Newark Liberty is the airport our Westchester and Fairfield clients underestimate most. From Mohegan Lake it is a 70-minute run on a good day and a two-hour slog when the GW Bridge ties up, and the terminal layout post-redevelopment is not the layout most travelers remember. The new Terminal A is open and gorgeous, Terminal B is on borrowed time, and Terminal C is still the United fortress. Here is how EWR pickup actually runs in 2026.
The terminals as they exist today
Newark currently operates three passenger terminals: A, B, and C. The new Terminal A — sometimes still called “Terminal One” in old documentation — replaced the original Terminal A in 2023 and now handles American, Delta, JetBlue, Alaska, Air Canada, and a rotation of international carriers. Terminal B is the legacy building handling most of the remaining international flights along with a smaller mix of domestic carriers, and is scheduled for demolition once the next phase of the Terminal A expansion opens. Terminal C is United’s global hub and handles roughly half the airport’s traffic by itself.
Terminal A — the new build
Terminal A is the easiest building at Newark to work. The Arrivals level is well marked, the curb is long, and the dwell time before Port Authority asks you to circulate is more forgiving than at JFK or LGA. Doors 1 through 3 are baggage claim exits for the south concourse, Doors 4 through 6 for the north. We approach from the New Jersey Turnpike Exit 14 and follow the airport loop signs — the new terminal sits closest to the entry, so you reach it before B and C. Cell-phone lot drivers should expect the building to be visually closer than the GPS suggests; the airport’s internal roadway makes it a 3-4 minute drive from the lot.
Terminal B — the old building
Terminal B is showing its age. It currently handles a mixed bag of international carriers: Lufthansa, Swiss, TAP, EL AL, Aer Lingus, Air India, Singapore, and others on the international side, plus a few domestic operators. The Arrivals curb is short, dwell time is enforced, and the customs hall on B1 is notorious for unpredictable wait times — a flight that lands at 4:30pm can have passengers at the curb at 5:05 or 5:55 depending on staffing. We stage at the cell-phone lot and do not roll in until the passenger confirms they have their bags and are walking out. Door 1 is the international exit, Door 2 is domestic baggage claim.
Terminal C — United
Terminal C is United’s domestic, international, and connecting hub. C1, C2, and C3 are three concourses connected by a moving-walkway tube that runs above the ramp. Arrivals is on the lower level and the curb runs the full length of the building, which sounds generous until you remember that a passenger landing at C3 has a 6-7 minute walk to the curb. We always confirm which arrivals door the passenger is closest to: Door 1 covers C1 (international), Doors 2-4 cover C2 domestic, Doors 5-6 cover C3. United Polaris passengers exit through the international customs hall on the C1 side.
AirTrain Newark and what changed
The original AirTrain Newark was decommissioned in 2022, and a temporary bus shuttle ran between the terminals and the Newark Liberty rail station through 2024. The new AirTrain Newark replacement project is partially open in 2026 — the airside loop between terminals works, but the connection out to the NJ Transit and Amtrak rail station is still in phased commissioning. For chauffeur work this changes nothing: we do not use AirTrain. We pick passengers up at the curb of the terminal they arrived at.
The cell-phone lot
Newark’s cell-phone lot is on the south side of the airport, signed off the airport loop road after Exit 14 from the Turnpike. It is free, has a 60-minute limit, and includes portable restrooms. It fills on Friday evenings and during international banks at 4-7pm. Our standard pattern is to arrive at the lot 15 minutes before the flight’s posted landing time, monitor the passenger’s app, and roll in once they text that they have bags in hand.
I-95 vs the Turnpike: the approach decision
From Westchester there are two legitimate routes to Newark and the right one depends entirely on time of day. Route 1 is the Tappan Zee (the Mario Cuomo Bridge) on I-287/I-87 south to the Garden State Parkway, then to NJ-21 or I-78 to the Turnpike. Route 2 is the Henry Hudson and the GW Bridge to I-95 south. Route 1 adds about 8 miles but skips Manhattan entirely and is the right call any time the GW is degraded — which in 2026 means most weekday afternoons after 2pm and any Friday after noon. Route 2 is faster on weekend mornings and on weekday returns after 9pm. The decision is checked against live traffic when the chauffeur leaves Mohegan Lake; we re-route mid-trip if the GW deteriorates.
Departure timing from Westchester
For a flight out of Newark with a 7am scheduled departure, we leave Mohegan Lake at 4:15am, which puts the passenger at the curb at 5:30 — 90 minutes before departure for domestic, 2 hours for international. For a midday flight, we leave 2.5 hours before scheduled departure to absorb GW Bridge variability. These are the times that work; tighter than that and we are gambling.
Book your Newark trip
Newark is a 60-90 minute airport from Westchester depending on the day and the bridge gods, and the difference between catching a 7am flight and not catching it is usually the chauffeur who knows when to take the Tappan Zee instead of the GW. Call 914-222-1919 to set up your EWR pickup or drop-off.