KV109

I have an unusual situation. Next week I will fly on a buddy pass NRT-MSP. Upon arrival I will pick up my 16-yr old cousin, who will fly back with me (also on a buddy pass) MSP-NRT. Can I turn around on the same day?

NRT-MSP arrives at 12:47pm
MSP-NRT departs at 3:11pm

My cousin should check in about 2 hours early. Could he check in and meet me in the departure lounge for NRT? Do I have time to get off the plane and make it to the departure lounge in time for boarding? I see on another forum the I-I turnaround at MSP is 1hr 15min. But on a buddy pass I will not have a forward ticket, maybe only a seat request (maybe not). Will I have to clear immigration and customs (no baggage) and re-enter MSP via the Departures hall? If so, will I have time to check in and clear security?

Should we just stay the night in MSP (and shower!) and try to go the next day?

By the way, according to Delta, it seems 15-17 year olds can fly unaccompanied. Did I read that info correctly?

KV

xooz

1. You can get through the transit security location with a seat request card. I would print out the PNR/Itinerary to have to show them.
2. Be sure you ask your buddy pass provider to confirm whether the plane that you fly in on is actually the plane you return on. Otherwise, you take the risk of a delay which might get you there too late for your return.
3. It would be safer to meet up and spend the night of course, though your cousin would then be hanging around at a hotel waiting for you, since they would not be able to check in by themselves.
4. Consider how you will communicate with your cousin once you arrive. Will you both have cell phones that work in Japan? If not, there are ways to communicate but you need a plan before you get there.

Good luck.

CDKing

16 y/o can fly by themselves. It would probably be safer for cousin to just travel on their own. Especially if one of you cannot get on the flight if its full.

OP is traveling from NRT-MSP-NRT so full entry procedure. Hoping OP doesn't get held up wondering why they are only headed to the US to turn straight around.

MSPeconomist

At MSP, like elsewhere in the USA, departing international passengers are not segregated from arriving or departing domestic passengers. There is no sterile international transit zone. As a result, you must clear immigration and customs, although there's a TSA security checkpoint after customs the gets you right into an airside area that's very close to the departure gate of the MSP-NRT flight, which is quite close to customs and immigration at this airport. MSP-NRT leaves from the same gate area all the time, although the specific gate can change by one or two.

However, if you have a checked bag, I'm not sure whether you could check again it for a flight using a separate ticket in the bag recheck and customer service area just after customs, before doing TSA security. My guess is that you might be forced to follow the airport exit signs after customs, which lead to the arrivals level baggage claim area. In this case, you would go up one level to the departures check in area to check the bag at MSP.

Unless something very unusual happens, the inbound NRT-MSP aircraft will be used for the outbound MSP-NRT flight. This is because NRT is the only route from MSP that uses 777 or 747 aircraft. The two or three AMS flights are mostly A330s but sometimes the 767-300, while the DL flight to CDG and the LHR flight are either A330s or 767s.

KV109

Thank you for the helpful replies. You have given excellent details and a lot to think about.

I will discuss my options with my buddy pass provider and my cousin. I hope to convince him to fly alone, but it's his first time using a buddy pass and first time flying alone (plus, it's overseas). I want to respect the buddy pass system and not have him cause the Delta team any inconvenience.

Maybe an overnight in MSP will be the best thing for everyone.

I will let you know what I decide and how it goes.

KV

ILovetheReds

If it were me, I would have my cousin fly alone. That trip will be a pain to make. There is no guarantee that you will get on the outbound to meet him for the return flight.

Assuming you can get there, there's a possibility that there would only be one seat and you two couldn't fly together. And if there are two seats, there is a very good chance they won't be together and it's my understanding Delta has a very strict policy that NRSA are never to ask a passenger to switch seats.

MSPeconomist

A high school aged kid who has flown before should be able to have fun doing the MDP-NRT nonstop on his own, either with or without UM services (if they're even available for buddy pass riders). Arrival into Japan is easy as one just follows the signs in English (as well as other passengers from the flight) and goes through an orderly and polite immigration process, picks up any checked bag, and then as a holder (presumably) of a USA passport in his hand with the cover showing clearly to officials, just walks through the green channel for customs. You then meet him at the exit in NRT.

However, I have the impression that you have been assuming that buddy pass seats on this flight will be easy to get on the desired date. I'm not convinced as the flight is usually full. IMO you should have contingency plans in case the travel must be delayed by a day or more. [I'm not sure I'd encourage the 16 year old to do a connection into NRT on his own, but a lot depends on the odds and his experience with domestic and buddy pass travel. If he opts to try a connection, DTW is probably the easiest, followed by LAX. At both of these he could also try for non stops to HND.]

mersk862

Granted I tend to enter Japan at Haneda, but every time I've gone in, I remember having to stop at Customs to at least hand in my yellow Customs Declaration. Normally get asked 1-2 quick questions there but it's not lengthy.

DTW-HND is gone. It has been replaced with SEA-HND.

CPinBklyn

Please, I am a newbie to insider lingo. What does "BE" mean in "BE on TATL/TPAC is more likely than unlikely."

zsmith2

BE=Business Elite=Delta One which is DLs business class. Fortunately for Delta as a business, more and more first/business class seats are being sold to revenue pax...so the above statement is not very accurate anymore.

CPinBklyn

Thank you zsmith2. I am trying to figure out whether I am being foolish to nonrev to FCO in June with my teen daughter out of JFK, and also nonrev to LHR in July by myself, all thanks to my friend, who offered Buddy Passes. Starting to get nervous.

zsmith2

Buddy pass travel in the summer is very risky.

woodford02A

FCO is one of the most popular European vacation destinations for Americans. I would be surprised if you could even make it on the plane period.

LHR at least Delta has many different routings in/out of there, but still...if you have ANY time obligations on either end, avoid using a BP. You could be stuck for days.

Did your friend fully explain to you how these passes work?

ILovetheReds

I'd consider FCO to be very foolish in the summer travelling with a daughter unless you have a lot of flexibility. Chances are if you two managed to get on the same flight you wouldn't be sitting together and there is also a good chance there could only be one open seat. If your daughter-if she is only 13 or 14 she would be considered an UM so you would have to be on the same flight (not sure if Delta will allow a UM on a buddy pass or not if you pay the UM fee). FCO is a very popular tourist spot in the summer and someone in my office went last year and their GU didn't clear in one direction and they were waitlisted on the other one that cleared the day of travel so plan on sitting in economy on that flight.

As someone else mentioned LHR has a lot more routings on Delta than FCO. It is also a popular tourist spot in the summer but more routing options than FCO. I received an opup two years ago on Delta from LHR in July so coach does sell out in the summer but I have seen J seats go out empty before on LHR flights many times and have seen NRSA's in J on LHR routes (if Y is oversold I'm assuming a paid person with status would get oped up to J before they would give the seat to a NRSA).

ILovetheReds

Delta is starting to do FCM with Delta one on a lot of international flights (and two years ago when I was going to use the OLD SWU's on a flight, a Z fare was less than the M fare required on an SWU so it was a no brainer booking the Z fare instead).

And fortunately for diamonds the GU's can now be used on low fares so there are going to be more diamonds using them to sit up front who wouldn't have spent the money in the past on the M or B fare, especially now that they aren't out anything if they have to be waitlisted on the coach fare they would normally buy