okay so i literally just landed at ewr like an hour ago and my brain is still fuzzy from the stress of figuring out how to get to my next gate and honestly this place is a jungle especially if youre trying to catch a connecting flight so i figured id share my wisdom or lack thereof because i feel like im gonna need it again someday and maybe itll help someone else avoid a meltdown and trust me you dont wanna have a meltdown at newark its just not a good look but really its not the worst place in the world but its definitely not like charlotte or denver where everything is super easy to navigate and you dont have to walk a million miles so here’s my take on surviving a layover here because i just did it and now i need a nap and maybe a strong drink.
The connection game plan
so first things first you gotta know which terminals youre dealing with because ewr has terminals a b and c and theyre not all connected seamlessly like some other airports where you can just walk between them its a whole thing here and it can be a real pain if you dont plan ahead because the airtrain is your best friend here and you pretty much have to use it to get between terminals unless you happen to be lucky enough to be staying in the same one which honestly feels like winning the lottery sometimes but the airtrain is pretty reliable most of the time it runs pretty frequently and it takes you to all the terminals so factor that time in and dont just assume you can zip between them in five minutes because that is literally never the case especially if you have to wait for the next train and then walk through the long corridors and up and down escalators and it just adds up you know.
Do you have enough time?
this is honestly the million-dollar question and my answer is always more than you think you need especially at ewr because delays happen constantly and gates change and sometimes your plane just sits on the tarmac for twenty minutes so if youre seeing a one-hour layover on your itinerary you might wanna rethink that because thats basically asking for trouble unless its a quick gate change within the same terminal and even then its pushing it and i would honestly recomended at least two hours for a domestic to domestic connection especially if youre switching terminals and probably three hours or more for international especially if you have to deal with immigration and customs because that can be a total nightmare and take forever and its just a gamble you dont want to take if youre trying to make your next flight.
and then there’s the whole baggage and security thing which is a massive headache at ewr and basically everywhere else but here are the general rules i follow:
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baggage hassle: if youre coming from an international flight and connecting to a domestic one you will almost always have to pick up your checked bags clear customs and then re-check them even if they say its a through ticket and this is super important because people miss their flights all the time because they dont realize this and then you have to go find the re-check counter which isnt always obvious and its just another time suck but if youre on a domestic to domestic flight on the same airline usually your bags will go straight through but always double-check with the gate agent because you dont want your bag ending up in like alaska when youre going to florida and if youre on different airlines even if its domestic you might have to pick up and re-check and thats just annoying and more time you have to plan for honestly.
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clearing security again: this is another big one and basically if youre coming from an international flight and connecting to a domestic one after you clear customs and re-check your bags you will definitely have to go through security again no way around it and it sucks but thats the rule but for domestic to domestic connections it depends on your terminal and if youre staying airside which basically means you dont leave the secure area and you can just walk or airtrain to your next gate without going through security again but if you have to switch terminals and go landside or your flight arrives at a non-secure area then yes you will have to clear security again and the lines can be long so again factor that in because its not a quick thing to do at all.
so basically my biggest piece of advice is just add extra time for everything when youre connecting at ewr because something will go wrong or take longer than you expect and its better to have an hour to kill at your gate scrolling through tiktok than to be sprinting across the airport sweaty and stressed out and realizing you missed your flight because you underestimated the ewr beast and honestly bring some snacks and a good book or download some shows because you might be waiting a bit and its just better to be prepared for the worst so good luck out there fellow travelers you literally need it at ewr.