I like Newark Airport.
I’m sure some of you think I’ve lost my mind or that this is a joke. I promise I haven’t and it’s not. I’m being honest when I say that I like Newark Airport (EWR).
Part of my affinity for the airport comes from growing up in New Jersey. It took three turns and a 15-minute drive from my childhood home to get to the airport. I took many flights from Newark to Orlando until we moved to Florida. It’s still the best airport to use when flying to northern New Jersey and it’s a legit option when we’re going to Manhattan, with a direct link to Penn Station by AirTrain and NJ Transit.
It’s been over two decades since EWR was my home airport and granted, there are still things I don’t love about Newark Airport. It’s OK if you’re flying on United into Terminal C, where you’ll find a modernized layout with plenty of seating and places to charge your devices. I recently had a connection in Newark and had no problems finding a place to work. If you’re a frequent flyer, you’ll know the terminal is undergoing renovations, including the closure of one United Club location. There’s a temporary club to handle the overflow, but it’s not the same.
Newark is a major United hub serving many cities around the world. In addition, several Star Alliance partners fly to the airport, making it easy to connect between airlines on international routes.
However, things are not great if you’re flying through the other terminals. They were built in the 1970s and aren’t designed for modern security measures. Each bank of gates has its own TSA checkpoint, meaning your options are limited once you’re at your gate. It also makes connections difficult.
If there are flight delays, the gate areas quickly get overcrowded, with limited food options and insufficient seats.
However, this will change with the opening of the new Terminal A. While it was supposed to open in early December 2022, the move was postponed until 2023.
With the newly opened Terminal A and the renovations to Terminal C, Newark is no longer an airport to avoid on our trips to New York or connecting points beyond.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
Cover Image by David Mark from Pixabay
2 comments
I’m also from NJ, now retired and living “somewhere else”.
Newark Airport is a third world country of discourteous TSA people, overzealous Port Authority cops, and trying to get anyone who speaks English can be challenging. Pretty shameful. I’ve been through many airports in other parts of the country and it’s like night and day comparing them with Newark. I dread going through there whether on foot or car.
EWR is definitely the easier airport for visiting Manhattan. The rigmarole of getting to JFK or LGA, or the cost of a taxi, makes me never use those airports. I also was raised in NJ, in the Trenton area. I could use either EWR or PHL. I alternated between those 2, with occasional flights from JFK. Because in the 80s and 90s, JFK is where one could get non-stop international flights.
But after travelling all over the US and the world, EWR and PHL are obnoxious airports to use.