About Haruka and Kansai Thru Pass

There are so many different answers available on the internet. I am so confused if it is possible to use the Kansai Thru Pass to get on any 關空特急HARUKA departing from Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Kyoto and from Osaka to KIX? If only limited trains of HARUKA, e.g. only low-speed trains, are available for Kansai Thru Pass holders, how are they running at KIX daily? Next, if I do get on a 關空特急HARUKA which is not free for Kansai Thru Pass holders, can I pay the price difference and continue my journey? And, how much do I need to pay the extra money?

is possible to use the Kansai Thru Pass to get on any 關空特急HARUKA departing from Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Kyoto and from Osaka to KIX?

No! The Haruka is a JR train, and JR trains are not covered by the Kansai Thru Pass.

If you have a Kansai Thru Pass, you can take Nankai trains between KIX and Osaka and Keihan or Hankyu trains between Osaka and Kyoto (and the subway lines to travel across Osaka).

Hi Uji,

I would like to know, does Kansai Thru Pass covers these lines?

1) Kintetsu-Nara Line, Midosuji Line, Yotsubashi Line, Yamatoji Line and Osaka Loop Line?

2) Nankai Limited Express from Shin-Imamiya Station to Kansai Airport Station. Can we take and do we have to reserve the seats?

Thank you
Lav

Kintetsu-Nara Line - COVERED

Midosuji Line, Yotsubashi Line - COVERED

Yamatoji Line and Osaka Loop Line - NOT COVERED! They are JR lines.

Nankai Limited Express from Shin-Imamiya Station to Kansai Airport Station - the base fare is covered, but you need to pay the limited express supplement fee separately. Seat reservations are mandatory, I believe. Note that the other, slower Nankai trains to the airport are fully covered.

Hi Uji,

Thank you for your prompt response.

"slower Nankai trains to the airport”
it is not slower.
Rapit runs once or twice per hour, whereas regular trains run 4 times per hour. Rapit takes 40 min whereas regular express train takes 43 min.
as the result, you will waste your money and your time for waiting the departure of Rapit. a regular train may arrive earlier than Rapit at the airport.

Inspired by ken's comment, I looked further into it.

First of all, the times give by ken are crooked. The average travel times are more like 45 vs. 37 minutes.

But it is true that more often than not, you can get to the airport faster by taking an express rather than a Rapit. To be specific, the percentage of the express being faster than the Rapit is around 60% before 11am and after 5pm, and it increases to around 75% between 11am and 5pm because there is only one Rapit per hour during these hours. You could argue that the process of buying Rapit tickets - vs. simply tapping into the express - further reduces the time advantage of the Rapit.

The main advantage of the Rapit are the reserved, forward-facing seats for those who prefer to travel with a little bit extra comfort.

therefore, the time difference is less than 10 minutes.
for example, when Rapit starts on 12:00 from Namba station. regular expresses which start before 11:50 arrive earlier than Rapit.
please look at the timetable.
no Rapit pass over regular express. this indicates that Rapit run in between the schedules of regular expresses with no disturbance of regular express schedule.

probably, the same phenomena happen between Haruka and 関空快速, when you start from Tennoji to KIX.