First time travelling, who should I book my plane ticket with?

[mosswoodpark]

I want to make my trip as simple as possible. Should I book with Orbitz and deal with a 21 hour layover in Osaka's airport, or should I book directly with ANA and transfer between narita airport and haneda airport (Is 3 hours enough time to do this or should i just book the 16 hour layover between transfers)? With the Osaka airport i don't know if i would want to risk leaving the airport. And with orbitz i would be able to buy travel insurance while with ANA there is no option to do so.

[Effected After]

Three hours is very tight, and probably not enough for most people to get from Tokyo to Haneda, much less someone who's not used to traveling. It usually takes 30 min - 1 hour just to get out of the airport, and a good hour between airports. Then you have to check in at Haneda. Very little leeway for mistakes or late airplanes.

21 hours in any airport sounds like about the most boring thing to do. If you have 21 hours, you may as well go to Osaka for a few hours.

Is your final destination Japan? Where?

[mosswoodpark]

Three hours is very tight, and probably not enough for most people to get from Tokyo to Haneda, much less someone who's not used to traveling. It usually takes 30 min - 1 hour just to get out of the airport, and a good hour between airports. Then you have to check in at Haneda. Very little leeway for mistakes or late airplanes.

21 hours in any airport sounds like about the most boring thing to do. If you have 21 hours, you may as well go to Osaka for a few hours.

Is your final destination Japan? Where?

Thank you for the help. My destination is Hakodate, Hokkaido. So I guess my two options then are booking with the third party Orbitz for a 21 hour layover in Osaka or directly with ANA for a 16 hour layover and a transfer between Narita to Haneda. They are around the same price. Which would you do?

[Effected After]

I'd try and find a flight that goes from Narita to Hokkaido.

[KansaiBen]

Thank you for the help. My destination is Hakodate, Hokkaido. So I guess my two options then are booking with the third party Orbitz for a 21 hour layover in Osaka or directly with ANA for a 16 hour layover and a transfer between Narita to Haneda. They are around the same price. Which would you do?

You really dont want to spend 21 hours inside an airport, especially Kanku. there is absolutely nothing to do there. You will feel like Tom Hanks in "Terminal".

I dont know if you can go through immigration during stopovers but the Nikko hotel is right next to the airport, you may as well book a room in the hotel.

[mosswoodpark]

You really dont want to spend 21 hours inside an airport, especially Kanku. there is absolutely nothing to do there. You will feel like Tom Hanks in "Terminal".

I dont know if you can go through immigration during stopovers but the Nikko hotel is right next to the airport, you may as well book a room in the hotel.

yeah i dont know about immigration either. there's also the issue of whether my luggage is automatically re-checked at the stop in osaka. otherwise i will have a lot to carry around with me around the airport. If i leave the airport, is the hotel within walking distance? How realistic is all of this to get done for someone who's never been in the country before?

[Effected After]

You really dont want to spend 21 hours inside an airport, especially Kanku. there is absolutely nothing to do there. You will feel like Tom Hanks in "Terminal".

I dont know if you can go through immigration during stopovers but the Nikko hotel is right next to the airport, you may as well book a room in the hotel.

You can. I've left an airport for five minutes before.

[Kiboo]

OP, are you leaving from the US? In the past, I used to get good deals booking with the Travelodge.com. They used to have an insurance too, plus give you great discounts on hotels.

[KansaiBen]

yeah i dont know about immigration either. there's also the issue of whether my luggage is automatically re-checked at the stop in osaka. otherwise i will have a lot to carry around with me around the airport. If i leave the airport, is the hotel within walking distance? How realistic is all of this to get done for someone who's never been in the country before?

KIX is on a reclaimed island and the hotel is directly across from the departure terminal, its not even a 3 minute walk. Its about 150 meters door to door. JR station separates the hotel from the airport terminal.
If you want to go into Osaka you will have to put your bags in a locker or a deposit area. I have read previously about getting day passes as technically you have already entered the country and gone through immigration. You will now be taking a domestic flight from KIX to Hokkaido.

[mosswoodpark]

OP, are you leaving from the US? In the past, I used to get good deals booking with the Travelodge.com. They used to have an insurance too, plus give you great discounts on hotels.

I don't need a place to stay though, i don't mind sleeping in the airport if they would let me

[Effected After]

yeah i dont know about immigration either. there's also the issue of whether my luggage is automatically re-checked at the stop in osaka. otherwise i will have a lot to carry around with me around the airport. If i leave the airport, is the hotel within walking distance? How realistic is all of this to get done for someone who's never been in the country before?

If your ticket is from your destination through Osaka and to Hokkaido, they will take care of your luggage for you. If you are switching airlines or buying a separate ticket, you will need to get your luggage, and check it in again.

Getting from the airport into the city is pretty simple, but that said, you don't sound like you have the confidence to do it, so you'd be best off staying around the airport. The hotel will be close, and there will probably be shuttle busses from the airport to whatever hotel you stay in.

[mosswoodpark]

KIX is on a reclaimed island and the hotel is directly across from the departure terminal, its not even a 3 minute walk. Its about 150 meters door to door. JR station separates the hotel from the airport terminal.
If you want to go into Osaka you will have to put your bags in a locker or a deposit area. I have read previously about getting day passes as technically you have already entered the country and gone through immigration. You will now be taking a domestic flight from KIX to Hokkaido.

thank you. this is helpful. I think i am going to book with orbitz as im not comfortable with transferring between airports in tokyo

[KansaiBen]

I don't need a place to stay though, i don't mind sleeping in the airport if they would let me

KIX is not like Singapore airport and there are no beds, simply bench seats or you lie on the floor. Its not even a 24 hour airport and the shops and bars will close in the evening. You wont even be able to buy a candy bar except maybe at a vending machine.

Im not sure but if the airline has booked your bags through to Hokkaido there may be no need to declare your luggage at customs. All you need is enough for a one night stay if you leave the airport. best check with the agent on that though.

[mosswoodpark]

If your ticket is from your destination through Osaka and to Hokkaido, they will take care of your luggage for you. If you are switching airlines or buying a separate ticket, you will need to get your luggage, and check it in again.

Getting from the airport into the city is pretty simple, but that said, you don't sound like you have the confidence to do it, so you'd be best off staying around the airport. The hotel will be close, and there will probably be shuttle busses from the airport to whatever hotel you stay in.

ah, thanks. thats what i needed to know

[mosswoodpark]

KIX is not like Singapore airport and there are no beds, simply bench seats or you lie on the floor. Its not even a 24 hour airport and the shops and bars will close in the evening. You wont even be able to buy a candy bar except maybe at a vending machine.

how much does that hotel cost for the night?

[KansaiBen]

how much does that hotel cost for the night?

http://www.nikkokix.com/e/top.html

depending on when you arrive, from April 1, 8-16,000 yen for a single room.

[mosswoodpark]

http://www.nikkokix.com/e/top.html

depending on when you arrive, from April 1, 8-16,000 yen for a single room.

do you know anything about haneda airport? do they shut down in the evenings?

[Kiboo]

do you know anything about haneda airport? do they shut down in the evenings?

Yes, they do and they reopen at 5 AM.

[mosswoodpark]

so its looking like I should just book the flight with the least amount of time, which gives me 3 hours to transfer from narita to haneda. even if i miss the flight, it seems like a better option than having an overnight layover in one of these airports

[KansaiBen]

so its looking like I should just book the flight with the least amount of time, which gives me 3 hours to transfer from narita to haneda. even if i miss the flight, it seems like a better option than having an overnight layover in one of these airports

The limousine bus between Narita and Haneda airports takes about an hour if there is no traffic. 3 hours between flights should be plenty of time IMO.

[mosswoodpark]

The limousine bus between Narita and Haneda airports takes about an hour if there is no traffic. 3 hours between flights should be plenty of time IMO.

yeah hopefully i can figure out the exact logistics before getting there. i have connecting flights all with ANA, so i shouldn't have to recheck my bags once i get to narita hopefully.
thanks again

[KansaiBen]

yeah hopefully i can figure out the exact logistics before getting there. i have connecting flights all with ANA, so i shouldn't have to recheck my bags once i get to narita hopefully.
thanks again

I seriously doubt they would book you a connecting flight between terminals if they did not believe you can make your connection. Even if you miss your connection due to delays or airline error they will be held liable for any incurred costs, hotel bills etc.

Narita is signposted all the way through so its pretty hard to get lost anyway. Just look for the Narita Limousine bus sign when you arrive in the arrivals hall and buy a ticket to Haneda.

[Effected After]

Three hours is tight. If your plane is 1:15 late, and you take :45 to get out of the terminal (which is on the short end), you have an hour left to find the bus (which may not leave for another 15 - 20), and take the hour ride to Haneda - just in time to miss your flight. Then you have to work out what the airline is going to do for you, all after a many-hour flight from your home country.

Ben - the airline will book it, with the expectation that if you miss your connecting flight, they will put you on a later flight. For them it's easy, not so easy for the inexperienced traveler.

[haggydoggy]

Can you get a flight that flies into Haneda?

[Kiboo]

If you don`t want to spend a night at the airport, try to book a nearby hotel on Agoda.com. You can get a good deal as of 6000 Yen/night single room. In my opinion, as Effected After had pointed out, 3 hours between flights and changing airports is not enough. I wouldn`t take a risk. Best of luck.

[KansaiBen]

I also heard that at Narita you can do half-day tours around Narita/Chiba for people stuck with 5-6 hours on their hands between flights. May be worth booking a later flight and taking a day tour to kill time.