Typhoon Jebi floods KIX, breaks connecting bridge
Sep 8, 2018, 6:56 pm
#46
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it took me 3 days to get together to do this mini tr. lol.
i was supposed to fly cts-kix yesterday, but it was obviously clear that i wasnt gonna get to kix on wednesday, and that all flights to itm was zeroed out.
and on the morning of thursday it was clear i wasnt able to even get to cts.
/non flight related matters/
i was on the far end of Hokkaido at Shiretoko, so all was safe there- there were occasion power outage since typhoon passed on tuesday, but my hotel has its own generators, so even when the streets were dark our hotel was fine.
//flight related comments, on 5sept//l
JL: we tried to call jal on the hotline but it never got anywhere, its always the busy tone in the english line and the regional lines in japanese
CX: being on an award ticket, global rez line told us to call asiamiles/mpo. they were as useless as telling us they would reroute us but still based on fare class, sonaward availability. we got oka-hkg 1 day after our original kix-hkg. we must make our own way to oka.
at that point, we got 2 jep fares on NH cts-oka and 2 jep fares on JL fuk-oka (+1 was supposed to to a mr that ends up in fuk), being 10k yen each, its prob the one of the cheapest option if insurance doesnt pay up.//
6sept
in the morning of thursday after the earthquake, we had info on the big projector tv at the lobby, but all other ops in hotel was perfectly normal, so i didnt find out about the extent of the power outage until we hot to Rausu when 3 set of traffic lights were out and 2 of them were attended by wardens/police.
i was stopping by a gas station at the 3rd light and decided to just get some gas for the car. we were told to be rationed 17L gas for every car. then we saw all shops there being pitch dark.
at this point, we have decided to get to kushiro (where our next hotel was), let them know we are in the area, then try fly out of KUH (hotel was on the way anyways)
we passed by a few comvinient stores on the way, all had no lights- some are running the till on a car battery, and some are closed or have people queuing outside. besides a few main junctions all traffic lights are off.
//at crowne plaza kuh, the staff was v helpful and allowed us cxn or keep the room for as late as possible depending on the result of our plane situation. They told us there would not be power no water if we stayed there, but there is a ¥5000 menu for food. The manager also gave us her email address so we could contact her directly regarding our hotel room cancellation. she also gave us a copy of the flight schedule from the local airport, then we headed off to look for a flight.
times rent-a-car: Very helpful, besides cannot refund the remaining credit, it was very easy to change the reservation to end there, depending on the results of the flights. We also do not need to top up gas.
JL: i have an award ctskix, and +1 has a yokoso ctsfuk . hers was changed uneventfully. and staff wanted to tell me to buy new tickets- or tell iberia to change it. I refused stating that’s not what the press release said. after a longgggg discussion (2 hours total) they finally gave me my rerouted bp, so we will go to hnd first and fly to fuk and hij respectively (hij being nearest to fuk that they allow rerouting). all this being confirmed cuz we are premier, otherwise we would be put on standby priority.
NH: my friends bought an NH ticket ctsoka when we know we were rerouted to oka-hkg. so at kuh they tried to use that ticket- only for a queue attendant and a manager guy to tell them they cant deal w international ticket at the airport. eventually they bought a full fare ticket at the counter on the additional flight.
that is before we later tried again standing-by using the jep ticket at the counters after 2 hours, for rerouting to oka via hnd. the staff quickly did it on the earliest possible flight to oka via hnd. and they refunded the full fare ticket after.
they hv a mildly sour taste cuz they were told they cant reroute when all rules says they can.
7sept
//CX offered additional NGO flights to sort out KIX stranded pax. but its too late for us already. slightly buggering in my eyes.
i was supposed to fly cts-kix yesterday, but it was obviously clear that i wasnt gonna get to kix on wednesday, and that all flights to itm was zeroed out.
and on the morning of thursday it was clear i wasnt able to even get to cts.
/non flight related matters/
i was on the far end of Hokkaido at Shiretoko, so all was safe there- there were occasion power outage since typhoon passed on tuesday, but my hotel has its own generators, so even when the streets were dark our hotel was fine.
//flight related comments, on 5sept//l
JL: we tried to call jal on the hotline but it never got anywhere, its always the busy tone in the english line and the regional lines in japanese
CX: being on an award ticket, global rez line told us to call asiamiles/mpo. they were as useless as telling us they would reroute us but still based on fare class, sonaward availability. we got oka-hkg 1 day after our original kix-hkg. we must make our own way to oka.
at that point, we got 2 jep fares on NH cts-oka and 2 jep fares on JL fuk-oka (+1 was supposed to to a mr that ends up in fuk), being 10k yen each, its prob the one of the cheapest option if insurance doesnt pay up.//
6sept
in the morning of thursday after the earthquake, we had info on the big projector tv at the lobby, but all other ops in hotel was perfectly normal, so i didnt find out about the extent of the power outage until we hot to Rausu when 3 set of traffic lights were out and 2 of them were attended by wardens/police.
i was stopping by a gas station at the 3rd light and decided to just get some gas for the car. we were told to be rationed 17L gas for every car. then we saw all shops there being pitch dark.
at this point, we have decided to get to kushiro (where our next hotel was), let them know we are in the area, then try fly out of KUH (hotel was on the way anyways)
we passed by a few comvinient stores on the way, all had no lights- some are running the till on a car battery, and some are closed or have people queuing outside. besides a few main junctions all traffic lights are off.
//at crowne plaza kuh, the staff was v helpful and allowed us cxn or keep the room for as late as possible depending on the result of our plane situation. They told us there would not be power no water if we stayed there, but there is a ¥5000 menu for food. The manager also gave us her email address so we could contact her directly regarding our hotel room cancellation. she also gave us a copy of the flight schedule from the local airport, then we headed off to look for a flight.
times rent-a-car: Very helpful, besides cannot refund the remaining credit, it was very easy to change the reservation to end there, depending on the results of the flights. We also do not need to top up gas.
JL: i have an award ctskix, and +1 has a yokoso ctsfuk . hers was changed uneventfully. and staff wanted to tell me to buy new tickets- or tell iberia to change it. I refused stating that’s not what the press release said. after a longgggg discussion (2 hours total) they finally gave me my rerouted bp, so we will go to hnd first and fly to fuk and hij respectively (hij being nearest to fuk that they allow rerouting). all this being confirmed cuz we are premier, otherwise we would be put on standby priority.
NH: my friends bought an NH ticket ctsoka when we know we were rerouted to oka-hkg. so at kuh they tried to use that ticket- only for a queue attendant and a manager guy to tell them they cant deal w international ticket at the airport. eventually they bought a full fare ticket at the counter on the additional flight.
that is before we later tried again standing-by using the jep ticket at the counters after 2 hours, for rerouting to oka via hnd. the staff quickly did it on the earliest possible flight to oka via hnd. and they refunded the full fare ticket after.
they hv a mildly sour taste cuz they were told they cant reroute when all rules says they can.
7sept
//CX offered additional NGO flights to sort out KIX stranded pax. but its too late for us already. slightly buggering in my eyes.
Last edited by kaka; Sep 9, 2018 at 12:10 am
Sep 8, 2018, 8:06 pm
#47
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I agree it’s absurd for JL to fly just one rotation between HND and KIX using a terminal which is normally almost exclusively used by Peach but which has not been damaged as far as I understand. The flights were mostly symbolic, I suspect, and possibly due to unwarranted political pressure.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180905_36/
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180905_36/
Sep 9, 2018, 7:23 am
#48
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Japan/Thailand
Programs: AS, UA
Posts: 1,201
There's now discussion over whether to add international flights at ITM and UKB, and whether that can happen before KIX reopens (imo no, and there isn't much spare capacity anyway): https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...hts-elsewhere/
Also, that article says that the two JAL flights to/from Tokyo on Friday were cargo flights but I can't find anything definitive to confirm that.
Also, that article says that the two JAL flights to/from Tokyo on Friday were cargo flights but I can't find anything definitive to confirm that.
Sep 11, 2018, 2:24 pm
#49
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 83
KIX issues
Due to fly in 9/27 if airport opens. If runways do open, I am reading there will still be a problem with the only bridge connecting KIX with mainland. Has anyone ever used the boats before? Do we have to make reservations for those ahead of time? Can a limo access the airport via the bridge? I’m hoping someone who lives near or knows will help. Thank you.
Sep 11, 2018, 4:28 pm
#50
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Due to fly in 9/27 if airport opens. If runways do open, I am reading there will still be a problem with the only bridge connecting KIX with mainland. Has anyone ever used the boats before? Do we have to make reservations for those ahead of time? Can a limo access the airport via the bridge? I’m hoping someone who lives near or knows will help. Thank you.
So far JAL has been operating their international flights to Narita instead of to KIX.
The problem with T1 seems to be that the power generation, and station, is in the basement and was flooded. So until they fix that the operstions to/from T1 will stopped
As far as access is concerned, there is currently a shuttle bus operating from Rinku Town Station if you come by train. The airport busses operate a limited schedule. And the ferries to Kobe are running. By the 27th things may look very different, but in an improved condition compared to now..
Sep 11, 2018, 8:43 pm
#53
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kobe/Osaka
Programs: Delta
Posts: 1,587
Yes, a fluid situation, so I'm sure that things will be changed by the 27th, though unfortunately that's no so helpful for you now. Here's the home page for the Kobe ferry to KIX.
https://www.kobe-access.jp/eng/
https://www.kobe-access.jp/eng/
Sep 12, 2018, 7:08 am
#54
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Beantown! (BOS)
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As nishimark mentioned it is a fluid situation at KIX where information is changing daily due to the pressure from the government to the airport authority and airlines to get back KIX to the operation. Your flight is on Sept. 27 and a lot can change in next two weeks. Keep checking for the update with JL.
International flights:
Previously the airport authority said there is no set date for reopening of Terminal 1, where JAL uses for domestic and international flights. However, now the airport authority is saying that south portion of Terminal 1 will reopen in next few days. It is possible that JL will resume some international flights out of KIX before Sept. 27.
Airport bridge:
Previously airport authority said train service will resume to KIX sometime in October. However, now the airport authority is saying that the train service to KIX will resume before end of September. It is possible that the train service to KIX will be resumed by Sept. 27.
Keep checking for updates.
International flights:
Previously the airport authority said there is no set date for reopening of Terminal 1, where JAL uses for domestic and international flights. However, now the airport authority is saying that south portion of Terminal 1 will reopen in next few days. It is possible that JL will resume some international flights out of KIX before Sept. 27.
Airport bridge:
Previously airport authority said train service will resume to KIX sometime in October. However, now the airport authority is saying that the train service to KIX will resume before end of September. It is possible that the train service to KIX will be resumed by Sept. 27.
Keep checking for updates.
Sep 12, 2018, 12:58 pm
#56
Join Date: Feb 2013
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The inspection after the incident revealed that the railway bridge was also pushed sideways by few centimeters by the damaged road bridge. They need to work on the foundation of the railway bridge to fix the problem, which can take time but now they are saying that all repairs for the railway bridge will be done before end of September.
Sep 12, 2018, 3:06 pm
#57
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Re the bridge. There are limo buses running on it right now. There are also buses running to Rinku Town Station from where you can take a JR train or Nankai train.
It's not as if the only way on or off the KIX airport island is by ferry to Kobe.
While not always up to date, this is fairly good English language resource as to what is happening
https://www.japan-guide.com/news/0045.html
It's not as if the only way on or off the KIX airport island is by ferry to Kobe.
While not always up to date, this is fairly good English language resource as to what is happening
https://www.japan-guide.com/news/0045.html
Sep 13, 2018, 10:27 am
#59
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Beantown! (BOS)
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Update:
KIX Airport has announced that the entire Terminal 1 will reopen for operation on September 21. Also, they are looking at resumption of train service to KIX on September 21, if inspection shows no further problem with the railway bridge then it will be possible for the train service to resume on September 21.
KIX Airport has announced that the entire Terminal 1 will reopen for operation on September 21. Also, they are looking at resumption of train service to KIX on September 21, if inspection shows no further problem with the railway bridge then it will be possible for the train service to resume on September 21.