Things to look for in a company providing car service to Newark Airport (EWR).
When selecting a company to provide Newark airport car service, we suggest consulting the following checklist:
- Proper licensing: The limousine and car service company should have proper operating authority given the pick-up and drop-off locations and satisfy state and federal insurance coverage guidelines. For car service to Newark airport, this would usually mean being licensed in New Jersey or the state you are leaving from or going to.
- Large enough to deal with exceptional circumstances: Even a company with one vehicle can provide excellent car service to Newark airport under normal conditions, but what happens if the car breaks down, the trip scheduled before yours takes too long because of traffic or your flight arrives with a delay and conflicts with the trip scheduled after yours? A company with a sufficiently large fleet and a 24/7 in-house dispatcher would have no trouble dealing with anything that comes up, ensuring you get great car service even when things don’t go according to their plan.
- Small enough to care: Large limousine and car service companies offering car service to EWR Newark Liberty International airport may seem like the safe bet; however, they concentrate on large corporate accounts and while they may say that they strive for 100% customer satisfaction, it is inherent in the nature of the way they do business that they will always prioritize the needs of clients associated with their high annual revenue corporate accounts – they will always view you as just another ‘retail’ customer. Don’t be a number – go with a slightly smaller operator that can and does value your business.
- Locally competent: National and global operators are great if you are a fortune 5000 company looking for a black car service provider that can be the single source you go to for your chauffeured transportation needs not just at Newark airport but all over the country and perhaps even internationally. The upside in accounting and scheduling complexity reduction would outweigh the downsides in this case. Under all other circumstances, you are better off using a local or regional company which knows how to operate in the area and all the ins and outs of providing car service to Newark airport that exceeds their clients’ expectations at every turn.
Making sure your Newark airport car service experience is positive.
While most things depend on the car service provider, there are some things you as the client can do to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.
- Pick-up time: Let the company know what time your flight is and how far ahead of time you would like to be at Newark airport, then ask for their advice with respect to the time you should leave. Provided you’ve chosen a competent local or regional operator, they will know how long it would take to get there in the best case, on average and under a worst case scenario much better than you. You don’t want to spend any more time at the airport than you need and leaving so late that the chauffeur has to speed (which he won’t agree to) in order to get you to the airport on time isn’t good either – listen to the experts.
- Luggage capacity: Advise the car service company how much luggage you’re going to have. Assuming that everything will fit is one of the most common mistakes clients make. Some companies will refuse to provide service if luggage has to be stowed in the salon in an unsafe manner or the gross weight of the vehicle with passengers and contents looks like it will far exceed the safe GWVR rating of the car. Letting your operator of choice know your luggage capacity requirements ahead of time will prevent any difficulties on the day – if you need a larger vehicle or multiple vehicles, they will let you know and make the necessary arrangements.
- Passenger capacity: Much of the same advice as above is true for passengers as well. Most car service vehicles, such as Lincoln Town Cars, are very large, but they are not designed or rated to carry as many passengers as you can cram in them; any reputable provider will refuse to break the law by exceeding rated passenger capacity.
- Flight delays: If you are being picked up at the airport for car service from Newark airport, make sure you understand what the company’s policy with respect to flight delays is. Ideally, you’d like them to give a generous flight delay leeway window without charging you extra fees or, if they start charging those fees fairly soon, you’d want them to be reasonable – they certainly shouldn’t exceed the company’s hourly charter rate.
- Flight tracking: For car service from Newark airport, ask the provider whether and how they track flights. While flight delays are common and although it might cost you more, having a car waiting for you after your scheduled flight arrival time usually isn’t a problem, flights often arrive early as well. The truly excellent operators will have tracked the flight the entire way and ensured that you have a car waiting for you even under that set of circumstances.
- Routes: Some clients like to give the chauffeur turn by turn directions the entire way and this may indeed be necessary on rare occasions if you happen on a novice chauffeur. With that said, reputable companies hire experienced chauffeurs who make trips like yours more often than you do your school or supermarket run; as such, we recommend that you offer directions in your local area (to get to the nearest major thoroughfare for example) and then let his or her judgement borne of experience take over. Additionally, most companies will have equipped their vehicles and/or dispatch office with traffic monitoring technology and you would do well to allow that technology to do its job.
Cost considerations for Newark airport car service.
A few things to note about the cost and rates for any chauffeured transportation service and car service to Newark airport in particular:
- Gratuity: Ask your operator of choice about gratuities. The industry standard gratuity is 20% fixed, but the way in which it is applied differs. A lot of companies add it to your bill automatically; in those cases, ask if the price you were quoted includes the gratuity. I personally prefer to use companies which quote the price without gratuity, inform you what their standard gratuity is and advise you that you don’t have to pay it unless you’re happy with the service. Keep in mind that under the most common chauffeur compensation scheme, this gratuity is all the chauffeur gets in addition to the federally mandated $2.50/hr tipped employee minimum wage, the latter often being denied them by classifying them as independent contractors.
- Tolls and parking fees: Clarify whether tolls and parking charges are included or extra and, if they are billed on an as-incurred basis, whether they cover just the trip or both the trip and deadhead return. This can make a non-negligible difference as, for example, the Verrazano Narrows bridge is free from Staten Island and $13 to Staten Island.
- The Golden Rule: The most expensive car service to Newark airport quotes may not be your best bet – while one usually does indeed get what one pays for, certain companies geared towards corporate travel charge higher rates without providing service that’s any better (and sometimes worse) than their more reasonably priced competitors. On the other end of the spectrum, a comparatively low fare might seem like a great deal, but carrying proper insurance, maintaining vehicles to a safe standard and hiring qualified, experienced chauffeurs costs a substantial amount of money – ask yourself whether the inexpensive quote you received is inexpensive within reason or would require that the operator either discover an entirely new and revolutionary means of drastically reducing costs none of their competitors are aware of or would presuppose a massive cutting of corners you wouldn’t be comfortable with if you knew about them. Beyond that, low prices have another unpleasant consequence people unfamiliar with the industry are entirely unaware of – providers often ‘farm out’ work to their partners in the event a set of exigent circumstances makes them unable to provide service on time; a company whose prices are substantially lower than everyone else’s will simply be unable to find anyone willing to honour their rates in such an eventuality, which has the potential to cost you even more in airfare and stress if you were to miss your flight.
Car service to Newark Airport from Philadelphia.
While PHL is a major international airport and hosts a hub for US Airways, there are a lot of destinations which are better reached from Newark Airport (EWR). A number of national airlines from the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, for example, fly only from Newark Liberty International. It is often cheaper and always more convenient to simply take car service to Newark airport and then take a direct flight to your destination, rather than skimp on car service to Newark airport and have to take a two or three-legged flight from PHL.
Car service to Newark Airport from New York City.
When people think NYC, they think of JFK first and perhaps LGA (LaGuardia airport) second. However, LaGuardia is more commonly used for domestic flights and neither are exactly quick to get to. Newark airport offers a wider variety of flight options, lower fares and more convenience all while being easy to reach with comfortable car service to Newark Airport. Although car service to Newark airport is more expensive than taking a cab to LaGuardia or JFK, it often takes less time and is always a more comfortable ride.
Car service from Newark Airport.
While you can take a cab from the taxi line at the airport, taking car service from Newark airport is a better idea in much the same way as taking car service to Newark airport is better than taking a taxi or riding the train. Any reputable provider of car service to/from Newark airport will track your flight and ensure your car is there waiting for you once you’ve got your luggage. You can request meet and greet service, meaning your chauffeur will meet you at baggage claim or at the exit from customs, or you can just walk out to the limousine pick-up area.
