karma_01

Hi Guys,

I have a Continental flight from Tampa at 4:20 pm & reaches Newark at 7:21 pm, then I have a connecting (international) Continental flight at 8:30 pm to Delhi. Do you think 1hr 10 min (appx) would be sufficient? I am assuming it would be the same terminal C for both so there would be no security check. Pls. let me know if this is ok, & I can take this risk. Also, share if someone had a similar exp. in Newark.

Thanks
K

Bill_H

Should be tight but OK *IF* it's at the same terminal and your flight is on time.

If there is an afternoon storm then often there are delays going in to Newark and NY airports though. These storms seem fairly common in the summer. We once had to circle for two hours, then wait 3 hours in Buffalo before finally landing at Newark, missing our flight to Paris but snagging seats on the last flight out after sprinting thru the terminal (our luggage arrived 2 days later). So hope the weather is OK.

When is the next flight to Delhi, in case you miss yours? Likely the next day? To be safe, if there are earlier flights to Newark I'd probably prefer to take one unless there's a later flight to Delhi that night.

P_M

I am very risk averse in situations like this and there's no way I would accept a connection so short just before an international flight. I looked at CO's schedules and they do have earlier flights, I would take one of those.

suze

Like P_M above, I would never risk it. Just too nerve-racking. Too many things could go wrong... staring with your 1st flight not taking off on time, or landing later than scheduled. When I'm flying internationally, I use 3 hours as my minimum. I'd rather sit around an airport for a few extra hours, than miss a flight.

TPAYT

Good Luck. Newark is notoriously late. We have spent too many nights at an airport hotel while we were also paying for a hotel in Paris, etc.

I agree with suze----allow at least 3 hrs. minimum.

andrews98682

If you're worried about the connection, then why risk it? I would rather spend an extra hour or two at the airport than have to worry about missing a connection, particularly for a flight to India.

illnative

Don't risk it especially that time of day. You can almost be guaranteed a delay getting into Newark late afternoon...

RoamsAround

Agree with the others - that connection is just too tight. Remember "Murphy's Law of Airports" always comes into play when travelling. It states:

When you have a short connection time on or more of the following will happen (the tighter your connection the more will go wrong) - your inbound flight will be late taking off, you'll be delayed on landing, the plane will have to wait on the tarmac for the gate to be cleared, you'll be sitting in the back of the plane and last to dismbark, your connecting flight will be leaving from a gate in another terminal and will have already begun boarding. If you have a longer connection the exact oppsite will occur - your inbound flight will depart and arrive early, you'll be seated in the front of the plane and one of the first passengers to deplane, your connecting flight will leave from the next gate, and that flight's departure time will be somewhat delayed.

Seriously, give yourself 2 to 3 hours - at Newark in the afternoon/early evening you'll need all the time you can get.

yestravel

Agree with the others -- I would not risk it. Newark has delays all the time. If your flight is in the Spring or the summer, thunderstorms on the East Coast can really muck up air traffic. Of course the winter brings snow and ice which cause delays.

suze

That's why they put bars in airports ;-)

WillTravel

I had a 1.5-hour connection in Chicago last week, and it wasn't enough, because of bad weather. With Tampa and Newark involved, no way would I go for a 70-minute connection, unless I knew it was no big deal to miss the flight.

Kay2

Last June my 3-hr layover in Newark became 3-hr grounded at BWI + 0 layover at Newark. The international flights left on time without passengers coming from the South or Midwest. It took me 24 hours and an extra connection to make it to Helsinki. Even 3 hours is not enough at times.

usernameistaken

I had the same concern booking my flight from Boston to Mexico City via Newark - what I did was make sure 1) there was at least 2 hours between flights and 2) we were booked on the FIRST Newark to Mexico City flight of the day (there are others) so if we miss that one, they can put us on another one. I wouldn't take that risk though for a flight to India as they probably have more than one a day.

Can you fly into Newark and spend an overnight there? I have heard they have nice airport hotels at reasonable rates. We considered doing that once. It might be nice to relax before that LONG flight to Delhi.

usernameistaken

Sorry meant to say: I wouldn't take that risk though for a flight to India as they probably DON'T have more than one a day.

karma_01

Thank you guys for your replies, the verdict is clear...I will advance my flight from Tampa to EWR.
Any idea if I (& my spouse) reach early, that I can use the Continental president club for a one time charge, if yes, how much would that cost?

karma_01

I really agree with the Murphy's law 'RaomsAround' & Suze cheers to the Bars...;-)

karma_01

The reason I am asking regarding the Lounge is both me & my spouse need to work that day. I think they do have wireless internet in the airport for $8. Lounge would be more comfortable though.

Bill_H

<b>Any idea if I (& my spouse) reach early, that I can use the Continental president club for a one time charge, if yes, how much would that cost?</b>

$45 per person ... free snacks, free internet hookups. Usually pretty crowded in the afternoons.

http://www.continental.com/web/en-us...nge/rates.aspx

craisin

I have the same connection time in Newark also so your post and the following responses were helpful but also made me nervous. In the end, these are the things that made me feel better:

a) My flight from California leaves early at 8am so hopefully, I avoid the domino effect and get to leave on time.

b) According to http://www.continental.com/web/en-us.../maps/ewr.aspx, I will arrive and leave at the same terminal (C).

c) There is a flight leaving two hours later than my scheduled flight. Hopefully, I won't need it but it's a good back-up.

Finally, I already bought my ticket so I have no choice but leave it to fate to get me to my flights on time and safely

Good luck to both of us!

RoamsAround

Craisin - just remember the time difference between California and EWR - if it's 8AM in California it's already 11AM in EWR and you probabbly wont be arriving until around 4:30 PM. That may very well put you in position to experience "air traffic delays" upon entering EWR's airspace.

Anyway, good luck with your tight connection.