😷 COVID - International transfers out of Taiwan?

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1

I am beginning to look into flights out of here, and I’m noticing a lot going through NRT and ICN.

What is the situation with these airports at the moment? Are these countries allowing transfers? Overnight?

What does one do in the overnight layover case? Presumably the airport hotels will not allow people in?

Also, I heard months ago when I previously looked into this that they were canceling a lot of flights. Is that still the case now, or if I book say one month out, is it pretty reasonable to expect that it’s going to happen?

2

Anybody been traveling recently or have any idea?

3

In my experience, flights are being cancelled with approx 1 months notice. If you have time, then monitor the route you’re interested in.

4

For the latest info, I use timatic: https://www.timaticweb2.com/integration/external.php?ref=b25123445626e872424db944237b61da

Here’s a UI to quickly scan restrictions: https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php

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5

Be sure to check entry requirements and quarantine duration etc at destination before booking and paying for your flight.

6

I usually book flights a bit further out than that for price and availability, but obviously pandemic times are screwing with the system… So in this case perhaps it’s better to wait till 2-3 weeks out?

7

Oh these are really useful, thanks! Like how Narita only allows transfers on the same calendar day - so how are the flights I’m looking at even being listed with layovers till the next day?

8

If the airline cancels then I’d expect them to offer an alternative, but generally I don’t think you’ve got much to gain by booking more than 3 weeks in advance as most flights seem to be running a long way from capacity, especially inter-continental. I guess that means the fare won’t change too much.
In my experience airlines are taking a long time to process refunds, so that might be a reason not to book too early.

9

We originally booked American Airlines flights with a layover in Narita - got turned back midway after they realized the rule wasn’t 24hrs but calendar day (like Cinderella, at the stroke of midnight).

I’m guessing Japanese citizens aren’t subject to the layover rule, which is why they still offer the flights.

10

That all makes sense, thanks.

So the Japanese saw your itinerary and put you back on a plane? If so, Was it to Taiwan and did they let you back in? (With/without visa/ARC?)

11

It was on our way to Taiwan. We got turned around within the US. We ended up flying through Incheon to Taiwan, which was a much nicer experience.

12

That’s the other route available to me. No such “silly” restrictions or procedures?

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If I remember for Incheon, you had to transit within 24 hours and the flight has to be between 5 am and 8 pm Korea time (but most flights operate during those times).