Earlier bag-drop cutoff set for Haneda domestic flights

Six Japanese airlines will require passengers on domestic flights departing Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to check in their baggage at least 30 minutes before departure from September 1, as part of efforts to reduce delays.

The rule will apply to All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Japan Transocean Air, Solaseed Air, StarFlyer and AIRDO. 

The adjustment follows calls from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for airlines to improve punctuality.

The on-time departure rate for domestic flights, defined as services leaving within 15 minutes of schedule, fell from about 91 percent in 2015 to around 83 percent in 2025.

Haneda Airport handled more than 90 million passengers last year, making it one of the busiest airports in the world. As the airport plans to expand, transferring checked baggage from check-in counters to aircraft on the tarmac takes longer, leading to delays.

Passengers gave mixed responses to the change. A woman in her 50s traveling to Akita said the earlier deadline was reasonable given the frequency of recent delays.

But a man in his 30s heading to Osaka said the tighter cutoff could prompt him to travel by Shinkansen instead.

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