ANA and JAL Passengers to see Boarding Changes at Japanese Airports
Photo: Tokyo Haneda International Airport
All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) passengers departing from Japanese airports should keep in mind that the cut-off time for check-in and security is set to change.
From October 27, ANA’s international flight passengers departing from Tokyo Haneda Airport will need to finish check-in 60 minutes before departure. Currently, the cut-off time for check-in is 40 minutes before flight departure.
In addition, for all domestic flights from any airport in Japan, the cut-off time for passing through the security check point will be changed from 15 minutes to 20 minutes.
These changes will take effect on Oct. 27, 2019. Similar changes were instituted last year on domestic flights departing from Haneda Airport.
Currently, in nearly all Japan’s domestic airports, the security check cut-off time is 15 minutes before departure, except Tokyo Haneda Airport where the security check cut-off time has already been changed to 20 minutes since December last year.
JAL says the change also applies to its codeshare flights operated by Fuji Dream Airlines and Amakusa Airlines, Japanese regional airlines.
The reason for the changes is not specified, although the press release from Japan Airlines reads: “As the number of travellers to Japan is forecasted to reach historic levels in the year 2020, the carrier is taking proactive steps to improve the infrastructures at Japan domestic airports.”
“To prepare for 2020 and beyond, we aim to adopt various measures to create the best possible experience for our most valuable customers,” Masaki Yokai, senior vice president of ANA, said in a statement.
Recently, a number of new flight arrangements have been announced for the two airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area: Air Asia X is launching new Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo Narita service this November; United Airlines is adding service between four US cities and Tokyo Haneda Airport; and Delta will shift all its Tokyo flights from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport starting March 2020.
