tpac to kyoto
 

for our next trip, we wish to get from WAS to kyoto. it looks to me like we fly iad-nrt and then take the train to tokyo, transfer and train to kyoto. is there a better way? this trip will be in april or may of '14. other options are to transfer to another plane to osaka or someplace, but looks to me line that takes still more time. maybe cheaper? since we will be using miles, i have to book major parts very soon, or else there will be no room in the front of the plain.

i am also surprised about the review of ANA by someone. is ANA really that terrible? i also see that ana will have direct iad-nrt direct no-stop in F in may. is this ana, or UA on UA metal, with a ana label?

Another option is to fly into KIX, although there are a lot fewer flight options flying into KIX. From KIX you can take express train Haruka directly to Kyoto which is an hour plus train ride.

ANA operates NH001/002 NRT-IAD. If the flight number does not match, then it is a code share, most likely operated by UA. I much prefer ANA's service to UA's.

tpac to kyoto
 

I recently took the above mentioned ANA flights in economy where for the past years I've taken my trans-pacific flights in United economy. The hard products are about the same but I will say the service was substantially better on ANA.

I assume you're talking about the review of the midnight service in business class from LAX to HND? That does appear to be an embarrassingly bad offering from an otherwise generally good airline.

If you don't want to visit Tokyo you could fly UA IAD-SFO-KIX. The SFO-KIX flight is going to use the 787 so it would be a pretty good ride in C, and you could probably get a decent product up front for the transcon as well.

Another option is ITM, which has nonstop service to NRT. It's about a one hour bus ride to Kyoto, not exactly glamorous.

KIX is the big new international airport for Osaka and Kyoto. IIRC there is convenient direct rail transportation to Kyoto without going through Osaka. AFAIK ITM is primarily domestic flights; I think it's the old Osaka airport on the edge of the city.

If you are not going to Tokyo, don't go to NRT. Fly into KIX and take the comfortable Haruka, which goes through Osaka but continues on to Kyoto Station - total train time about 75 minutes. The Haruka is a dedicated airport connector train so it has ample luggage space at the back entrance of each car.

The only problem with KIX is the limited number of flights there. From the US, you are going to be connecting at SFO on UA. The ANA flight from SFO is a code share on the same UA flight.

I believe there is a CA flight to KIX from NYC but can't report on it.

You may have read on FT about seat pitch of ANA Y. If in Y, UA Y+ would be much more comfortable, but in other classes, I would choose ANA.

+1 for KIX.
I found a picture report on that flight. Y seats have USB power ports and the plane looks new. http://4travel.jp/travelogue/10776334

There is a non-stop flight from JFK to KIX, but on CI (China Airlines, based in Taipei). Operates 3x/week.

I read above that SFO-KIX is going to the 787 but with the current set-up where SFO is the 747 base then that's a great flight for upgrades and probably award tickets in C. Last time I was on the upper deck row 15 with an empty seat next to me.

I start RTWs from KIX because then I can fly back to Tokyo and add a round-trip to somewhere else in Asia, or NZ as I did a couple of years ago.

There is also a pretty nice airline called Starflyer that flies HND-KIX. Black leather seats and a "ninja" theme.

...and in-seat monitors! The only domestic airline that has them.

Oh, and if you buy 7G flights as NH codeshares you can credit them to the *A FFP of your choice.

The upper deck is cool and all, but C seats are way better on the 787 than on the 747.

Yes, they have VOD at the seat and it has a handy USB plug. I have used UA miles (6000 until Jan 31) to buy Starflyer tickets but not sure if it's still possible. The NH codeshares will be more expensive if you buy them that way. Like 14k yen vs. 10k yen.

You can also fly to NRT and then onwards on a domestic flight to ITM (the domestic airport for Osaka). I find that easier than flying from east coast to KIX which generally means an overnight in SFO while flying there.