I found out the hard way Osaka Japan has a national and international airport that are in very different directions.
Travelling back to the UK via Tokyo narita I got in a taxi from my hotel early morning for a local flight from Osaka to Tokyo.
I showed the hotel staff my flight details and asked them to tell the taxi driver my destination as I don't speak Japanese.
Get in the taxi and he says 'airport' 'yes' I reply.
On the way to the airport I'm thinking this seems longer than last time going to the hotel but think nothing of it.
We get to the airport I pay and then enter the terminal and look for my flight on the departures but I can't see it. I go to the desk only to be told it's a different airport an hour away on the other side of the city.
There's no way I'll make it so they try arranging another flight but it's on a different airline.
I queue up in line get my bag checked etc but my new ticket airline A did for me isn't properly stamped so airline B won't accept it.
I run back to airline A check in desk and get the ticket stamped then run back to airline B check in to again queue up and get my bag scanned.
Disaster, check in closes and I miss the flight.
Now the only option is to go to domestic airport and get on the next available flight. With a bit of luck I should still make it to Narita with half hour to spare and hopefully make my flight.
I get on a bus to the domestic airport and get on the flight airline A has arranged for me.
Disaster number 2 the rearranged flight is for Tokyo international not Narita so by the time I get to Narita by yet another incredibly expensive taxi ride I'm 3 hours late.
My missus was due a hospital scan for our first child on Monday (today was saturday) and BA put me on standby but told me there were no seats and I could be waiting till Tuesday.
I slept on the airport floor with 50 or so people grounded by a typhoon off the Taiwan coast and made sure I was first in line for the stand by flight which I got the first flight next day.
All the airlines were brilliant and didn't charge me a penny but safe to say I double check everything now