Is this enough time to make plane connection with customs?

You will go through Customs in Newark and you will probably not have enough time--especially if your plane is delayed.

If it was a domestic connection, you probably would make it. But I guess the CO agent didn't think about Customs and Immigration.

You probably have enough time to catch the flight to Houston, flights rarely leave on time at any of the NYC airports so that works in your favor:) In addition to the Immigration/customs checks, don't forget that you will also have to go through a TSA security check at Newark.

Michael...you really think an hour and 15 minutes is enough time to get off the plane, go through customs & immigration, change terminals, and go through TSA at Newark? (And we haven't been told if she has baggage to claim.)

I travel a lot and I wouldn't chance it. If the arriving flight is slightly late, and the departing flight is on time, it will be a problem.

If you're booked through on one ticket and miss your connection, Continental should be required to put you on the next available flight (4:25pm). However, if you want to play it safe, book the 4:25 flight so you won't have to worry about arriving in Newark late, missing the 3:00 flight, and possibly finding that the 4:25 flight is sold out.

I agree with Tim's suggestions.

Even if everything runs smoothly and you have time to kill, it will give you a little extra time to move around after a long flight and before you board another one. Get the circulation going again.

I agree. I've never been through customs in Newark, but here in Atlanta, you have to go through passport control, find your bags on the carousels, go through customs, and then recheck your bags for your domestic flight. Oh, and then you have to go through security again. And even though your flight "arrives" at 1:45, you may not actually get off the plan until closer to 2:00, depending on where you are on the plane.

We fly standby, and, trust me, it's no walk in the park. I'd go with the sure thing and rebook for a later flight.

I agree with the others here. I think with that close of a connection, you'll be tearing your hair out! Maybe call Continental again and get the opinion of another agent. Depending on what they say, I'd think seriously about booking the later flight. Best wishes, Maggie.

For this particular flight I do think 1 hour 15 minutes is enough time for the connection. Because of all the delays at NYC airports a lot of extra time is padded into landings times at Newark. Transatlantic flights typically land 30 minutes to an hour ahead of schedule. All Continental flights operate out of terminal C, so she won't have to change buildings, and since March 16 falls on a Monday(and the afternoon), its not a peak time of the week and there shouldn't be long lines at immigration. But most importantly Newark and Houston are both hubs for Continental Airlines, Thus there are a four other later flights she can take should she miss the 3pm departure. When you combine all these factors, at least for me, it's a reasonable risk.

Be suspicious about time allowed to change planes. Usually the person giving advice is guessing.

There is no way to predict the time required for customs and immigration at ANY terminal. Much depends of the day of week and time of day.

I always allow an extra hour on average for changing flights. If I were you I would allow more time.

I just returned from a flight with 5 legs. DFW to Hawaii. Even allowing extra time, I barely had time to get to the gate for the announced departure time in two terminals and in LAX and in Honolulu.

Some times your gates may be half a mile apart.

But the worse is that after running between gates, my departing flights in each of the five changes were delayed from 40 minutes to over an hour!

None left on time; so I had lots of waiting time. That's why so many travelers say that travel is longer the fun it used to be.

I would like to thank everyone for their help. I am taking Rick's advice and packing light and will not check anything. After reading all the responses, I am going to book a later departure from Newark to Houston though. It sounded like too much of a close call for me. Thanks again everyone for your advice. I am so glad this helpline is available to everyone, especially inexperienced travellers.