Some people...

[bikkuri bahn]

Check out this OTP headline:

`Nightmare' Ends as U.S. Flights Return to Central Tokyo

 

Nightmare?  A bit inconvenient, yes, but no more stressful than driving through traffic to most international airports in the U.S. (not to mention parking).  Check out this quote by a typical spoiled expat businessman:

“If I go to Korea, it takes as long to get to Narita as from Narita to Seoul,” said Merner, president of Tokyo-based Atlantis Investment Research Corp. “Going to Haneda is very convenient. People will love it.”

 

Ah.., Merner, it takes at least an hour to get from praised to the heavens Incheon Airport to central Seoul, so Narita is not some global anomaly, actually it's quite normal, especially considering the excellent rail links and efficient limousine bus services.

 

The main advantage of Haneda over Narita is that it has the potential to offer convenient connections with domestic flights, though the current operating times preclude that.  For Kanto area residents, I don't think it will be a sea change until Haneda becomes a full fledged international airport w/ daytime intl. departures.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-14/narita-nightmare-ending-as-u-s-flights-return-to-tokyo-s-haneda-airport.html

[westfalen]

What's he want? A private helicopter to pick him up at his office?

 

If only all nightmares were as pleasant as a ride on the N'ex to or from Narita.

[Martijn Meerts]

It's modern culture.. People don't have time for anything anymore, everything needs to be fast.

 

Every morning when I go to work, I have to take 2 trains, I need to transfer halfway. At the station where I need to transfer, there's usually about 5 minutes to make it to the correct platform. Often though, the first train is delayed a few minutes, and thus people need to run to make the other train. While doing so, they yell and scream as if they're the most important person in the world, and everyone needs to make room for them. They usually make it to the train, only to be packed in together with the rest of the cattle (the train tends to be overcrowded).

 

Now, 5 minutes later there's another train that leaves the station where I need to transfer, and it has the same destination. It arrives some 10-15 minutes later than the first train. It's an old local train, built during the time where comfort was still an important aspect of train travel, so the train is MUCH more comfortable than the crappy modern things. I usually take the local train instead of the express, it's more relaxing, I don't have to hurry like a fool, plus I have enough time at the station to buy me a hot chocolate or something.

 

Of course, for most, the fact that the train arrives at the same destination 10-15 minutes later is already too much.... I just hope they keep the local train in service for the foreseeable future, the sets must be around 40 years old by now.

[Guest ___]

I guess the OP has never had to take a flight out of JFL from midtown. It's a good long trip to take the A-train to Jamaica Station then catch the airtrain. And I recall it was a 90 min ride via bus from Keflivik to downtown Reykjavik. Dulles to downtown can take two hours if traffic is being snarky.

[Kamiyacho]

Many people in the world do not even live in a city with an international airport.  From my house in Antwerp I have to go to Brussels or even Amsterdam. You can fly to London City from Antwerp, but that is about it.

[CaptOblivious]

It takes as long to take the slow train from Narita to Ueno as it does for me to take the St Louis Metro bus/train from my apartment to my workplace a mere 6 miles away. Poor, poor business execs!

[Bernard]

When even I have to travel which has been a lot recently, I really don't care about how long of a delay it takes me to get there, even if I have to wait hours at the airport. I look at it this way, back in the pioneer days in the USA, it would take wagon trains 3-4months to get from the East coast to the West coast and not everyone was going to make it! So in comparison, a few hours is nothing.

[qwertyaardvark]

"Some people" indeed...

 

My house to IAH = 45 min to 1 hr by car

Undergrad college city to nearest (real) airport = 1 hr drive

Center of Shanghai to Pudong airport = 1+ hr by normal subway, 30 mins if you take the maglev (if you want to pay 5 times the normal subway fare), and 50 mins by taxi (if you want to pay 25+ times the subway fare)

Relative's home in Manila to Manila airport = 45 min to 1 hr drive b/c of traffic (distance is actually quite short, 7mi/12km). One word: Patience

 

and Tokyo to Narita via Keisei or Narita Express is still my favorite airport commute (With Shanghai as close second). B/c unlike 3 of the 4 above mentioned, i don't have to drive. :)

[Kabutoni]

I don't even want to bother analysing this Bloomers person with statistics and facts. He's a sad product of personal transport and has too much expectations of public transport. What does he want? A f*****g private room with roomservice serving him hamburgers and light-beer? *hamburgers would be nice, though light beer would be bad, very bad*

 

Yes, I'm fired up about this, so let's go:

 

From where I live now: Line 16 to Bonn HBf (about 7 minutes, every 20 minutes, or every 30 minutes in weekends); then the SB60 (Airport Express) to Cologne/Bonn Airport for €2,70 (Student's discount; about 27~32 minutes) and then walking miles and miles to the gate.

Okay, the last part is slightly exaggerated, as on Amsterdam Schiphol Airport it's much worse (took me 45 minutes run from check-in to the gate for a cheap flight to Krakow).

 

Not so bad IMO, but nothing if you imagine the possibilities to getting to Narita! You have Keisei (locals to skyliner) and JR (locals to N'EX) to the numerous Highway Buses. All competitive in price and (semi-)friendly to large luggage.

 

I think these reporters (methinks Chris Cooper in particular) needs to get their grips on the endless possiblilities of getting to Narita. A poor, very poor example of journalism. Sad to see these people working for such a news-agency.

 

Toni

 

P.s. The article isn't that bad, but the title and general feeling for the article is just appalling it makes my eyes bleed in misery.

[Martijn Meerts]

Whenever I fly somewhere, I tend to use KLM (or JAL if/when I'm going to Japan), which really only flies from Schiphol. That means, 20 minute walk to the local train station, 30-40 minutes to get to my transfer station, 10-15 minutes of waiting, another 90 minutes to get to Schiphol. (Then another 30-45 minutes to get to the gate, because Schiphol is a massive labyrinth =))

 

I don't mind though, because I usually enjoy the train trip anyway :)

 

(Anyone want to try going from Europe to Japan purely by train and short distance boat? =))

[bikkuri bahn]

(Anyone want to try going from Europe to Japan purely by train and short distance boat? =))

 

Yes, I'd like to leave London bound for Moscow, and catch the Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok and then ferry to Niigata(?) once in my life.  My uncle did it once back in the sixties (in the opposite direction).

[spacecadet]

I guess the OP has never had to take a flight out of JFL from midtown. It's a good long trip to take the A-train to Jamaica Station then catch the airtrain.

 

Well, but you can take a taxi from JFK and be in midtown in 20 minutes.  JFK is still actually in NYC; Narita is in Narita.

 

Also, I don't know why you'd take the A train to JFK from midtown (or back) - take the LIRR and it can be one stop from midtown to Jamaica station, then the air train.  It can still be 20 minutes.

 

Narita's worse.

[Martijn Meerts]

(Anyone want to try going from Europe to Japan purely by train and short distance boat? =))

 

Yes, I'd like to leave London bound for Moscow, and catch the Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok and then ferry to Niigata(?) once in my life.  My uncle did it once back in the sixties (in the opposite direction).

 

I'll join you once you get to main-land Europe =)

 

It would be one hell of a trip...