duckied

Hello,

I am flying BA First from Tokyo to London and have a choice between Haneda or Narita.

I believe BA uses JL F lounges at both airports.

Are they both quite similar in terms of offerings/catering/services? Or is one airport significantly better than the other for the F lounge?

Thanks in advance.

JALPak

JAL F lounge at HND doesn't open until 6am so you will be using Sakura Lounge at HND instead given your departure time.

duckied

Thankyou for that JALpak!

stargold

HND BA flight simply leaves at an unpleasant and almost impossibly early time.

If your only consideration is the lounge, you'd be crazy to go to HND. Given no real way of getting public transport that early in the morning to HND, the cost between taxi to HND and public transport to NRT will be similar as well. And you can actually get some sleep before the NRT flight.

JALPak

There are free hotel shuttles to HND from nearby hotels

stargold

So are you saying that it's a viable and sensible suggestion to go through the hassle of moving hotels for the final night, to very likely a worse quality accommodation, still having to wake up at some ungodly hour in the morning, all because of the difference in lounge (if any exist at all), especially when the F section won't actually be open during the times that the OP is likely to visit?

JALPak

It's OP choice not ours. If OP wants to try out the new airport then OP should go for it and we shouldn't be judgmental just because we don't personally agree with OP's choice.

SPBanker

Apropos, does JL HND F lounge offer massage like the one in NRT?

LTN Phobia

I am a regular at both airports and JL F lounge.

Breakfast offering at HND Sakura Lounge before the BA flight is rather poor, in fact very poor compared to the NRT F lounge, so if the OP wants a 'proper' lounge experience, without a doubt NRT is a better choice.

However I should note that if the OP is into drinking at 0500 then Sakura lounge isn't bad - despite there not being much breakfast food offerings, I recall seeing 12 different bottles of spirits there I can confirm in a few days the quantity of spirits there.

Public transport to NRT is actually often cheaper than taxi to HND for BA 8 due to the "late night surcharge" before 5am on taxis, although there are fixed fare taxis from certain Tokyo "ku" (wards).

JALPak

i don't think so

Himeno

I'm in the HND F lounge now. There are some nice chairs with foot rests, table and power along the front window overlooking the air field. But other then that, I'd say the NRT Sakura lounge is better.
Showers shared by F and Sakura lounge, a couple of massage chairs near the entrance, food offering reminds me of the ICN CX lounge.

stargold

The biggest factor is probably that JL does not run F ex-HND, so the lounge is really only used by other OW F and Emeralds. If JL did run F ex-HND then the offering would likely be much more impressive.

LTN Phobia

They now codeshare on BA 008 with F so I am hoping that they will revise the F opening hours and showers, at least. Offerings do not necessarily have to change (I don't remember it being bad) but I do wish they opened earlier.

JALPak

don't count on it. AA JFK flight does not affect opening hours, I highly doubt BA's would. They probably won't open the F lounge early as long as JAL does not operate an early morning departure flight before 6am

JALPak

The chair/cubicle alone is good enough reason for me to choose HND over NRT. Hopefully JAL will add those in the NRT lounges when they update them this fiscal year