So I’m flying into Narita (from LAX) on SQ11, which is scheduled to arrive at 5:40pm, and trying to connect to Thai Asia XJ607, with a scheduled departure at 9:15pm. SQ uses Terminal 1 and XJ uses Terminal 2, Is my only option to clear immigration at T1 and then hop the bus over T2 from there, or is there a sterile transit option I’m missing? I’m not checking bags to help my cause. And if I have to clear immigration, what are my odds of actually making it onto the XJ flight 😅

Since Air Asia allows for mobile boarding passes in their app and don't require a check until the boarding gate, you should be fine to take the airside bus. As long as you successfully get your online boarding pass....

Thanks for the tip about the app! I checked in on Air Asia’s website. It generated a PDF boarding pass, but there’s a notation that my departing airport doesn’t accept this boarding pass and I need a physical boarding pass from the counter. But the app was able to generate a mobile boarding pass without that notation. So I’m going to run with it. Fingers crossed!

I'll be flying this Thursday EWR-ORD (UA) - HND (ANA), then HND-PVG (ANA). All booked on UA with miles, but the last seg was a seperate PNR. The connection is NH 111 to NH 967, 1 hour and 35 minute layover.

Think UA will check all the way through to PVG or will I need to hussle it at HND? ORD-HND is J for what it's worth, hoping this connection should work.

Shouldn't be a problem. ANA is Star Alliance so UA policy is to check through on separate PNRs. It's even more likely since you're on ANA on both PNRs. Just allow a little extra time if the check in agent needs to get the Help Desk to give a blessing, I'd think that EWR does enough of them that they can just do it. When I was flying out of SMF and RNO sometimes things would need a little help with blending the PNRs.

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UA generally check luggage in across separate tickets when it is a Star Alliance partner. There are some times troubles with it, and you should expect check in to easily take 20-30 minutes. If they should fail(even though they should not) in EWR, how much time do you have in ORD? Maybe they could short check to ORD and you could have ANA manage it.

Wrong board

I just made a booking at the Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport for 8 hour day use at the rate of 21,100 JPY including tax. Booking was made using the Japanese form on the hotel website, but filled out in english. It took a few days to get a response, but then everything concluded quickly by email.
https://www.hvf.jp/inquiry/
Cheers,
-Cyborg

If time is tight DO pre-purchase your ticket!
 

Just to feedback. Flight came to gate at 09:00 this am. Immigration was extremely quick, but needed to wait for my checked bag, so out into the hall to buy a bus ticket at 09:30 (next bus at 10:00). I spoke with the agent instead of trying to get the self-serve to work, which was probably a good thing: I managed to snag the very last ticket on the bus. Now, it would not have been a total disaster if I had to wait for the following one, because it's sunday morning and the traffic was very light, thus we made it to HND early. Of note, the tickets did seem to sell out ~30 minutes prior to departure this am.

My advice would be if travelling in a group, or time is tight to prepurchase the ticket. I don't know how flexible they are if one misses the designated bus, I suspect they would accommodate if there are seats left, but no experience.

Now to see if I can get the bus from KMQ! (separate thread).

tb

Hi,

A bunch of questions for you...

KUL-NRT/HND-JFK; KUL-NRT arrives later afternoon. HND-JFK departs the next day at noon. Business class if that makes a difference re: immigration.

Staying at the JAL HND hotel.

• It looks as if the skyaccess train and the limousine bus are transit options. Any thoughts re: one over the other, noting that I'll have three, manageable, bags?
• The hotel has a courtesy bus that seems to run every 30 minutes - so no issue there.
• I have not been to Tokyo. It seems to me I should find somewhere to have dinner, other than the hotel. Any thoughts about a train, stop walkable from the hotel, into Tokyo and any dinner recommendations? Not particular about the cuisine although casual - polo shirt and jeans. Maybe a food court-type place in a train station?

TIA!

If your plans are fixed for the Hotel JAL City Haneda (?) then after you have checked in, I suggest that you walk to the nearest station - Anamori-Inari Station - and take a local Keikyu train to Keikyu Kamata. That puts you in a working class suburb with plenty of reasonable restaurants - Pick one of the best rated around the station from Google Maps.

If you are open to changing your plan, I would recommend staying in central Tokyo - somewhere near a station on the Asakusa line, such as Higashi Ginza station or Asakusa station. If, for example, you were to stay near Asakusa station, you could take an airport expres train (Keisei line) from NRT to Asakusa station, explore Tokyo a little, and then take an airport train from Asakusa station to HND the following day. You have plenty of time to get to HND for a midday departure.

The Anamori-Inari Station area itself is a "working class suburb with plenty of reasonable restaurants" -- just go on Google Maps and you'll see all kinds of options within a 5-minute walk from the JAL City hotel. Kamata is more like a city center area with lots of high-rise buildings. Definitely more exciting area, but not necessary to go there just to eat.

But I agree that Higashi-Ginza or Asakusa would be way more interesting options with direct train access to HND. Shinagawa is another popular option, though quite a bit more bland and corporate.

Asked in a different forum but this thread seems more appropriate: I have a SFO-HND-ICN flight on a single ticket/itinerary, both flights are operated by ANA. I have a 14 hour layover in HND and was planning to enter Japan and spend the day in Tokyo. When I contacted ANA they said if I'm going to enter the country, I would need to collect my checked bags. Is there an explicit policy where if the passenger is entering the country, the bags must do so as well (maybe a post-COVID rule change)? Even if that were the case, it seems dubious as to how it would be enforced unless the airlines and immigration are aware of passengers' plans/arrangements?

I just wanted to confirm my assumption that I can enter the country with my bags staying at the airport and checked to my final destination.

They will not know if you just walk through immigration and customs, and then return later. There might be some wording somewhere to that extent, but I think that is a rule more honoured in breach than observance. I don't know how they would actually check. Unless you specifically tell them.

AFAIK, ANA will let you check your luggage through to your final destination as long as the layover at HND is less than 24 hours, and there is no need to tell them what you're planning to do during the layover. Nor will the immigration agent ask whether you have checked luggage through to ICN.

Make sure that your arrival and departure flights both use HND. Don't book an itinerary that requires a change of airports. If you have to change airports, then you will be required to pick up your bags and transport them overland.

Also, be aware that your arrival and departure flights at HND might use different terminals. ANA's Daytime arrivals and departures can use T2. Late night departures and arrivals typically use T3.