FT article on HND improvements
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: WAS
Posts: 892
FT article on HND improvements
Monocle Editor Tyler Brule in his weekly travel column for Financial Times:
Source
He goes on to talk about other reasons why he loves HND, and its proximity to central Tokyo vs. NRT is just one of them.
Source
In a little under two years’ time, the airport hugging Tokyo Bay will move up the international traffic rankings when it opens a fourth runway and a new international terminal to replace the bus terminal that currently serves flights to Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Come the back end of 2010, travellers who have long been frustrated by the torturous journey in from Narita will be able to land at the world’s fourth-busiest airport (additional capacity has airport management hoping that they’ll move into the top three position), with direct connections to Paris, London, Amsterdam, Singapore and Bangkok.
Due to a complicated structure that will restrict long-haul flights to the hours between 11pm and 6am, airlines operating out of Haneda are likely to launch niche services that will appeal to business travellers who want to be able to have a proper business dinner and drinks in Ginza and then jump in a cab for the 20-minute drive to the airport. For passengers inbound from Europe, this will mean departures out of London at about 8.30am, arriving in Tokyo the next morning before the 6am curfew.
Across the field, Haneda’s co-anchor tenant All Nippon Airways (ANA) will also be opening another 10-plus gates at Terminal 2 and, to the delight domestic travellers who see shopping as a very essential part of the travel experience, there will be even more stores to add to the 200-plus retail and food outlets.
Due to a complicated structure that will restrict long-haul flights to the hours between 11pm and 6am, airlines operating out of Haneda are likely to launch niche services that will appeal to business travellers who want to be able to have a proper business dinner and drinks in Ginza and then jump in a cab for the 20-minute drive to the airport. For passengers inbound from Europe, this will mean departures out of London at about 8.30am, arriving in Tokyo the next morning before the 6am curfew.
Across the field, Haneda’s co-anchor tenant All Nippon Airways (ANA) will also be opening another 10-plus gates at Terminal 2 and, to the delight domestic travellers who see shopping as a very essential part of the travel experience, there will be even more stores to add to the 200-plus retail and food outlets.
#2
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Not too far off topic but 2010 is also the scheduled start of new Skyliner services that will cut travel time from Nippori/Ueno down to around 36 minutes from NRT.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2004
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You'll still have to travel from Nippori to Haneda Airport, that travel time is roughly 50 minutes with 2 transfers (one at Nippori to JR) and another transfer at either Hamamatsucho to the Monorail or at Shinagawa to Keikyu trains.
So say 90+ minutes if you include transfer times. So you shave off maybe 10~15 minutes off the current route if you were to go by NEX with transfer at Shinagawa. But thats all speculation, there's no published timetables or anything yet to really say.
I was reading future talks might have the new Skyliner run services all the way through the Asakusa Line, and Keikyu line (like how some Keisei trains currently do) to Haneda, but not planned for 2010 yet.
So say 90+ minutes if you include transfer times. So you shave off maybe 10~15 minutes off the current route if you were to go by NEX with transfer at Shinagawa. But thats all speculation, there's no published timetables or anything yet to really say.
I was reading future talks might have the new Skyliner run services all the way through the Asakusa Line, and Keikyu line (like how some Keisei trains currently do) to Haneda, but not planned for 2010 yet.
#5
Join Date: Apr 2006
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the proximity of HND depends on where in Tokyo you're trying to go. if you're trying to anywhere along bottom part of the yamanote HND is definitely closer. Personally i hate having to transfer more than once.

