Narita International Airport To Open "Fast Lane" For Travelers In A Rush

Above, the meeting point for arriving passengers after they have cleared Immigration,
Customs and Baggare in Narita Airport's Terminal One Arrival Lobby. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Narita International Airport may be way out in the boonies from Tokyo, but I have always found it very efficient.

From the time of landing to going through Immigration, Customs and Baggage, I usually get through the process in less than an hour. Which is not bad.

The only real problem with Narita is the long walk from the gates and the necessity of taking multiple flights of escalators to get to the Immigration windows and, if multiple flights have arrived, the long lines at the Immigration officer's desk.

For some people, Narita's normal efficiency may not be fast enough for them and they are in a hurry. So, to remedy this, the airport will open a "fast lane" for those passengers.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —Narita airport authorities plan to establish a special lane intended to decrease the amount of time spent in the airport for individuals visiting or leaving the country for conferences, meetings or other time sensitive activities. 

In what will be Japan’s first airport “fast lane,” incoming passengers who are participating in international diplomacy conferences, and other people with similarly time-sensitive schedules, will all be able to utilize the lane not available to other passengers in order to speed up the immigration process at the airport, Sankei Shimbun reported Wednesday. 

Although such lines have been available for some time in the West, following a request for the establishment of such lanes from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Narita officials expect to have the priority lane operating by next year.

It will be interesting to see how they decide on who qualifies to use the "fast lane" at Narita.

Above, a Keisei Line train stopped at the Yachiyodai Station in Chiba Prefecture due
to snow in February 2014. If they can make the train lines between Narita Airport
and Tokyo "snow-proof," then that would impressive. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now, if they were able to find a way to make the trains into Tokyo (Narita Express, Keisei Line and Keisei Skyliner) from Narita "snow-proof," then I would be very impressed.

To read more, go here.