JAL's Haneda lounge swap: North Wing reopens in October as the South Wing closes until June 2027

News and analysis · Sources checked October 5, 2026.

Japan Airlines is halfway through rebuilding its domestic lounges at Tokyo Haneda Terminal 1, and October is the month the work changes sides. According to JAL's renovation page, the North Wing Diamond Premier Lounge and Sakura Lounge are scheduled to reopen in October 2026. The South Wing pair then closes from October 2026 to May 2027, with reopening scheduled for June 2027.

If you fly JAL domestically out of Haneda this winter, your lounge is about to move to the other end of the terminal.

What changes, and when

The North Wing lounges have been shut since January 13, 2026. During that closure JAL directed eligible passengers to the South Wing, and its page says a coupon is provided if the lounge is unavailable because of overcrowding. JAL

Phase two reverses that. From October, the North Wing Diamond Premier Lounge and Sakura Lounge carry the load while both South Wing lounges are closed. The airline lists every date as "scheduled", and it has not published exact day-dates for either the North Wing reopening or the South Wing closure. Treat any specific day you see quoted elsewhere with caution until JAL posts it.

The priority infrastructure is also shifting. JAL says the North Wing First Class and JAL Global Club security checkpoint, closed since May 13, is scheduled to reopen in October. Until then, the temporary First Class and JAL Global Club priority lane is at Security Checkpoint E. For the South Wing counters and security lanes, JAL's page still reads "further updates coming soon". JAL

Who is affected

This is a Terminal 1 story, so it touches JAL's domestic network rather than its long-haul flights from Terminal 3. The people who will notice most are frequent domestic flyers who are used to a particular wing: top-tier members who use the Diamond Premier Lounge, and Sakura Lounge users who choose a lounge close to their gate.

Haneda Terminal 1 is long. With only one wing's lounges open, some passengers will have a longer walk to the gate, and the open lounges will probably be busier at the morning and evening peaks. The coupon arrangement from phase one suggests JAL expects crowding at times. Whether the same arrangement continues in phase two is not spelled out separately on the page, so ask at the lounge desk if you are turned away.

What to do instead

• Check your gate first. Once the South Wing closes, all JAL domestic lounge capacity sits in the North Wing. If your flight leaves from the far south gates, leave extra time for the walk after your lounge visit.
• Use the priority lane that is actually open. Until JAL confirms the North Wing checkpoint has reopened, its page sends First Class and JGC passengers to Security Checkpoint E.
• Plan for the timing, not just the month. JAL's dates are given by month only. If you travel in the first half of October, both wings could be changing within days of each other, so check the renovation page the day before you fly.
• Long-haul connections are unaffected. International departures use Terminal 3, where JAL's Sakura and First Class lounges are not part of this project.

Our take

Rebuilding one wing at a time is the sensible way to renovate a lounge network that sees heavy weekday business traffic, and JAL has been fairly open about the plan. The weak spot is precision. Month-only dates and a South Wing security section marked "coming soon" leave regular flyers guessing. Exact handover dates and a clear statement on overflow coupons for phase two would make the next eight months much easier to plan around.

We will update our Terminal 1 guide when the North Wing reopens and we have first impressions of the new design.

Related lounge guides

JAL Sakura Lounge (HND T1, domestic) · JAL Sakura Lounge (HND T3) · JAL First Class Lounge (HND T3) · ANA Lounge (HND T2, domestic)