current NRT wait times?
Apr 1, 2023, 5:38 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
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Posts: 3,283
current NRT wait times?
I just received a message from the service that I booked to pick me up at NRT that due to cherry blossom season and a shortage of customs workers that arrival wait times are currently stretching to 4 hours. I have been searching all over the web for information on the current situation but have come up completely empty handed. The airport's website doesn't seem to have any info
Any very recent experiences? I arrive on NH business class from BKK around 15:30 on Sunday
Any very recent experiences? I arrive on NH business class from BKK around 15:30 on Sunday
Apr 1, 2023, 5:55 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Programs: JAL Global Club & oneworld Sapphire, ANA SFC & Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 3,747
There is a thread in the JL forum where people are reporting wait times at Narita of 3 hours or more...
Immigration Narita 2023
Immigration Narita 2023
Apr 1, 2023, 11:15 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2002
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Any recent data-points/wait-times clearing immigration in FUK?
Thinking of rebooking PUS-NRT to fly ICN-FUK-HND just to avoid the massive evening lines/waits in HND/NRT. Took me 2+ hrs to clear in HND last week and saw reports of up to 6hr wait times later in the evening.
-FlyerBeek
Thinking of rebooking PUS-NRT to fly ICN-FUK-HND just to avoid the massive evening lines/waits in HND/NRT. Took me 2+ hrs to clear in HND last week and saw reports of up to 6hr wait times later in the evening.
-FlyerBeek
Apr 2, 2023, 8:25 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
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I guess time of arrival really matters. My flight from Bangkok to NRT arrived an hour ahead of schedule around 14:30 today. I was out of the airport in about 45 minutes. There was lots of staff in the corridors leading from the plane to immigration including a check to make sure you had the qr codes all lined up. Lots of tensa barrier all over the place but thankfully just a very short line in the immigration area. Only about half of the desks were open at that time. Maybe being a Sunday also mattered
Apr 3, 2023, 5:10 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 1,580
Touched down at 3:25pm today and cleared immigration at 4:20, customs at 4:30. Was in F so we deplaned before most pax but they did let intl and domestic connections deplane before us which took far longer than it should have - not very organized.
Apr 3, 2023, 5:48 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,383
Though I haven't heard domestic transit getting grouped with intl transit since domestic transit need to go thru customs
Apr 3, 2023, 6:02 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 1,580
Yeah whatever it was the staff seemed a bit thrown off. But yep intl first then domestic, then F and so on 🤷♂️
Apr 3, 2023, 3:50 pm
#10
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Sounds like NRT is much worse than HND. We landed at 9:30pm (6 hours delayed) and there was only a short line at immigration which we bypassed using APEC/ABTC card. Literally out could have been out the door at customs in 10min from arriving at terminal but we had to wait a few minutes for a kiosk to scan our customs form.
Apr 3, 2023, 4:00 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 1,580
I really do think it’s mostly flight timing. If they hadn’t held us for connecting pax we would have been in ahead of the YVR flight and that would have likely cut my time down from 55 min to less than 30 or perhaps even less as there also appeared to be a flight with a bunch of Spanish folks just ahead of us as well.
Apr 4, 2023, 1:36 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Germany
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 417
Report from UA 837 today. Unfortunately, we landed 3min late, but still made it in front of most arrivals from the US.
I had a connection NRT-ITM at 5:30 PM and arrived at the ANA check-in 1h before departure. I was really stressed, but made it with 30min to spare.
Firefox didn't display the blue visitjapanweb Code, insisting that I don't have Internet connection. Worked in chrome, after wasting 5 minutes for it.
- 3:15 PM: - arrived at gate
- 3:25 PM: arrived at immigration queue
- 4:25 PM: cleared immigration (unfortunately, half of the booths were closed. When I thought, I was almost there, there was a hidden queue behind a glass wall. So it took way longer than I expected)
- 4:30 PM: cleared customs, no queue
I had a connection NRT-ITM at 5:30 PM and arrived at the ANA check-in 1h before departure. I was really stressed, but made it with 30min to spare.
Firefox didn't display the blue visitjapanweb Code, insisting that I don't have Internet connection. Worked in chrome, after wasting 5 minutes for it.
Last edited by delpiero223; Apr 4, 2023 at 1:50 am
Apr 4, 2023, 3:03 am
#13
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Thanks for the Memories !!!
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Report from UA 837 today. Unfortunately, we landed 3min late, but still made it in front of most arrivals from the US.
I had a connection NRT-ITM at 5:30 PM and arrived at the ANA check-in 1h before departure. I was really stressed, but made it with 30min to spare.
Firefox didn't display the blue visitjapanweb Code, insisting that I don't have Internet connection. Worked in chrome, after wasting 5 minutes for it.
- 3:15 PM: - arrived at gate
- 3:25 PM: arrived at immigration queue
- 4:25 PM: cleared immigration (unfortunately, half of the booths were closed. When I thought, I was almost there, there was a hidden queue behind a glass wall. So it took way longer than I expected)
- 4:30 PM: cleared customs, no queue
I had a connection NRT-ITM at 5:30 PM and arrived at the ANA check-in 1h before departure. I was really stressed, but made it with 30min to spare.
Firefox didn't display the blue visitjapanweb Code, insisting that I don't have Internet connection. Worked in chrome, after wasting 5 minutes for it.
Apr 4, 2023, 4:03 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 1,580
Apr 4, 2023, 7:12 am
#15
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
Sounds like NRT is much worse than HND. We landed at 9:30pm (6 hours delayed) and there was only a short line at immigration which we bypassed using APEC/ABTC card. Literally out could have been out the door at customs in 10min from arriving at terminal but we had to wait a few minutes for a kiosk to scan our customs form.