Int’l to domestic + airport change

I will arrive from Hanoi at Narita airport on a Tuesday. It's a JAL flight and I will arrive at 6:40am. I would like to purchase the JAL Japan Explorer discount ticket for foreigners that departs from Haneda to Fukuoka on the same day. I know that I cannot check-through my luggage because of the airport change and that these are separate bookings.

This discount fare is not alterable or refundable--so, I'd better make my domestic flight! My question is: what should be a good departure time for the Haneda-Fukuoka flight? My dilemma is that I don't want to miss this flight should something happen to my Hanoi flight, but I don't want to waste time on the transfer+to arrive at Fukuoka too late either. I will have check-in luggage with me (two roller bags).

So, my calculations are:
6:40am arrive at Narita
8:40am finish Customs and Immigration (2 hours to allow ample time)
11am arrive at Haneda (budget another 2+ hours for restroom break, loading SUICA card, buying tickets, and making my way to the limo bus/train)
11:30am check-in at Haneda. Finish check-in at 12pm
???pm Flight to Fukuoka

Will I have time to go to Tokyo for lunch/afternoon tea somewhere close to Hamamatsucho station or Shinagawa station (I know neither of these are exciting spots)?

Thanks for the help in advance!!

Are you proposing to fit from NRT to HND and then back to Tokyo and then back again to HND?

If you have time for lunch en route you�fll see on the day, and yes, then you can have lunch somewhere around Hamamatsucho or other places.

Your main concern is that you will have enough time between the 2 flights. In principle your calculation sounds good, but you never know if your inbound flight is terribly delayed. Then this doesn�ft work.

From my main memory - Jetstar and Peach fly from Narita to Fukuoka. That seems a lot easier than moving around Tokyo with luggage during potentially peak hour traffic.

Thank you for your replies.

When should I book the flight to Fukuoka?

I am leaning towards the JAL-Haneda flight, rather than the low-cost airlines from Narita. It is because the JAL Explorer fare includes two check-in bags, whereas low-cost airlines charge quite heftily for check-in baggage. Does at 4pm or 5pm flight sound ok?

Also, I just checked the flight times for Jetstar: the most ideal flight leaves at noon, but as mentioned above, if my Hanoi flight is delayed for hours, then I risk missing this flight. So, ultimately, I will have to book a mid-afternoon flight anyway. The next flight after the noon flight leaves at 3pm.

My Hanoi flight departs at 11:55pm local time. According to one website, the ontime performance is 80%. However, there is no crystal ball to perfectly predict the future.

Thank you again.

Just putting it out there. You�fll be in Fukuoka quicker by train. As you don�ft need to build in any waiting time. Just hop on the next Shinkansen.

Assuming you can leave Narita airport at 8:15 you are in Fukuoka before 15:00.

Yes, it�fs a long train ride, but no missing your train even if your flight is delayed.

As you fly JAL from Hanoi, can you not get a through ticket all the way to Fukuoka? Maybe something open jaw if you don�ft want to depart from Fukuoka?

You seem to have researched all the details and angles pretty carefully, so I would say that your own risk tolerance (you might lose all the money you paid for the JAL discount ticket from Haneda) is the deciding factor here, rather than input from others who may have totally different perspectives than you. LikeBike has confirmed that �gin principle�h your calculations of how long to allow for immigration and customs, transit to Haneda, and check-in are sound, and that you can decide on the spur of the moment whether you have time to stop for lunch in Tokyo. Remember that you will have a bunch of luggage with you, and also note that there are also restaurants at Haneda Airport (although I don�ft know how many there are in the domestic terminals).

I like LikeBike�fs suggestion of possibly taking the train, and if it were me, I would do that. (I basically expect airlines to mess up my flights, and passport control and customs to take forever, even though those things have actually rarely happend to me.) On the one hand, the shinkansen will cost more than the discount JAL flight, but on the other hand, if you miss your domestic JAL flight you will certainly lose all that money. If your travel dates make it feasible for you to get a nationwide JR pass and you might be able to get additional use out of that pass, then costwise it might be a better proposition (it would cover the Narita Express plus the shinkansen to Fukuoka), although these days the prospect of long lines to receive the actual JR pass at the airport keep me from ever making plans that require me to do that. If you are arriving after October 1, then you will be able to use the Nozomi with the JR Pass but with a very unpalatable (I would say outrageous) surcharge, but it�fs surely faster. Your choice of vendor will also depend on your arrival dates, as you will want to dodge the extreme price increase that goes into effect October 1. You are clearly quite adept at researching the ins and outs of travel scenarios, so I�fm sure you can figure that out, in the event that you would even consider using trains instead of a domestic flight to Fukuoka. (It�fs a little complicated, but not terribly.)

I've just chosen a random date of 3:35PM on Tuesday the 10th of October with Jetstar (Narita).

For 11,850 yen, you can the the Max option which includes:

7KG Carry On Bag
40 KG of Checked In Luggage (it comes with 30 KG but I added another 10 KG to bring it up to 40 KG)
Select Any Seat
Change Dates or flights for no charge (just pay the fare difference)
Snack/Meal
It's called a flexible fare (whatever that means) and you can cancel your flight and get vouchers.

When going between Narita and Haneda - do include the cost of moving between the two locations.

Why two checked bags - that's a lot - are you moving to Japan?
Five hours between flights is a lot so you would have a lot of spare time to get something to eat when you arrive at Haneda. The direct train (no transfers) runs often enough you will not have too much of a wait at Narita and it takes around two hours - not so bad, I used it recently.
While the explorer fares can be good value, they are not much cheaper than regular fares. My last Tokyo to Fukuoka flight cost me 12,500 yen with ANA.

you underestimate the point of the bothersome of carrying large baggage by yourself.

1. there seems to be a direct flight from Hanoi to Fukuoka with a different airline. it is the most convenient. it takes only 4 hours, but you want to waste more time in Japan from Narita to Fukuoka.

2. you can use takkyubin service. it is generally next day delivery. you can sent your baggage at Narita airport to the arriving place in Fukuoka.

Hello folks: thank you for all your helpful advice.

I cannot change my Hanoi itinerary--the flights were booked by work. The ultimate end destination is the US, with a stopover (at my own expense) in Tokyo. The Kyushu portion is for leisure and paid for by me.

As far as carrying two roller bags is concerned, I am ok with it. Taking the limo bus is convenient as the bus staff will store the bags for me.

I just checked Yamato's website. Sending luggage from the airport in Kanto to Kyushu takes two days, instead of one. Sending a parcel takes one day only.

Hello folks:

Thank you for your helpful replies.

After some thoughts, I think flying out of Narita on Jetstar is the easiest. Given that I will land at 6:44am on Tuesday, do you think that taking the Jetstar flight at 12pm (about a 5-hour buffer) is ok?

Unfortunately, there is no 1pm or 2pm flight. The next flight is at 3pm.

There is also Peach Airline, but reviews for this airline based on internet searches are very poor.

I don't think the train option is affordable, and dragging my luggage into Tokyo or Shinagawa is even more troublesome.

If you are transiting in Japan for a few days (you mention heading to the US), you could store the bulk of luggage at Narita while you are in Japan.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will be in Kyushu for 6 nights and then Tokyo for 2 nights, before returning to the US.

What do you think of the 12pm Jetstar flight?

The 12 pm Jetstar should work, always under the assumption that your inbound flight arrives reasonably within planned time.
Regarding Peach, it isn�ft that bad either. You�fll be on board for an hour or so. If you can get a better time/cheaper ticket why not go with Peach?

The minimum connection time from NRT to HND int'l to dom is 3 hours. I've made the bus transfer just a few months ago in just 70 minutes, and that was with some lousy weather. But rushing is no fun and switching airports is a hassle. If you can conveniently fly from Narita to Fukuoka, without a much higher airfare, that's what I'd do. No way would I take the train all the way down there, especially when you're already at the airport. BTW for the Explorer Fare you hopefully are aware that you just can't land in Japan and buy it. You need to get it online and be ticketed at least 24 hrs before your departure.