[Anonymous]

[cotswoldsw]

I’m looking at using an Amex companion voucher to travel to Tokyo next spring, hopefully First out, Club return. My gut instinct is to prefer the NRT offering with the later flight times, worldwide fleet and newer 77W metal. However, is this outweighed by the proximity of HND to the city?

(Perhaps I should add, in the interests of fairness, that my experience of mixed fleet last week from TLV to LHR was exemplary!)

[rodders]

I have done the HND run a couple of times and it was excellent, last time was F out, and the crew could not have been better.

[rjhcambs]

We flew BA5 to NRT in F last week on 2-4-1. Flight was v. good. No problems with immigration and picked up bags about 15 mins of leaving plane. Motorway problems meant buses into town were taking 2 hours. That was our original plan because hotel could not guarantee. Early check-in. Took the train instead – several options depending where your hotel is. Tip is to get somebody at the airport to write down hotel name in Japanese characters to show to taxi drivers. For impeccable service, I recommend The Imperial an “old” Frank Lloyd Wright building centrally situated near the Imperial Palace and Ginza.

[Tom Otley]

I flew the AMEX companion ticket with my wife to Tokyo in July – Haneda. Club one way, First back, then got upgrade on the way out anyway.

Haneda is definitely preferable – in town in no time (probably before your hotel is ready).

[AMcWhirter]

One thing to consider is that I imagine cotswolsw intends flying to Tokyo after the timetable change towards the end of March when airlines introduce their summer schedules.

I say this because, where allowed (by the Japanese CAA), the trend is for airlines to slowly transfer flights from Narita to Haneda.

News is just coming through that Lufthansa will (from March 27, 2016) be reducing its Frankfurt-Narita service to a mere three flights per week and depoloying an A340-300 rather than, as in previous times, an A380.

[rferguson]

Nice new JAL lounges in Haneda too.

[AndrewinHK]

@AMcWhirter Lufthansa has already reduced Frankfurt – Narita frequency to 3 times per week LH 710 operates only on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday now with A343.

I would pick Haneda, Narita is much to far away and also expensive to travel to and from.

[maxgeorge]

NRT is a long but fast trainride on the NEX Express. Use a JR Pass or buy discounted tickets in advance at jreast.co.jp

About an hour to Tokyo, Shinagawa and on round to Shinjuku. Some trains go further, eg.to Omiya

HND is a short hop into Shinagawa on the Keikyu train -only Y410 if I remember corectly. The monorail is slower and less convenient for JR connections.

I prefer the JL lounges at NRT, especially the elegant and quiet F lounge. It’s open to OneWorlders with status or F tickets on AA, at least.

Either airport offers the usual exemplary Japanese courtesy and efficiency.

[Steptoe]

Go to Japan regular on business and used both NRTand HND
IMO the HND route is better.
Flight time is better, no real difference in flight service and only 10 to 30 mins away from Shinagawa depending on train stops.
The lounge in HND is better and less busy

[cotswoldsw]

Many thanks to all, will look to book HND in the first instance

[FDOS_UK]

HND is much closer to Tokyo, than NRT. Bit like STN compared to LHR for the west end.

On the other hand, NRT is a good airport and the ‘friendly airport limousine’ aka coach bus is convenient if it stops at your hotel.

The JAL F lounge at NRT is very nice.

[cotswoldsw]

Ended up booking F both ways, but could only get seats to NRT.

A little surprised to get an email and text message last night telling me the flights were cancelled. Turns out they weren’t so much cancelled, but rather downgraded as the aircraft is changing to three class.

Unusually, got through to someone at the executive club straight away this morning, who was pretty helpful and rebooked us into HND, F both ways.

Guess going three class is a sure sign HND is proving the more popular option.

[AnthonyDunn]

Interesting. Snr Mgt and I were toying with Tokyo for our first 2-4-1. Just how easy/difficult is it to get availability on BA as opposed to JL or CX via HKG?

[sparkyflier]

I am surprised to hear NRT is going 3 class – I was on the NRT-LHR route in F a few weeks ago and it was totally full, as was the rest of the entire plane on the 777-300.

What is interesting is that F was fully booked back in July when the booking was made – I think I got the last seat.

Since Virgin pulled off the route there is more demand for the other flights.

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