!"

I'm actually not really worried about it and probably should be more concerned but I have done so much travelling alone it is really to minimise stress on my long suffering daughter.

The hand luggage is likely to be fairly bulky as I will have my big camera bag and accessories as well as a laptop in mine plus she will have hers. But if there are trolleys I may even offer her the option of using one of those if it helps.

Many thanks for all the info and great to see you on here again!

 

[howlongtillsummer?]

If you go on Continental's website and check your flights status from today or yesterday you can see the terminal that you will land in and depart from. I have gone into B and out of C both times but worth a check.

One Newark Airport's website there is a map of all three terminals so you can get the lie of the land.

Also terminal C is huge so get to you gate first before wandering round shops. We did this last year and I strolled off to get my traditional dinner of 2 Auntie Annie pretzels. Gosh it was long walking back!!

You will be fine and if there are any problems making your connection they have desks to get put onto the next one. Thankfully we didn't need those.

BTW on the way home you should be terminal C in and out which is much easier.

I hope you have a fantastic time - it is well deserved!!

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks for the heads up about distance. We hadn't even contemplated shops for the outbound connection with so little time. 90 minutes is not very long to get off the plane, do customs baggage collection, baggage drop, terminal change and security ..... I think it's a given that we won't have time for shops.

I got a notification from CO last week (I think it was last week - the last few months are a bit of a blur) to say there had been a change to my flights and asking me to acknowledge acceptance of the change. First thought was Please don't cut our connection time any shorter!! Well I stared at the screen for ages and could not find the change. Eventually I pulled up the original confirmation and finally saw it ..... we are scheduled to land 2 minutes earlier

 

[irisheyes123]

I don't know about your flight but I know flights from Ireland land in C and take off from C if it the same for you its really easy to do the Immigration and customs is not far from when you get off the plane and collect your bags did not take us long to do. In the hour and half we had to connect we done Immigration, customs went to the other side of Terminal C as we needed a Companion Restroom (they only have 1) to change my brother and then back to the other side grabbed mcdonalds and then onto our flight with still time to spear lol. Just make sure you check the screens for your flight to Orlando as they changed our gate from what was on our boarding pass.

 

[disneyholic family]

i've gone through newark many times - it's only tough when you switch airlines (and that's not a big deal either - just means a terminal change - but only with carry ons)..

but continental to continental is very easy - you stay in the same terminal...

as everyone said, you get off your plane, go through immigration, then pick up your checked luggage from the baggage carousel, take your bags through customs, them drop them right off again at the connecting desk, then continue to security and your gate.

i always ask the customs officer to point me in the direction of the connecting desk, even if i see the sign in front of my face. They're happy to tell you which way to go.

By the way, when you check in your luggage in the UK, make sure the ground agent checks your bags all the way through to orlando. That is, make her show you the tags and check that they're tagged to orlando (MCO).
You still have to pick them up in newark to clear customs, but then you can drop them off at the connecting desk. But they have to have been tagged all the way through to be able to drop them off again at the connecting desk.

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks Beth and IrishEyes

Yeah, Beth I learned about 15 years ago about luggage being checked ALL the way through .... the hard way I have also learned to try be careful not to assume anything.

Regarding the terminal change I have discovered by taking the very good suggestion made on here, to have a look at the live flight tracking/status for the Newark arrivals and departures which has cleared up why there seems to be conflicting information about the terminal changes (B and C). It seems that certain airports arrive at B and others at C. Many of the England departures arrive at B and then you have to connect at C. Also where there are two flights per day out of the Scottish airports, the later one seems to arrive at B while the earlier one comes in at C with no terminal change. So unless they change it at a whim, which I accept is possible, it looks like we are arriving and departing from the same terminal. Hopefully that simplifies matters. It is kind of hard to concentrate when there is non stop excited chatter going on in one ear so the less thinking I have to do, the better

 

[disneyholic family]

i'm very anal about it - i make sure they show me the tags before they put them on the luggage.
i've had great ground agents who made a point of showing the tags to me without my even asking them to do it - showing that it was tagged to MCO (or in reverse to TLV - my airport)..

and i also check to see they've given me the stubs. One time i got to the gate when i remembered to check for the stubs and discovered that she'd not given me the stubs.
Just as i discovered it, she came running up to the gate waving the baggage claim stubs in her hand. She'd realised it the moment i'd headed for security.

But now i make a point of looking for the claim stubs before i walk away from the check in desk.

 

[2Tiggies]

That's a good habit to form. Do you check that they have checked straight through at MCO as well for the return? You don't have to collect and drop your bags on the return journey from what I understand. I hope not - we have more time to kill at EWR on the way back and have dedicated that time to some shopping

 

[disneyholic family]

That's a good habit to form. Do you check that they have checked straight through at MCO as well for the return? You don't have to collect and drop your bags on the return journey from what I understand. I hope not - we have more time to kill at EWR on the way back and have dedicated that time to some shopping

you're right - you don't get your bags on the way back home to the UK.
The bags just go automatically from one plane to the other, without you ever touching them.

But still i make sure that the bags are tagged all the way back home (for you to the UK). They could make a mistake and tag them to some place else.

I want to know that my bags have been tagged to the correct final destination, wherever it is i'm headed (florida or back home).