NewbieRunner

NRT and KIX will introduce fast lanes for immigration on March 30 on a limited basis. The scheme is aimed at VIPs and visitors attending international conferences. I can only find information in Japanese but the scope is very limited and won't be any use to the majority of passengers.

Press releases
MLIT Japan Tourist Agency
Narita Airport
Kansai Airport

NHK suggests that the number of passengers who can use the fast lanes will be limited to 5 per flight at NRT and that the facility is limited to Business and First Class passengers at KIX, but the press releases by NRT and KIX do not mention any number.

AlwaysAisle

The news release indicated that an arriving passenger need the Fast Lane Coupon to access Fast Lane passport control. The Fast Lane Coupons will be available to non-Japanese passport holders only and distributed to arriving passenger by:

• Airlines to their passengers
• International conference organizers to their attendees

This is initial testing phase and Ministry of Transport will monitor the use and information will be used to make adjustments and expand the program in future.

beckoa

Just a few days too late for the Japan KIX DO participants. Maybe next year.

Still exciting to see this ^

BH62

Similar to the fast lane passes issued to Biz Class pax upon entry to OZ at SYD

armagebedar

I would not expect this to be made available to business and first class or elite status passengers, at least during the introductory phase.

FFlash

Sounds interesting, will see. About to land in KIX soon as business class pax (OWE)

acregal

Some international conferences can have thousands of attendees, so this doesn't seem like a good idea at all. I know of one that is going to have 20,000 attendees (not the G7 conferences).

FFlash

OK, just tested at KIX, it seemed operative but not for me as non-Japanese

I was flying Finnair business class, as OWE and asked during flight the chief purser and she did not know about this Fast lane thing, she did not know anything about it neither heard.

On arrival, I was adviced to the normal passport check queue, but I saw the Fast Lane ports (2 of them IIRC?) and I think I saw a couple of Asian-looking people going through there

AlwaysAisle

Hope you did not think entire conference attendees will receive the Fast Lane Coupons. What sounds like is that only limited number of Fast Lane Coupons will be available to airlines and conference organizers. It is up to each airlines and conference organizers to decide who gets these Fast Lane Coupons.

Also, for conferences not all attendees will arrive on international flights around same time on same day at one airport. It is highly unlikely that there will be 500 people lining up at the Fast Lane at one moment.

As FFlash has posted flight crews on his flight into KIX had no idea about the Fast Lane. The authority in Japan has not made public about which airlines and which conference organizers will receive how many coupons.

I think it is important to remember that the authority in Japan has said that this is introductory testing phase of Fast Lane concept on international arrival.

acregal

Better half organizes international conferences for the biggest company in the industry (in Japan) and even her company doesn't really know a lot about the details. From what she said, it does seem like people from certain conferences will get them. FWIW, her company is hoping that they are generous with the invitations for this - a lot of conference work involves getting people with overinflated egos to come, and some people might cancel if they don't get the fast lane invitation (people regularly cancel for petty stuff).

I could really see this being like the immigration gates - an extra line with nobody there, but if someone comes up then an immigration officer will rush over.

FFlash

FWIW, the passport control at KIX was the worst I have ever experienced in terms of queue moving. Even worse than in Brazil where I am used to wait for hours.
This time though, I was lucky to exit the plane among the first 10-20 people and before other jumbos arriving. The passport agents handled, I reckoned, between 3-5 mins per person!!! and it took me some 20 minutes to clear, but I watched the line behind me grow with horror. With quick calculation someone might have waited there more than 10 hours...well I cannot tell obviously

jib71

Most unlikely.

Steve M

This brings to mind a question: when inbound Immigration in Japan gets backed up, what exactly is taking so long? I've been through dozens of times, and have never had an Immigration officer ask me a single question. This differs from other countries, like the US, Canada, and UK, where they always ask everyone at least something, and sometimes many things. Now, at Customs in Japan, they always seem to ask something, and that's also where they seem to "size you up" and sometimes ask additional questions, but I've never experienced more than 5 minute wait to exit the Customs hall.

txflyer77

No idea what they're asking, but anecdotally the only time I've been stuck in line at NRT immigration is if I've come in just behind a flight from mainland China or India—countries that don't have visa-free entry.

Agreed that as an American I've never been asked a single question by Japanese immigration.

RJ1

Any recent reports about the fast lanes? I am flying business class on United into KIX later this month, and was wondering if they are distributing the passes for the fast lane.