Change planes at Narita
 

I am flying from Taipei back to Seattle. I am on UAL from Taipei to Narita and switch to NW for NRT-SEA. I get in at 2:25PM and the flight to SEA leaves at 3:35. Do I have neough time?

I'll try, but there are caveats to this answer.

I believe that because you are arriving at Narita on United (unless your flight is code share) that you will be coming into the brand new south wing of terminal 1(just opened June 2) at level 2F, and then going to level 1F for customs control and exiting into the arrival lobby there. This new wing houses all of the Star Alliance airlines now (and UAL is one of those- NWA is not).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hc8WU1m5qA

http://www.staralliance.com/star_all...arita_Air.html

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guid.../index_t1.html

(I have a map I got from All Nippon that is not online and that is how I know the levels of new south wing for arrival.)

The official Narita website says that NWA flies out of Terminal 1 north wing. But it makes it clear that some code share flights may operate from a different terminal. Are you on a code share flight?

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guid..._t1_north.html

I think you should call UA and NWA and find out what area of what they say about the terminals you will depart from on your flights. If it is all in terminal 1, then I can tell you that the info I have from ANA says that if you were arriving at the new south wing AND taking off from that SAME new south wing of terminal 1, they anticipate it would take 45 min. to do that. But that was a projection- I am not sure what the real experience is now that ther terminal is open. So I can only imagine that if you arrive at the south wing of terminal 1 and depart from north wing on a non-Star Alliance airline, it will take longer than 45 min....how long, I do not know.

Northwest is terminal 1 north wing and United in terminal 1 south wing. You wouldn't go through customs, but there is a transit passenger security check.

oh I didn't realize there is no customs on that type of arrival-departure. Any idea how long the security check and getting from south to north takes?

The terminals are as you say but could be different if he is on a code share flight, at least that is what the Narita site says.

At the narita-airport website follow the connecting flights link, int'l-int'l, and there are some maps that give an idea of the distance. Looks like a hike, wouldn't want to have checked luggage. I only transited NRT twice. First was a JAL int'l connection and the security line took a long time but they did ask people with tight connections to come forward. The other was an ANA to Thai connection and I was whisked from the FC cabin of ANA 1 to the front of the line by an ANA cutie who then escorted me on the shuttle train to the other terminal and the ANA FC lounge.

the security check is quite slow...if you plane is slightly late, you will be in trouble...i would see if they have an alternative...

FC and the ANA cutie (they ARE cute, every one of them) and ANA lounge sound divine but they don't count for the rest of us poor unfortunate ones who are huffing off the plane and traversing the universe in btwn. flights in total panic about making the connection. Unless the OP is FC...

Highly risky, especially if you're on two tickets, which you most likely are. May I ask why? Why not just take UA all the way or TPE-SEA non-stop on daily BR or thrice-weekly CI?

Having said that it appears on NW's timetable they have an extra late NRT-SEA on Sundays, in addition to the daily 3:35pm. Are you flying on Sunday?

I will have one ticket and flying on a thursday

I will have one ticket and flying on a thursday. And my company set up the travel plans

Have read on this board about NWA's flights from NRT frequently being late as they wait for flights from the states to connect to pts in Asia. Maybe it's like that going the other way?

NW8 left NRT on-time or early the three days I can get info on. 6/21-23.

Since there are less airport congestion out of Asian airports than US ones, those flights are less likely to be late.

emd - On the long URLs, consider using http://linktrim.com/, so that the page does not get distorted. ((*))