Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
42
H1N1 influenza, such as fever or cough-
ing. In addition, the temperature of all
arriving passengers is taken upon entering
the customs area; if you have a fever, you
may be quarantined as a protection against
H1N1 or avian flu.
3
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
GETTING TO TOKYO
Tokyo has two airports, both of which will
soon be international. As we go to print,
all international flights land at Narita
International Airport (NRT) in Narita
about 66km (41 miles) outside Tokyo. If
you're arriving in Tokyo from elsewhere in
Japan, your flight will probably land at
Haneda Airport (HND), used primarily
for domestic flights, though note that
Haneda is opening an international termi-
nal, complete with the world's first airport
aquarium, in October 2010.
With dozens of airlines serving Tokyo
from around the world, it's certainly not
difficult to get here. Below are some point-
ers to get you headed in the right direc-
tion.
From the United Kingdom, British
Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways also
offer daily nonstop service from London
to Tokyo. Air New Zealand, Jetstar, and
Qantas fly from Australia to Tokyo.
For contact information and websites
for these airlines, as well as other airlines
that fly into Tokyo, see “Airline Websites,”
p. 314.
Long-haul Flights: How
to Stay Comfortable
• Your choice of airline and airplane will
definitely affect your legroom. Find
more details about U.S. airlines at
www.
seatguru.com
. For international air-
lines, research firm Skytrax has a list of
average seat pitches at www.airlinequality.
com.
• Emergency-exit seats and bulkhead
seats typically have the most legroom.
Emergency-exit seats are usually left
unassigned until the day of a flight (to
ensure that someone able-bodied fills
the seats); it's worth getting to the ticket
counter early to snag one of these spots
for a long flight. Many passengers find
that bulkhead seating (the row facing
the wall at the front of the cabin) offers
more legroom, but keep in mind that
bulkhead seats have no storage space on
the floor in front of you.
• To have two seats for yourself in a three-
seat row, try for an aisle seat in a center
section toward the back of coach. If
you're traveling with a companion,
book an aisle and a window seat. Mid-
dle seats are usually booked last, so
chances are good that you'll end up
with three seats to yourselves. And in
the event that a third passenger is
3
By Plane
Because the flight to Tokyo is such a long
one (about 12 hr. from Los Angeles or
London and 13
1
⁄
2
hr. from Chicago or
New York), you may wish to splurge for a
roomier seat and upgraded service, includ-
ing special counters for check-in, private
lounges at the airport, and better meals,
though these come with a price. You
should also consider a mileage program,
because you'll earn lots of miles on this
round-trip.
Japan's major carriers, flagship Japan
Airlines and All Nippon Airways, offer
more international flights to Tokyo than
any other carriers. Other airlines flying
between North America and Tokyo
include American Airlines, Asiana Air-
lines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air
Lines, Korean Air, Northwest Airlines,
Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways Interna-
tional, and United Airlines.
