When it comes to the airports that serve Tokyo, people tend to be very vocal about their preferences. Among tourists, the general consensus is that Haneda is the better airport simply because of its proximity to central Tokyo.
Narita has its merits, particularly when considering where you live or are staying, and the convenience of taking the Skyliner. However, this post is not a comparison between Haneda and Narita. Instead, we are following-up with the new routes that will operate from Haneda now that the airplanes will be allowed to fly above the city.
While Delta, American, and United had already announced their new routes, which basically resulted in Delta Airlines completely pulling out of Narita (a resolution years in the making).
Now, both ANA and JAL have announced their new U.S. routes from Haneda, so if you’re planning to visit Japan in 2020, it might be good to know what these changes are since some routes are actually not new. Instead, they are being shifted from Narita to Haneda. It’s also worth noting that both JAL and ANA got the same number of Haneda slots. This is different from what Delta, United, American, and Hawaiian, went through since the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) had to choose how to allocate the 12 Haneda slots granted to the U.S. airlines. Allocations that saw Delta as the clear winner.
Let’s start with All Nippon Airways (ANA):
Haneda to Houston (March 29,2020):
ANA is moving its Houston flight from Narita to Haneda, and will have the following schedule:
Haneda to Houston
Flight: NH114
Departure Time: 10:20AM
Arrival Time: 8:40AM
Houston to Haneda
Flight: NH113
Departure Time 1:10PM
Arrival Time: 5:00PM (+1 day)
Haneda to Los Angeles (March 29,2020):
ANA operates 3 flights to Los Anglees, one from Haneda and two from Narita. ANA is moving one of these Narita flights to Haneda, meaning that now ANA will have 2 flights from Haneda to Los Angeles, and 1 flight from Narita to Los Angeles.
Haneda to Los Angeles
Flight: NH126
Departure Time: 9:05PM
Arrival Time: 3:05PM
Los Angeles to Haneda
Flight: NH125
Departure Time: 5:05PM
Arrival Time: 9:15PM (+1 day)
Haneda to San Jose (March 29,2020):
ANA will be moving its flight to San Jose from Narita to Haneda. This will be the schedule:
Haneda to San Jose
Flight: NH120
Departure Time: 5:05PM
Arrival Time: 10:30AM
San Jose to Haneda
Flight: NH119
Departing Time: 12:20PM
Arrival Time: 3:20PM (+1 day)
Haneda to Seattle (March 29, 2020):
ANA will also be moving this flight from Narita to Haneda. This is a great way to counter Delta’s move to Haneda. The schedule is as follows:
Haneda to Seattle
Flight: NH118
Departure Time: 9:00PM
Arrival Time: 2:10PM
Seattle to Haneda
Flight: NH117
Departure Time: 4:40PM
Arrival Time: 7:00PM (+1 day)
Haneda to Washington D.C. (March 29, 2020):
Another flight moving to Haneda from Narita with the following schedule:
Haneda to Washington D.C.
Flight: NH102
Departure Time: 10:55AM
Arrival Time: 10:35AM
Washington D.C. to Haneda
Flight: NH101
Departure Time 1:10PM
Arrival Time: 4:15PM (+1 day)
Haneda to San Francisco:
This is one that is intended to start in 2020, but ANA has not revealed the flight’s schedule. However, it’s exciting that ANA will be offering direct flights from Haneda to San Francisco, something that JAL has been offering for years.
Now let’s see what Japan Airlines (JAL) has up for us!
Haneda to Chicago (March 29, 2020):
JAL is moving its Chicago flight from Narita to Haneda. However, JAL is planning to start flying from Narita to a Chicago again in 2021, meaning that JAL will eventually be offering two flights to Chicago.
Haneda to Chicago
Flight: JL10 Haneda to Chicago
Departure Time: 11:45AM
Arrival Time: 9:30AM
Chicago to Haneda
Flight: JL9
Departure Time: 12:25PM
Arrival Time: 3:35PM (+1 day)
Haneda to Dallas (March 29, 2020):
JAL is moving this flight from Narita to Haneda with the following schedule:
Haneda to Dallas
Flight: JL12 Haneda to Dallas
Departure Time: 10:55AM
Arrival Time: 8:25AM
Dallas to Haneda
Flight: JL11
Departure Time: 10:55AM
Arrival Time:2:20PM (+1 day)
Haneda to Honolulu (March 29, 2020):
JAL is moving two flights to Haneda, meaning that JAL will be offering two daily flights to Honolulu from Narita and two daily flights from Haneda. As you can see, Honolulu is a very important market.
Haneda to Honolulu
Flight: JL74
Departure Time: 9:00PM
Arrival Time: 9:20AM
Honolulu to Haneda
Flight: JL73
Departure Time: 12:05PM
Arrival Time: 3:20PM (+1 day)
Haneda to Honolulu
Flight: JL72
Departure Time: 9:55PM
Arrival Time: 10:15AM
Honolulu to Haneda
Flight: JL71
Departure Time: 3:45PM
Arrival Time: 7:30PM (+1 day)
Haneda to Los Angeles (March 29, 2020):
Surprisingly, this is actually a new flight instead of one moving from Narita. With this new flight to Los Angeles, JAL will be flying to the City of Angels from both airports.
Haneda to Los Angeles
Flight: JL16
Departure Time: 5:00PM
Arrival Time: 10:50AM
Los Angeles to Haneda
Flight: JL15
Departure Time: 1:45PM
Arrival Time: 5:20PM (+1 day)
Haneda to New York (March 29, 2020):
JAL is moving this flight from Narita to Haneda, meaning that JAL will now offer two daily flights to New York (JFK) from Haneda, and none from Narita. However, ANA will still serve Nee York from both airports.
Haneda to New York
Flight: JL4
Departure Time: 6:30PM
Arrival Time: 6:25PM
New York to Haneda
Flight: JL3
Departure Time: 1:30AM
Arrival Time: 4:45AM (+1 day)
There you have it! Keep an eye on these routes, particularly since some are just moving from Narita to Haneda. Additionally, if you plan to connect in Tokyo in 2020, make sure your flight is not being moved to Haneda. While Haneda is great when visiting Japan, Narita is better if you intend to connect there and then travel to another destination in Asia.
JAL and ANA still have plans to expand on Narita, but as Narita is becoming predominantly an airport for leisure destinations and budget airlines, seeing important business flights move to Haneda is not surprising.
These are the routes we will see from Haneda to the United States. However, ANA will also be offering new flights to Qingdao, Shenzhen, Delhi, Milan, and Stockholm; while JAL will be offering new flights to Dalian, Delhi, Sydney, Moscow, and Helsinki, and an additional flight to Shanghai.
: igarashitomohiro/