Thank you for the quick response - if we didn't have checked luggage then, do you know if there is a transit desk to get a boarding pass for the next flight (in case we can't check in online)? I am assuming if we could check in for the next flight and show a boarding pass, we could just go through transit security and straight airside in international departures?

And in the interests of helping out I did want to share that I was able to confirm that AA has a policy of not checking through bags to non-Oneworld carriers regardless of any interline agreements that may be in place. Helpful to know...

https://saleslink.aa.com/en-us/docum...te_tickets.pdf

To go through the transit security at KIX, all you need is a confirmation (e-ticket) of your onward flight, does not have to be a boarding pass. After the transit security, you can get a boarding pass at the departure gate of China Airlines flight.

I am sure you are aware, but under two separate tickets, neither Japan Airlines nor China Airlines are obligated to accommodate you if you missed the connection at KIX due to flight delays, etc. China Airlines' check-in cut off seems to be 60 min, which means after arrival at KIX you need to clear transit security and get to the departure gate in 40 min. if you do not have a boarding pass for China Airlines flight. I think 40 min. is doable, but I would like to have a little more cushion in case of delay.

Another thing I am not sure about. When you check-in at JFK, as far as AA is concerned your final destination is KIX. There have been posts here of people doing transit under two separate tickets successfully. But there is the possibility that AA at JFK will insist that you need all documents to enter Japan, even though you are transiting at KIX under two separate tickets.

Thank you - this is all really helpful. I think the last point isn't that big of a deal because we are planning on actually visiting Japan for a few days on the way back. But yes - the risk of a misconnect is concerning but I'm hoping for the best and think we can check in online for China Airlines. To put it on the same ticket wouldn't be possible due to a dearth of connecting options, not to mention skyrocketing the potential price. Thank you and I'll be back to update with anything I find that could be useful for others!

Just looking for a quick data point... This Monday morning (6:45am arrival from CGK on JAL), I am doing the NRT->HND transfer. Does anyone have any recent experiences on the time required from the plane (70's gates) to clear customs at NRT in the early morning? No checked baggage. (I realize my mileage may vary, but just looking for any data.) Thanks!

It all depends on timing -- I've been out the door and in a taxi / bus in 20 minutes -- and recently it has also taken 90. In general I have found NRT arrivals better than HND - but of course YMMV... On our last trip here a few weeks ago we landed right after two huge planes full of Asian tourists where many hadn't done the VJW properly -- so the hallways were clogged and it took a while... I think in the early morning you will be safer and it shouldn't be too bad - especially considering you have no checked bags....

Arriving on Qantas at 8.00pm and departing on BA the next morning at 08.50am and all on one ticket can our checked luggage be held over till our BA flight so we can sleep at the transit hotel ?

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Yes it can.

Thanks 👍

Hi all- first time poster, and still learning trying to learn so much here!

I am in a very similar situation to poster Nyc1623 above and looking at booking BKK to HND on TG and HND to USA on JL. I will have checked bags and looking for any data points to see if TG will check my bags through to the USA on JL. I know that there is an interline agreement in place, but that checked through bags still may or may not happen. In the event of no, would it be possible enter Japan (US Passport), collect the bags, and check in again, with a connection time of 3 hours? Or is that cutting it too close?

Thanks in advance!

TG is generally quite good at managing separate tickets, though I have not tested to anything but Star Alliance personally. Particularly the premium check-in counters seems to do really well.

3 hours is possible, but with the risk of rebooking at own cost of course. Some people say as little as 45 minutes to get through from leaving the plane, including the luggage. JAL will have a cut off at 1 hour before departure. So if immigration is slow, your are cutting it close.

Thanks for the insight!
I'm going to keep looking for other options to maybe give a little more time. The second leg is an awards flight, so I have a more little flexibility in that regards.

For the benefit of anyone doing an early morning NRT arrival, I thought that I would share my experiences.

My flight (JL726 from Jakarta) touched down at 6:25am and they opened the door at Gate 64 at 6:40am. I made it to the immigration line at 6:48am, after passing the checkpoint where I had to show my "Fast Track" code. The line was pretty long - I counted seven rows of back-and-forth people so I was expecting it to take quite a while. At first, the line was moving very quickly, but then at 7:00am, a few of the inspectors closed their lanes and things slowed considerably. At 7:15, another one or two closed. I finally got to the immigration inspector at about 7:20. where things went pretty quickly with my QR code and biometrics. When I got to customs, there were a few people in line at each of the checkpoints using QR codes. I noticed an inspector opening a new line, but he said that he could only do paper forms. Fortunately, I did a paper form as a backup and I zipped through customs, reaching the outside at 7:27am. I had a pre-purchased ticket for the airport bus to Haneda at 7:35am, and made it with a couple of minutes to spare.

The bus was scheduled to reach HND Terminal 3 at 9:20am but some traffic delayed the arrival until about 9:32am. My flight departure to Chicago was at 10:40am, so I was a bit anxious.

A little closer than I would like to have been, but it worked out in the end. Just in case this can help anyone else...

(My final destination was New York, and the NRT-JFK flight had inventory available in my class of service, but JL refused several times - both in Jakarta and in Tokyo - to change my flight so I could avoid the NRT-HND connection.. I have to confess that when I bought the ticket, I had a shorter transit time in mind, and did not check the bus schedules during the morning rush, so it was my fault. So it goes.)

The key questions are for being able to change, did they also have your booking class available, and was your ticket flexible for a rebooking? It all boils down to the conditions of the change.

How does domestic travel work in Japan? Same as the US were as long as I started in the Host country I can walk right off the plane and out to baggage claim? I'm thinking of doing IWK-HND on ANA and HND-LAX on AA with a 2 1/2hr layover. Want to make sure that's enough time to get bags and recheck as long as the IWK-HND runs on time. Thanks.