prspad

Maybe I missed it in an earlier or related post, but does NRT have a Fast Track Immigration line for First & Business Class pax, as some other primary entry airports in other countries have?

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RichardInSF

Nope! I once saw a very important FC passenger met at the gate and escorted through a back door, but you have to be really special for that -- just being an "ordinary" F passenger gets you nothing. So get off first, run, don't walk, and hope you don't reach the line just after the 747 from MNL!

valve bouncer

That's the way it bloody well should be too. I'd be outraged if my tax yen were being spent on priority services at immigration and customs based on class flown.

kcvt750

Possibly Sen. Larry Craig?

Marq

I strongly disagree. I think that Airports, like Airlines, are selling a service. If I pay more for that service, then I should get the benefits. I do not feel guilty passing up the long lines just to get to the check in lines at Narita. If I am eligibile for business class check-in, then I do not have to stand in the longer line. Nothing wrong with airports providing the same service on the return. It has nothing to do with taxpayers' money.

Marc

KIXman

I've had experience being with the chairman of our company as he was fast tracked through security by a representative from the airline. From what I understood then, it seems that the heads of listed companies get to have this benefit.

valve bouncer

Yes that's fine, no problems with that at all, but it's not what I'm talking about. Immigration is not an airport service as such, it's a government one. It should be strictly on a first come first served basis and should treat all users equally, regardless of monetary concerns.
Anyway this is hijacking the thread and is more suited to another forum so I'll stop here.

schoflyer

Well folks, they have my BIO data now. I don't care just don't make me wait.
We touched down in the 40's so it was a looong treck to immigration.
I specifically noted the digital clock as scurried down the moving sidewalk moments after de-planing. It read 3:00.

Immigration had the usual "one side" open (T1) which was on the 40's side of the immigration office. (I think they opened the other side while I was in line as they sent some Japanese pax running over there). So the configuration was as follows.

About half of the half was dedicated to Japanese. The Japanese lines were basically back to the windows and they didn't seem to be moving quickly. There was 1 line roped off dedicated to re-entry. Signed and basically the shortest line in length and time as far as I could tell. Never more than 3 pax initially but then as it grew to about 8 pax the began poaching the nearest Gaijin visitors booth and the line went away quickly.

So the visitors line was the typical snake but only 2 snakes deep. Even by the time I got to the front it was still only 2 snakes. Japan has about cornered the market on "staff" and the Bureau of Immigration was not to be left out. I'm not talking officers, just helpful staff. There was plenty of staff with blue armbands.

I chatted up one of them and he told me about how they caught 5 people and deported them. He said that the new system is taking a little more time than usual because people move and are out of frame for the picture or have to attempt the bio scan a few times before they produce an accurate reading.

At the booth they scan your passport and then you follow the onscreen animated instructions to bio scan and then there is a onscreen countdown to the photo. I was an eager beaver and jumped the gun on sticking my fingers in the scanner. The "most attractive immigration official ever" told me "not yet" in perfect English. Then she told me to enjoy my stay whien I was finished. I'm hoping she'll abuse some of my personal data and give me a call.

How long was I in that line? Maybe 10 min? Not sure, but I did buy my NEX ticket at about 3:30pm, caught the 3:43 NEX and was at Tokyo station by 4:40. Can't complain at all about 1:40 from jetway to Tokyo sation.

To my advantage, I was the first pax from my plane to the line and it was NH. I sure wouldn't want to be getting off a UA flight in economy and be beaten to the line by 150 gaijin pax from my own flight. That would be bad.

Basically, immigration at NRT is really hit and miss. If your timing is good, it is still a very short process. If you arrive just after a few foreign flagged flights its going to ba a long wait in that line.


Regards,

Scho

cova

Went through NRT yesterday at 12:30pm. Was second off the plane. Very quick - no waiting - immigration process took less than a minute. Much about nothing. Thailand has the same system (photo - but not the finger electronic finger print).

Longest part was walking from plane to immigration. From Plane to boarding bus to Tokyo - about 15 minutes total. That included ATM time and buying bus ticket. Bus ride to Shinjuku was 65 minutes.

acregal

Was at KIX today. No lines at all. Basically (I wasn't hanging around to find out exactly) the setup is the same as before, except everyone but special permanent residents is in the foreigner line. The additional people that were mentioned earlier just seemed to be directing people between lines (so they have like 5 people directing between 2 lines).

jib71

Please could you elaborate? I think I understand but I want to make sure:

Previous system at KIX was 2 lines?
(1) Non-Japanese line
(2) Japanese and re-entry permit holders

New system at KIX is 3 lines?
(1) Non-Japanese line (for all foreigners including re-entry permit holders)
(2) Japanese
(3) Permanent residents

Is that correct?

Foddy

Marc,

I don't agree. Surely you are paying more for services under the control of the airline (e.g. check-in lines), not those provided by the airport or government (e.g. immigration or customs)? Does a bigger portion of business class passengers' airfare go to the airport than that of economy passengers? If so, then I guess they are entitled to better services. However I doubt if that is the case.

I am speaking as someone who usually flies business class and LOVES airports (such as Heathrow and KL), which have priority lines for business class passengers. But I don't really know if there is any justification for it.

acregal

Ah sorry. I wasn't quite paying attention yesterday, but I think there were only 2 lines (Japanese and Special Permanent Residents then everyone else). I wasn't quite paying attention though, so I might be wrong.

Marq

I do not know about NRT; but at both LHR and CDG, business and first class tickets have higher fees/taxes. At Heathrow, you get fast track; at CDG, you get nothing.

As the airlines don't run the security check point "prior" to the check in counters, I think the comparison is reasonable. Not a big issue for me as I have never had a long line even when I have flown in coach; maybe I get lucky on the time of day.

Marc

MilesAndMore

I arrived early on the 21st, to register myself for the new immigration system. I was fingerprinted over 10 times before the system finally registered me and I got the immigration waived seal on my passport along with the scanner recognizable sticker (My passport is not machine readable). I proceeded to check myself out but the system would not recognize me. Tried many times, the officer went back to the system to issue another sticker (failed again), feverish phone calls and about 30 minutes later they identified the issue (don't have a clue what it was) and I was able to get out.

I came back in today and was able to use the system quickly, efficiently and I was out in less than 10 secs.

So overall I think this new fingerprinting system is a boon for all foreigners working in Japan and have to travel overseas frequently.

For once I was able to beat my luggage to the luggage belt.