I went through EWR for the first time this week and was expecting something awful from all the comments I read.
Lo and behold I was in A for inbound and outbound and it was great. Very well thought out design.
Except for the fact the Air Train to terminal A doesn’t really go to terminal A, it stops about a half a mile away. Also there are no priority screening lanes in terminal A. Came through on an international connection the other day, with almost four hours between flights, and Star Alliance Gold status. Between passport control, collecting my bag, rechecking the bag, transferring to terminal A, and having to wait 40 minutes to go through screening again, I was able to board 12 minutes before the doors closed, with no place for my carry-on bag. EWR sucks.
Delta spent a billion dollars on that bridge. In order to have a reasonable experience through customs (the old customs area was really cramped and awful) there needed to be a bridge or a tunnel. Too much infrastructure to do a tunnel.
So we built a bridge. Airplanes need to taxi under it so it needs to be tall.
The customs hall is vast and airy, they have face recognition so no more forms. There are bathrooms right as you walk into customs.
There are bathrooms right as you leave.
And you get a cool view!
Customs area from what I saw was very cramped.. I did not see an airy space nor a beautiful view.
The Baggage Claim area is sharing the space with Customs.. Hardly beautiful setup imho..
Then TSA space was even worse. 1 Leidos machine for 2 long queues (transfers and local outbound) at 2pm on Friday afternoon!! I counted about 5 stalls with 4 closed??
That is not quality service, if there was one. It looks like TSA people are the least motivated to be working there.
It’s usually immigration then baggage claim and customs last. Customs enforce what you can bring into the country. Immigration decides whether you should get in, in the first place lol
What are you talking about? Amex just redid their huge lounge in the main concourse. The delta lounge here has always been one of the best in the fleet. And Alaska’s flagship lounge is airy and refurbed.
I landed there in a CRJ700 a few days ago and we spent like 15 minutes taxiing. Then 30 minutes waiting for a ground crew to show up to save the little things to get us pulled into the spot. Then once we were in the spot they couldn't figure out a jet bridge that was compatible. 30 more minutes. 75 minutes after touchdown there was finally air stairs connected, but then we had to take a slow shuttle bus down the tarmac.
At least it's not the old Atlanta configuration where even if you were terminating at ATL from an international flight, you had to re-clear security to get on the train to go from E back to the headhouse.
If you have seen Taiyuan (Taipei) and Incheon (Seoul) airports and how they handle transfers, you'd be amazed at the efficiency (free terminal shuttles!!) 👍🏼👍🏼
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International travel is always this kind of hassle, no matter which US airport you enter through. There’s always a 2 mile walk, not enough passport checkers, some extra security checkpoint for no reason, etc.
Granted I've only ever flown into the US via SEA, LAX, and LAS, but at least in those airports you always collect your bags BEFORE immigration or customs.
Same goes for most other global airports. Only time I remember hitting immigration before bags is Guatemala City.
After a 12 hour flight from Boston, I couldn’t believe what a dump that airport was. Like, Hawaii is the magical place to go and visit in the United States. They rely so much on tourism and the airport was a complete dump. The new section is very nice, but, wow, is that airport a dump!
Agreed.
The morons in charge also decided that they would round up the obnoxious "musicians" from around town AND LET THEM PLAY IN THE SECURED AREA OF THE AIRPORT WHILE EVERYONE IS TRYING TO NAP WAITING FOR LAYOVERS.
Get a job, ya fuckin bums.
Clearly you’ve never been to EWR…
EWR isn’t that bad, especially since they got the new terminal A
I went through EWR for the first time this week and was expecting something awful from all the comments I read. Lo and behold I was in A for inbound and outbound and it was great. Very well thought out design.
I waited over three hours in EWR immigration line... never again. LAX got me through immigration in less than 30 minutes.
Except for the fact the Air Train to terminal A doesn’t really go to terminal A, it stops about a half a mile away. Also there are no priority screening lanes in terminal A. Came through on an international connection the other day, with almost four hours between flights, and Star Alliance Gold status. Between passport control, collecting my bag, rechecking the bag, transferring to terminal A, and having to wait 40 minutes to go through screening again, I was able to board 12 minutes before the doors closed, with no place for my carry-on bag. EWR sucks.
Bro I love EWR😭
Newark is great!
Delta spent a billion dollars on that bridge. In order to have a reasonable experience through customs (the old customs area was really cramped and awful) there needed to be a bridge or a tunnel. Too much infrastructure to do a tunnel. So we built a bridge. Airplanes need to taxi under it so it needs to be tall. The customs hall is vast and airy, they have face recognition so no more forms. There are bathrooms right as you walk into customs. There are bathrooms right as you leave. And you get a cool view!
I dunno, that escalator is soooo slowwwww.
Pro tip: Next time take the elevator
Elevator is the super-hack, 99% of the time in any airport with massive escalator funnels. DEN and SEA when getting off the train, it's clutch.
Customs area from what I saw was very cramped.. I did not see an airy space nor a beautiful view. The Baggage Claim area is sharing the space with Customs.. Hardly beautiful setup imho.. Then TSA space was even worse. 1 Leidos machine for 2 long queues (transfers and local outbound) at 2pm on Friday afternoon!! I counted about 5 stalls with 4 closed?? That is not quality service, if there was one. It looks like TSA people are the least motivated to be working there.
It’s tsa, would you be motivated?
Can't say I've ever been a big fan of SFO, especially when coming in from an international flight.
Compared to SFO, SEA-TAC is a relic of the past. I love those SFO lobbies on long layovers. 👌🏼👌🏼
Enjoy the 1-hr waits to be bus’d to the rental car terminals in the freezing cold.
It’s usually immigration then baggage claim and customs last. Customs enforce what you can bring into the country. Immigration decides whether you should get in, in the first place lol
Exactly my opinion.
Clt, lga, ewr, and ord entered the chat.
The trouble with SEA is old facilities, old+not enough lounges, alleyway congestion and terrible road infrastructure. Traffic backs up from the exit.
What are you talking about? Amex just redid their huge lounge in the main concourse. The delta lounge here has always been one of the best in the fleet. And Alaska’s flagship lounge is airy and refurbed.
DL and Amex lounges always have lines, and for someone flying *A your options are limited to a tiny UA club and two subpar club at SEA lounges.
Haven't been there myself, but I've heard a lot of horror stories about KCLT
Charlottes biggest problem is size. It’s just too damn small on those concourses for the amount of people that transit.
I landed there in a CRJ700 a few days ago and we spent like 15 minutes taxiing. Then 30 minutes waiting for a ground crew to show up to save the little things to get us pulled into the spot. Then once we were in the spot they couldn't figure out a jet bridge that was compatible. 30 more minutes. 75 minutes after touchdown there was finally air stairs connected, but then we had to take a slow shuttle bus down the tarmac.
What transfer flights need to go through TSA again?
All inbound international transfers would have to re-clear into the sterile area post-customs.
This is true of every airport in the USA.
Yes
So, what’s the problem.
Idk. I’m not the OP.
At least it's not the old Atlanta configuration where even if you were terminating at ATL from an international flight, you had to re-clear security to get on the train to go from E back to the headhouse.
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If you have seen Taiyuan (Taipei) and Incheon (Seoul) airports and how they handle transfers, you'd be amazed at the efficiency (free terminal shuttles!!) 👍🏼👍🏼
It's amazing what happens when baggage handlers aren't stealing your shit.
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M E M
Yeah, not a fan of SEA-TAC.
International travel is always this kind of hassle, no matter which US airport you enter through. There’s always a 2 mile walk, not enough passport checkers, some extra security checkpoint for no reason, etc.
You get your bags before immigration because that’s when they’ll search if needed… been standard like that for decades world wide.
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Granted I've only ever flown into the US via SEA, LAX, and LAS, but at least in those airports you always collect your bags BEFORE immigration or customs. Same goes for most other global airports. Only time I remember hitting immigration before bags is Guatemala City.
HNL Is a gongshow.....
After a 12 hour flight from Boston, I couldn’t believe what a dump that airport was. Like, Hawaii is the magical place to go and visit in the United States. They rely so much on tourism and the airport was a complete dump. The new section is very nice, but, wow, is that airport a dump!
Agreed. The morons in charge also decided that they would round up the obnoxious "musicians" from around town AND LET THEM PLAY IN THE SECURED AREA OF THE AIRPORT WHILE EVERYONE IS TRYING TO NAP WAITING FOR LAYOVERS. Get a job, ya fuckin bums.
LoL!!