Hello folks:

I will arrive (in J class, if it makes any difference) from Hanoi at Narita airport on a Tuesday. It's a JL flight and I will arrive on a Tuesday at 6:40am. I would like to purchase the JL Japan Explorer discount ticket for foreigners (meaning I will sit in econ, but no big deal) that departs from Haneda to Fukuoka on the same day.

This discount fare is not alterable or refundable--so, I'd better make my domestic flight! My question is: what should be a good departure time for the Haneda-Fukuoka flight? My dilemma is that I don't want to miss this flight should something happen to my Hanoi flight, but I don't want to waste time on the transfer+to arrive at Fukuoka too late either. I will have check-in luggage with me (two roller bags).

So, my calculations are:
6:40am arrive at Narita
8:40am finish Customs and Immigration (2 hours to allow ample time)
11am arrive at Haneda (budget another 2+ hours for restroom break, loading SUICA card, buying tickets, and making my way to the limo bus/train)
11:30am check-in at Haneda. Finish check-in at 12pm
???pm Flight to Fukuoka

Will I have time to go to Tokyo for lunch/afternoon tea somewhere close to Hamamatsucho station or Shinagawa station (I know neither of these are exciting spots)?

Thanks for the enlightenment!!

You could fly JetStar from NRT to FUK and save yourself the trouble of changing ariports.

If you want to transfer to HND, the easiest and fastest option is usually the limousine bus. (See timetable below). I expect you would be fine for a departure after 11:00 AM. If you want more cushion, that's your call.
https://www.airport-bus-alliance.com...lang=en&frto=1

As for lunch in downtown Tokyo ... again your call ... in that case, you would need to take a later flight out of HND.

Thanks.
Is Jetstar Japan a punctual airline? I flew Jetstar from HKG to DAD once and the delay was 4 hours. I also heard that LCCs are delayed a lot. However, things may be very different in Japan.

Also, I chose JL instead of NH because I am AS MVP (One World Ruby) and therefore can use the business check-in line. No lounge access, but at least there is a shorter wait for check-in.

Supposedly a little worse than most airlines in Japan, but considering the time required for transfer to HND, you would be unlikely to reach FUK sooner by flying from there.

Jetstar Japan is not quite to be compared with the various Asian and Australian counter parts. It is a Japanese airline after all...

I have not flown Jetstar Japan yet, but yeah the check in may indeed be where you'd feel the biggest difference.

I've flown Jetstar from Matsuyama to NRT - the last flight out of Matsuyama in the evening.

The only negative was arriving at NRT T3 at the end of the evening. It had a somewhat dog-eat-dog atmosphere as crowds rushed to get onto buses etc. Nothing that would shock someone who has been through a transit hub around midnight in Europe or America, but certainly less polished than one expects in Japan.

One of my issues with flying Jetstar is the sometimes very inconvenient times from and to Narita, the flight might be cheap but getting to Narita for a 7am departure would basically mean a night at a hotel in Narita. Which would eat the saving and then some.

For some here, it would mean a night on the terminal floor, and for others it would mean driving the roadster along empty, early-morning highways. YMMV as they say.

There is a 5 am bus from Tokyo Station that gets to NRT T3 at 6:02 am, which is enough time to catch a 7 am domestic flight but probably nothing earlier than that...

If you are traveling backpack only*, walking to T2 becomes very feasible and can be even faster or less stressful than the bus once you consider boarding/waiting/disembarking the bus and being able to control your own fate.

I once made a late night train by the skin of my teeth using this method, saving myself a significant wait for the next train.

*The Jetstar baggage fee is around the same as the Takkyubin fee, so this method requires living out of a backpack for a night

Morning flights are less likely to be delayed than evening flights, and it is still a Japanese airline. I've flown the late night JQ KIX-NRT flight a number of times (repositioning for award travel the next day) and not had a problem.

The fares are as follows:
Jetstar from NRT to FUK: $38 at the lowest without check-in luggage. One carry-on only (but I will have one carry-on and one personal item). This means that I will have to use courier service or pay for check-in luggage for 2-3 pieces.
JAL Explorer from HND to FUK: $80 with two check-in bags. I will also have to pay for the limo between NRT and HND (3100-ish yen).

So, it seems like there is not a significant difference money-wise.

Yes, it's more about hassle really - whether it's more valuable to have the bags with you at all times (but making the NRT-HND connection) and flying JAL vs takkyubinning bags to the Fukuoka hotel (and living out of a backpack for a night) and flying out of NRT on a LCC.

Thank you again, everybody.

Do you think taking the 12pm Jetstar flight from Narita is safe enough? My arrival from Vietnam at Narita is at 6:44am. The next flight for FUK is at 3pm. I will purchase the flexible ticket that allows changes (fare difference still applicable) and refunds in the form of credit.

That should be fine.

Very safe, I would even be tempted by the 10:30am Jetstar flight.

Will you have an easy way to use the refunded credit? If not, it could be cheaper to buy two non-flexible tickets - a morning/noon Jetstar and an afternoon/evening Peach flight for example and throw away which ever one you do not use.