Driving from Norwalk, CT to Newark, Airport
 

Hello,
My husband and I are going to Scotland 1 week from today! I unfortunately have to work part of that day....so, he is planning on picking me up in Norwalk, CT on the way to the airport.

Our flight is at 7:55pm. So, we are worried about traffic, especially since we typically do not fly out of Newark. So, factoring traffic and arriving early for international flight....what time do you think we should leave Norwalk. Also, anyone have an opinion on what route to take? And information on long-term parking for Newark?
Thanks everyone!!

Assuming you want to be at Newark airport two hours before your flight leaves, I would suggest leaving no later than 4:30 pm. To be on the safe side I would leave at 4, but that is only because the traffic between Norwalk and Newark has too many places of unpredictability.

For two years I drove from Jersey City to Greenwich everyday. I know more than a thing or two about alternate routes. My suggestion is to take the Merit to the Cross County. From there head onto the Saw Mill Parkway south, going over the Henry Hudson Bridge and then onto the George Washington Bridge which will put you on the NJ Turnpike south bound. From Greenwich, that drive would take approximately an hour, assuming everything is going well. Stayed tuned to 1010 or 880 the whole way and if traffic turns on you, be ready to consider heading on the Tapan Zee (if George Washington wait is between 30 - 45 minutes). However, keep this in mind, approaching from the north to get onto the George Washington means you are not in the main approaches of those driving out of the city. You will not have the same wait times as everyone else. Only consider alternates in the case of extremis.

I agree on the best route via Merritt to crosscounty etc - but I would leave more time.

for an international flight you will want to check in - not arrive at least 2 hours in advance. (But double check with the airline - since some want more than that).

You don;t say how you're traveling. Is he picking you up in your own car that you have to put in long-term parking. If so - I think you need to alow 30 minutes for that (vs pulling up in a cab). Also- doing that route in an hour is an abolute besty case - assuming no bad weather, traffic or accidents.

If you have to long-term park your car and then head to the terminal I would leave Norwalk no later than 3pm. (Yes - you will probably be early - but how much better than stressing in traffic, angst all the way to the airport - or god forbid - missing your flight.)

We once had to do a major presentation at a hotel not far from the airport. There was a major accident that closed the cross county and everyone was using all sorts 2.5 hours from New Rochelle to Newark. And you know how long it takes from Norwalk to New Rochelle.

thanks for the responses!
We havent really ever flown out of Newark...how is the long-term parking. Is it offsite - or at the terminals?

Remember, you want to check in two hours prior, not arrive two hours prior.

Good luck and have a great trip!

For parking information, navigate to:

http://www.panynj.com/

Click on "Newark Liberty" and then on "Parking," which will appear on the left hand menu.

Ironically enough, given the time of day you are leaving, Newark is probably a better bet for you than trying to get to JFK. Even still, to err on the side of caution, I would take nytravler's advice and leave closer to 3. He brings up a very good point about extra time being built in for finding a place to park and then making your way to the terminal. Living in Manhattan now, I forget that the rest of the world doesn't just have someone drop them off at the curb every time.

Enjoy your trip!

Looks like you're flying Continental non-stop to Edinburgh. You can do online check-in even for international flights on CO. If you have checked luggage, you need to have them deposited by 6:55pm; if not, then you can get there even later.

[No, I don't advise you to cut it close; just saying you don't need to panic if you can't get to EWR two hours early.]

Parking at Newark: We use the Newark Airport Hilton parking. Valet in the winter, self-parked in summer. Cost I think is about $10 a day -- maybe less. Check out their website. http://tinyurl.com/qbqg8 They have a shuttle which takes you to the monorail. (Hint - if you have an early flight from Newark, it is sometimes worth it to stay at an airport hotel the night before you leave -- they often include a week's worth of free parking. In that case, we stay at the airport Marriott.)

Travel -- I use a different route than the ones described above, because of terrible delays I've encountered on 95, both before and after the GW bridge. (It has twice taken me three hours from Darien to NWK via the GW!) I now take 95 to 287 to the Tappan Zee Bridge and the Garden State Parkway. You take exit 142, then follow the signs and take a ridiculous loop where you drive away from the airport for two miles, then turn around.) There is usually about a half-hour delay somewhere on the parkway. This route is usually about one-and-a-half hours. More miles but less time. I agree with the 3PM departure, no later.

If you return late at night, it is possible to get from NWK over the GW to Darien in an hour. It will never happen during the day, however.

Is there a reason that you aren't taking Amtrak? You can get on at several different stops in Connecticut and the train stops directly at the new air train for Newark airport. To me, this sounds much less painful than driving!

Emily, thanks for the advice.

What is the air train? Also my husband has to drive down to Norwalk to pick me up. So, we will already have a car. Do you know if we can park it at the train stations long term?

Newark Airtrain is a monorail that takes you from the Newark International Airport AMTRAK/NJTransit station to each of the airport terminals. It cost $5 if you ride it from the AMTRAK/NJTrain station.

The Amtrak idea doesn't make ecomically. Two adults tickets one way cost $74 total from Stamford to Newark. It would cost $150 for the two of you to ride to/fro EWR. At this price it makes sense to hire a private car to take you and pick you up. This does not include the extra cost of the airtrain at the end or parking in Stamford. This is the unfortunate problem with Amtrak, it is never the best priced option for travel.

Sorry, that should read The Amtrak idea doesn't make SENSE ecomically.

wow!
that is seriously expensive!

I was also going to suggest Amtrak to Airtrain - if simply for the fact you won't have to worry about sitting in traffic and the vagaries of metro-area roadways.

Amtrak does give discounts for AAA members (choose AAA Adult from the dropdown when you purchase online), as well as students, military, etc. You have to purchase at least 3 days in advance to get the discount.

NJ Transit also stops at the Newark Airport station. You'd want to look into logistics, but Metro North to Grand Central, then cab or subway to Penn Station - and almost every NJT train departing will stop at the airport station. Give yourself time to get from GCT to Penn, and from the train station at Newark to the airport proper - but it might be a less stressful way to go.

I have parked in Newark airport long-term parking; there's a bus that drives around and takes people to the nearest monorail stop. I found it nervewracking waiting for the bus, but we never missed our flights. The Port Authority directions for getting there make you wind back and forth around the airport; a local poster probably knows some way to bypass that and get directly to the lot. (Also, my sister used an off-site longterm parking lot and was happy with the results - but I don't know which one she used.)