Whats up with Newark?

[cjackso8]

I recently booked a flight from Cleveland to Newark, then Newark to San Juan. Now I'm seeing post from people saying they would never fly out of Newark, but no indication as to why? Can anyon give me a heads up? Not going to be able to change without forefiting money at this point. Did I make a huge mistake? :confused:

[SMSACE6]

I cant speak for the others who say that. I have not been directly affected this year by travel through Newark. In fact in the past I found it a very good airport to travel through/connect especially with Continental, and I have sung their praises in the past. That being said, I think this past winter has been especially hard on Newark/Laguardia/JFK, Washington, and Boston. It was their year to have winter's wrath wreaked upon them. My elderly parents were however directly impacted by chaos at Newark this winter and even though they left Ottawa very early the day before their cruise, they still encountered a gridlock in Newark, and ultimately missed their cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. Once they realised they would not make the cruise, they tried to arrange a flight home, and could not get one out of NYC to Ottawa for three days, so ended up in a hotel for those days. Once home, they tried to track their baggage, and having left home on a Thursday, their bags finally got back to them on the following Wednesday. CRP happens, and when it happens in winter in big metropolitan areas/airports things tend to seize up for days on end. I am thinking that those of us who live up north, need to leave 2 days at least ahead of a cruise out of southern ports. My parents did say however that the airline staff, while extremely under stress and pressure, were very professional, and tried to help. Maybe this is what some folks are meaning. I dont think you made a mistake with flying through Newark, and I think the worst of winter is past us all. At least I am hoping so....

[megr1125]

It is better than some and probably worse than others...that said, it really isn't all that bad...just big, and there always seems to be some sort of construction/renovation whatever going on...

 

This is very crowded airspace in the NYC metro area...so there is always a chance of a delay...and there can be weather delays...and delays for no apparent reason...

 

OP you are flying from one CO hub to another...you should be fine....the CO terminal at EWR is pretty nice....

 

We had a lousy winter...and if you're flying for a cruise I would hope that you allow yourself a day or so.....and buy travel insurance....

 

I wouldn't worry about it.....really...

[smeyer418]

I live pretty much equidistant from all three NY/NJ airports. I use what ever is the least expensive. The Parking is easiest and cheapest at Newark. All three NY(EWR-JFK_LGA) airports are crowded, and constantly being worked on. Newark is as good as many airports but the NY ones are clearly the most crowded. A lot of people live here.

 

and some people are just afraid of us NY/Nj-ers....

[RHefley228]

There's nothing wrong with EWR; it's my preferred airport here. I think people are just trying to screw with your head.

[cjackso8]

Thank you so much for all of the replies. I feel a lot better now that I've gotten some real feedback. I do agree that this winter was especially harsh up north. I'm flying out next feb. so i'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a more mild winter, and I'm purchasing trip insurance. I've never had a problem on a connection, but there's always a first for everything. :rolleyes:

[StartrainDD]

Thank you so much for all of the replies. I feel a lot better now that I've gotten some real feedback. I do agree that this winter was especially harsh up north. I'm flying out next feb. so i'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a more mild winter, and I'm purchasing trip insurance. I've never had a problem on a connection, but there's always a first for everything. :rolleyes:

 

I noticed this cruise is for your Honeymoon. Congratulations!

 

The cruise leaves on Sunday, when are you flying? Not to cause you more anxiety, but early February is the highest chance of flight issues. We were stuck in Ft Lauderdale this year for three days at the end of our cruise as all the northeast airports closed. Many cruisers from the northeast never made it to their ships that weekend.

 

It would be much better to fly Cleveland - Houston - San Juan, if that's an option! (Assume you are on Continental.) That way you only need be concerned with weather in Cleveland.

 

Of course, should bad weather occur there is a chance Continental would reroute you around the storm, if they have any open seats on other flights. If you arranged all this thru a T/A I would talk to them about any options open to you.

 

And absolutely yes on that travel insurance! We will never travel again in winter without it! If we had to pay for the three nights in the Ft Lauderdale hotel it literally would have cost more than our 5 night cruise!

 

All the best!

[BlueHerons]

I recently booked a flight from Cleveland to Newark, then Newark to San Juan. Now I'm seeing post from people saying they would never fly out of Newark, but no indication as to why? Can anyon give me a heads up? Not going to be able to change without forefiting money at this point. Did I make a huge mistake? :confused:

 

Newark is just a big busy airport. People feel the same way about ORD, LAX, and ATL.

[cjackso8]

Thank you! we are very excited about our wedding (we're doing a destination wedding in Las Vegas) and our Honeymoon. It's almost difficult to decide which to be more excited for. :D

 

As far as when we are flying, we are leaving Friday for our Sunday cruise. Houston was an option, but it was about $20 more/pp, and there was a 3 hour layover as opposed to 40 minutes in Newark. We jumped on the trip insurance as soon as we booked, because when we cruised in January, we almost missed our flight due to an accident on the freeway 10 minutes from the airport. We made it, but we won't risk it again.

 

Thanks again for all the input!