Chicago to Tokyo: Airlines, Haneda or Narita, and Getting Into the City

The arrivals hall in Tokyo fills with the soft chimes of station announcements, and signs in Japanese and English point you toward trains, buses and taxis. The first decision on that long trip from the Midwest is which Tokyo airport you land at. From Chicago O’Hare, United flies nonstop to Haneda and All Nippon Airways flies nonstop to Narita, and each one sets up a different first hour in Japan.

A jet at a Japanese airport · Illustration

Which airlines fly from Chicago to Tokyo?

Two airlines fly nonstop between Chicago O’Hare and Tokyo, United Airlines into Haneda Airport and All Nippon Airways (ANA) into Narita International Airport. Each carrier lands at a different airport, so choosing the airline also means choosing where your Tokyo trip begins.

Airline	Tokyo airport	U.S. departure airport
United Airlines	Haneda Airport	Chicago–O’Hare
All Nippon Airways	Narita International Airport	Chicago–O’Hare

United into Haneda

United’s Chicago–O’Hare flight is one of several nonstop routes the airline runs out of Haneda. The same airport also connects United to Guam, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington–Dulles. That spread matters if your trip is more than a straight Chicago run, for example a return that lands in a different American city from where you started.

Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city itself, and Japan’s national tourism organization notes that international travelers can now arrive directly in the heart of Tokyo. For a first-time visitor who wants to be in the city quickly, that is the draw of the United flight. Once you are through arrivals, the airport lets you search routes, departure and arrival times and fares for trains, monorails and buses to wherever you are staying.

ANA into Narita

ANA flies Chicago–O’Hare to Narita as one of four U.S. nonstop destinations, along with Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Seasonal service to Vancouver rounds out the list. A Japanese carrier means the cabin, the meals and the announcements start your trip in Japan’s own style before the wheels touch down.

Narita sits in Chiba Prefecture, and the express train to Tokyo takes 1 hour. The airport handles most major international destinations and many domestic airports as well, which is useful when your plans do not end in the capital. Within Japan, ANA flies nonstop from Narita to Nagoya, Osaka–Itami and Sapporo–Chitose, and Japan Airlines flies to Nagoya and Osaka–Itami.

Other carriers on the Tokyo routes

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines both fly into Haneda, but their nonstop lists are other cities. Delta serves Atlanta, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle/Tacoma. American serves Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and New York–JFK. Zipair Tokyo flies from Narita to Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, with charter flights to Orlando.

Those routes matter when you want to use another American airport, or when you build a trip that ends in a different city than it begins. For a plain Chicago to Tokyo journey, though, the choice is between the United and ANA flights above.

Where do you land?

You land at Haneda if you fly United and at Narita if you fly ANA, and from either one the road into Tokyo is clearly signed. Both airports serve the capital, and each gives you a different way to begin.

Haneda Airport

Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city. At the passenger terminal you can look up trains, monorails and buses, with departure and arrival times and fares for each, and decide how to get to your hotel once you have your bags. That search tool is handy when you are tired after a long flight and want one place that lays the options side by side.

Taxis at Haneda work from two kinds of stands, general stands and stands for app-dispatched or reserved cars. If you arranged a taxi through an app or by phone, you must use the dedicated stand for reserved taxis.

Anyone just hailing a cab at the curb uses the general stand. Drivers who park at the airport can reserve spaces in advance in lots P2 through P5, with details on each lot’s own reservation page.

Haneda also has domestic flights that fan out across Japan. Air Do flies to Asahikawa, Hakodate, Kushiro, Memanbetsu, Obihiro and Sapporo–Chitose. Skymark Airlines serves Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kobe, Naha, Sapporo–Chitose and Shimojishima. Solaseed Air flies to Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha and Oita, and StarFlyer to Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Osaka–Kansai and Ube.

Narita International Airport

Narita is served by three rail lines, the Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line. The terminals have their own stations. Terminal 1 is a 5-minute walk from Narita Airport Station, and Terminal 2 is a 5-minute walk from Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station. Terminal 3 is a 10-minute walk from that same Terminal 2・3 Station.

Narita’s domestic network is wide. Jetstar Japan flies to Asahikawa, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kochi, Kumamoto, Matsuyama, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha, Oita, Osaka–Kansai, Sapporo–Chitose, Shimojishima, Shonai and Takamatsu. Peach goes to Amami Oshima, Fukuoka, Ishigaki, Kagoshima, Kushiro, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha, Oita, Osaka–Kansai and Sapporo–Chitose. Spring Japan serves Hakodate, Hiroshima and Sapporo–Chitose.

Kansai and Nagoya as other doors into Japan

Kansai International Airport makes it possible to visit Japan without going through Tokyo. It is the gateway to western Japan, serving Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Wakayama. It sits about 50 minutes from Shin-Osaka high-speed train station and 1 hour 15 minutes from Kyoto Station.

Nagoya’s Central Japan International Airport, known as Centrair, is the hub for flights to and from cities in Asia and Japan. Both Narita-based ANA and Japan Airlines fly there nonstop. These airports are not on a Chicago nonstop, but they appear in itineraries that carry on beyond Tokyo.

What do you need for the trip?

For the flight and the arrival, you need to know three things: which airline and airport you are using, how you will get from the terminal into the city, and where you go after Tokyo. Everything else on the journey follows from those choices.

Pick the airport that matches your hotel

If your hotel is in the city and you want to arrive in the heart of Tokyo, Haneda with United fits that plan. Japan’s tourism organization describes it as the airport of Tokyo city. If you are flying ANA, you land at Narita in Chiba Prefecture, where the express train into Tokyo takes 1 hour.

Both airports have rail and road connections, so the decision comes down to the airline and the schedule you prefer. Think about which terminal or station you will walk to and how much luggage you are carrying. Narita’s terminals are each a few minutes on foot from a station, so the walk is part of your arrival plan.

Plan the ride from the terminal

At Haneda, use the route search at the passenger terminal to compare trains, monorails and buses, with times and fares. If you reserved a taxi by app or phone, head to the reserved-taxi stand, since that is where those cars wait. At Narita, three lines are at your disposal, the Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line, so pick the one that suits your destination.

Some travelers arrive by car, and for them Haneda lets you reserve spaces in advance in lots P2 through P5. The reservation details sit on each lot’s own page. Most visitors from the U.S. will go by rail or taxi instead, and the airport’s signs make the options visible from the moment you leave customs.

Think about where the trip goes next

A trip that starts in Tokyo often continues elsewhere. From Haneda you can fly on to Sapporo–Chitose, Fukuoka, Naha, Kagoshima and many other cities with Air Do, Skymark, Solaseed or StarFlyer. From Narita, the low-cost lines Jetstar Japan, Peach and Spring Japan reach a long list of regional airports, while ANA and Japan Airlines link Narita to Nagoya and Osaka–Itami.

If western Japan is the real goal, Kansai International Airport is a direct door to Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Wakayama without a stop in Tokyo. That route does not run nonstop from Chicago in these listings, but it is worth knowing when you map out an itinerary beyond the capital.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates Japan Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions.

Landing in Tokyo, a good first move is a meal close to your hotel, a bowl of ramen, a rice ball and tea from a convenience store, or a plate of curry at a station counter. Japan runs on yen, so plan to see prices in yen. The departure and arrival halls at both airports are signed in English, so you can find your train, monorail or taxi stand without much trouble.

Sources

Wikipedia, Haneda Airport, airlines and destinations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations), checked October 11, 2026
Wikipedia, Narita International Airport, airlines and destinations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narita_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations), checked October 11, 2026
U.S. Department of State, Japan travel advisory (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/japan-travel-advisory.html)
Japan National Tourism Organization, how to reach the city from each international airport (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/airport-access/), checked October 11, 2026
Japan National Tourism Organization, how to get to Japan, airports, airlines (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/getting-to-japan/), checked October 11, 2026
Narita International Airport, Access by rail (https://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/train/), checked October 11, 2026
Haneda Airport Passenger Terminal, Access (https://tokyo-haneda.com/en/access/index.html), checked October 11, 2026