Finnair has made headlines in the Nordics after abandoning two passengers in Tokyo. Their flight from Australia landed at Narita, and their connecting flight from Tokyo left from Haneda.
The passengers whose flights were on the same ticket had a four-and-a-half-hour transit time between these two airports. Finnair said they should have paid $200 for a cab rather than relying on public transportation.
You can access Finnair here.
The problem with transiting between these two Tokyo Area airports is that you must clear immigration and customs and possibly wait for your bags.
Although immigration is usually quite speedy in Tokyo, there have been times when many international flights arrive simultaneously, and it can take up to an hour or longer.
The distance between Narita and Haneda is roughly 80 kilometers; if there is no heavy traffic, it takes 70 minutes to drive there.
The Finnair spokesperson Päivyt Tallqvist had told the Finnish media that the passengers should have taken a cab, and it is not their, Finnair’s, responsibility if they chose to use a slower transportation option between these two airports.
The response is tone-deaf.
Finnair should not sell tickets with such a short connection between airports 80 to 100 kilometers apart that passengers would need to spend $200 in additional taxi expenses to make their flight.
Narita – Haneda Transportation Options
Narita – Haneda Minimum Connection Time (MCT)
The MCT between Narita and Haneda is unrealistic at 3:30 minutes if you have checked bags, are not a Japanese national, or cannot use the automated immigration gates. A taxi transfer between these two airports takes at least 80 minutes.
Conclusion
You should avoid connections like this couple had from Australia to Finland, where your international flight lands at one airport and when your connecting flights leave from another.
You always then need to clear the immigration and customs and transfer between airports, which can take a significant amount of time and also be expensive.
I have seen tickets sold through various airlines and OTAs where you land at one airport in London and depart from another (Heathrow, Gatwick & London City), and I have never purchased one if I had a choice.
My most recent flight from Japan left from Narita, and the bus ride from Shinjuku took forever (I was staying at the Hyatt and walked to the Hilton to catch the bus).
