Narita Connecting Flight Question
 

Hi, Fodorites!

My mother is flying Chicago to Narita (American Airlines), then connecting to a Japan Airlines flight (also Narita) down to Okinawa. (This itinerary is all on one ticket.)

QUESTION 1: Baggage Claim
Her suitcase will be "checked" (or coded) at Chicago/O'Hare, all the way down to Okinawa.
However, I understand once she goes through Immigration at Narita, she will have to claim her bag.

American Airlines tells me she SHOULD be able to check her bag in the Baggage Claim area for her connecting flight.

Do you know if this is true? Or will she have to go up to departures to the JAL counter and check her bag there?

QUESTION 2: Check in - Connecting Flight; Go through Security?
As my mother (I believe) goes through Immigration in Tokyo (not Okinawa), will she have to Check in at the JAL counter (to get a boarding pass), and go through Security again? Or as AA and JAL appear to be in the same terminal, will she be able to somehow get a boarding pass and her gate information without going out to the arrival lobby, and up a level to JAL counter.

Thank you in advance. I'll ask at O'Hare, too, but if anyone has experienced a connecting flight in Tokyo to another airport in Japan, I'd appreciate the feedback!

Everyone on a connecting flight goes through security, whether they go through customs/immigration or not. There is a transit counter in the arrivals hall outside customs/immigration - no need to go upstairs to the JAL counter to recheck her bag. Because AA and JAL are both part of OneWorld, she'll be able to get all of her boarding passes at check-in at O'Hare.

Thank you, Craig, for that information. So it does sound as though my mother will have to go to the baggage carousel and bring her bag to this "transit counter" outside immigration (and not have to go through the rigamarole of bringing it upstairs).

The airline will not "pull" her suitcase for her and automatically get this on to her connecting flight, will they?

(If it were me, I'd not be nervous at all, but Mom's elderly, and traveling solo, and I want to try and prepare her as much as I can. She speaks Japanese, so no issue there... but she can be stubborn about asking for help.)

Customs and immigration is just like it is in the United States. You get your bags at the point of entry, go through customs and recheck your bags if continuing on to another destination.

Your mom may have to ask someone where the transit counter is located, but other than that it should be easy...