Help with flights..

[nervousflier]

Will cut a long story short and hope that any seasoned travellers may be able to help me! And before the suggestions of 'ring the airline', I have already today. However, the lady I spoke to was foreign and we struggled to understand each other so I'm calling out to you lovely lot for some advice

Flying to Florida this week - Manchester to Dusseldorf, Düsseldorf to Newark, Newark to Orlando.
Same airline taking us on the first 2 flights, then a different airline for the last leg.

Once I've checked my luggage in at Manchester, will it have to be collected and checked back in again at Düsseldorf? Or can we forget about it until Newark?

Worried as we don't have much time between flights and will really struggle if there's a delay!

I appreciate no-one may know for certain but hoping someone will have flew similarly 🤞🏻

It should find its way to your final destination without you. But I'd pack a spare pair of knix in your handbag just in case!

I think you’ll have to collect your baggage and take it through customs at Newark, and then drop it off again for the final leg.

travel.stackexchange.com/questions/81001/neccesary-to-pick-up-luggage-and-re-check-in-my-second-connection-in-us

Are you saying that Manchester-Düsseldorf-Newark is all booked as one ticket? And then Newark-Orlando is a separate ticket with a different airline? If yes then the airline will transfer the luggage at Düsseldorf. You will need to collect your luggage at Newark and go through the US border. Then you’ll need to recheck your luggage and go back through security for the domestic flight. If you miss the final flight then we the airline has no obligation to rebook you and you may have to pay for new tickets.

If it’s all booked as one ticket and the final flight is just with a partner airline (your OP isn’t that clear) then you’ll still need to go through the US border at Newark but you are the airlines responsibility and they will rebook you should you miss a leg due to delays.

If it were me I’d probably try to do with hand luggage only to save hassle at Newark.

Yes, I think as your last leg is with a different airline, you'll have to collect your luggage at Newark and check it in again for your internal US flight.

Sorry - didn't pick up on the change of airline. PPs are right in that regard.

Oh and I should have been clearer- even if it is all booked as 1 ticket (e.g. Manchester-Düsseldorf-Newark is with Lufthansa but Newark-Orlando is a United codeshare) you will still need to collect your luggage and go through immigration and customs before rechecking it.

The only thing that changes as a result of a separate ticket is the airline’s responsibility to rebook you if you get delayed somewhere along the way and miss the flight. If this is the case and you think it will be tight then as per my PP I’d strongly recommend going hand luggage only.

Ok thank you all for the help! Will try and clear a few things:

I think it's all booked as one ticket, I booked the whole lot together? First 2 flights are Lufthansa and then last flight is United Airlines.

I have 1 hour 5 mins between flights 1&2, and 1 hour 35 mins between flights 2&3. The lady I spoke to today did say that if there were any delays and we missed a connecting flight, then we'd be put on another flight at the airlines expense. I'm just worried that it's not enough time to sort the luggage and catch the next flight.

Unfortunately hand luggage only is a no go - 4 of us are off to Florida for 10 days so have a couple of suitcases.

I think you will have to pick up bags in Newark as this is your entry point to the US. I’ve done similar and have to get bags and go through immigration in New York, get a New York passport stamp. Then bags go back into the hold and collect in Orlando. It’s quite busy and stressful so get off plane as quick as you can to get a head start!

Our flight into Newark was late and they held the plane to Orlando as so may people were due on that flight too. We ran through Newark with a sleeping child, worth familiarising yourself with where you are going as it’s a big airport

@kathryn77 thanks for the advice! Sorry for the stupid question (I've only flown a couple of times) but how could I find out which terminal I'll be landing into and which one I'll be leaving from?

Our departing terminal from Manchester is printed on our confirmation but not the others 🤷‍♀️ I agree it would be helpful to have an idea of where we need to dash!

I imagine it would be on the internet. You can usually look at departures before hand by air port . I have been know to ask the aircraft crew.

Even just having a pic of airport on your phone may help as you can get bearings even if only know gate on arrival.

That's a really tight connection in Newark, airlines would normally advise at least two hours preferably three when entering and transferring in the US. Depending upon where you are sat on the plane, it could be 30 minutes after landing before you mange to get off. If you are lucky and no other planes have landed you can clear immigration in around 30 minutes but could take 2/3 hours THEN you have to collect your luggage and recheck it and queue up to go through security again.
Is there any chance you can switch to a later flight to Orlando now? Although the airlines will switch you to another if you miss your connection there might not be 4 seats available on another flight for several hours or even the same day.

Agree it’s a really tight connection at Newark. Given bag drop usually closes 45 minutes before departure you’ll only have 50 minutes to deplane, get through immigration, collect your bags, go through customs, possibly terminal change then get back to check in to redrop your bags. I’d see if the airline are willing to move you to a later flight. If not I’d probably be expecting to miss it- worst case scenario is you’ll have to hang around Newark for a bit then split up to fly standby to Orlando. You’ll get there eventually and the holiday will be worth it!

Oh no I'm panicking now.. I knew it was tight but hoped it was manageable.

We originally had a lovely direct flight with Thomas Cook

@kathryn77 will keep my fingers crossed that the same will happen for us if there's a few due on that flight!

You won’t get your Newark connecting, unless you have about 4 hours clear- you need to disembark say 30 min, clear immigration- could take anything up to 2 hrs, collect bags and potentially change terminal to domestic, which also needs an hour check in time because your foreign... also take paper copies of your esta I case of any issues, and have dollars I. Change and small bills available for vend machines if you get caught up in immigration/ baggage arrivals- you’ll need them for tipping anyway

Whoever said about change g flights now, I agree. If this is because of TC then you should have been booked onto suitable alternatives, this isn’t one of them, be relentless with them now or you’ll be in a big q at the airport in newark where they give zero fucks and have to pay to sort it all.... invest the time now

If you can’t change it then I wouldn’t panic. I’ve done a lot of flight connections and what I’ve learned is that there’s no point stressing. You’ll either make it or you won’t but you have zero control over it. We spent 6.5 hours at Heathrow this summer due to delays, not ideal but still had a great holiday! You won’t have to pay if it’s all booked on one ticket and you will get there eventually.

DH also once had a plane held for him (and some others) at San Fran, SIL got taken through the VIP channel in a private car at LHR. Miracles do sometimes happen!

Lufthansa and United codeshare which is why you have a single ticket. They are treated as one airline in terms of checking bags through and having responsibility to get you to your final destination. If you miss the United Flight then the airline has a responsibility to put you on a later flight at their expense.

frequentflyeracademy.com/understanding-codeshare-flights/ explains more.

Your luggage will most likely be checked through to its final destination, but you will need to pick up your bags in Newark and take them through customs because it's your port of entry in the US. You don't usually then go through a big re-check-in process - you just drop your bag at a conveyor belt or desk just after Customs. It's usually clearly marked.

United has recently got very good at knowing when to hold flights so that passengers can make connections. So you might make the connection, but it really will be tight.

Maybe worth seeing if they'll move you onto a later flight from Newark.

BTW rather than calling Lufthansa for more info, call United.
www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/contact/reservations/europe.html

I'm not as pessimistic about your connecting time chances at Newark as others- I've made very similar connection times coming in from Europe but you will be at the mercy of the border lines. Don't worry too much- if you miss the flight you'll get put on another one.

Know your route as best as possible beforehand. I think you'll come into terminal B at Newark as that's international. Look up other EWR to MCO flights to get a good sense of the terminal. Newark isn't too difficult to navigate and there's a landside train you can get. www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/maps/ewr.aspx

You can get a sense of the waits at the border here:awt.cbp.gov/

You'll probably have to clear security again so if you can get priority security for your United ticket, do.

There's a bit of misinformation here.

The legal minimum connecting time at Newark, international to domestic is 1 hour and 10 minutes. If your inbound flight is delayed United will reaccomodate you on the next flight. If you're delayed in immigration they are not legally obliged to do that but it would be very unusual for them not to.

You will need to collect your bag at Newark and go through customs. You clear immigration before you collect your bags. Once you've cleared immigration follow the signs for connecting flights and drop your bags there - they'll be tagged to Orlando. You'll arrive in terminal B if you're on Lufthansa but some United flights codeshare and they come into C.

Tell the flight crew your connection details when you get to Newark and see if they will let you off first.

Did you book the tickets yourself or through an agency?