After a 6,733-mile flight why would a few more miles on the ground matter? If you’ve made the trip from New York to Tokyo you know precisely why.
For years, remote Tokyo Narita International has been the only airportal to the Japanese capital for flights from the United States. It’s a formidable 41 miles northeast of city center.
Now that close-in Haneda is open to limited transpacific traffic Tokyo is far closer. HND is just 12 miles south of city center.
To that end, American Airlines launches daily nonstop New York Kennedy flights to Tokyo Haneda Friday Feb. 18. American will fly a Boeing 777 on the longish route. The New York flight to Tokyo departs JFK at 6:10 p.m. and arrives HND at 10:15 p.m. the next day.
The return Tokyo flight to New York leaves Haneda at 6:40 a.m. and arrives Kennedy at 5:15 a.m. the next day. That positions passengers to make good connections to a number of American Airlines cities.
Shuichi Kameyama, executive director of the Japan national Tourism Organization’s New York Office says simply, “The proximity of Haneda to downtown Tokyo will make it all that more inviting for Americans to visit.”
Japan Airlines’ New York flights to Tokyo Narita will continue. American code-shares with JAL on that route.
According to OAG, American is the only carrier with nonstop JFK flights to Haneda – at least for now.
Story by Jerry Chandler
