Los Angeles to Tokyo: Airlines, Haneda or Narita, and What to Plan For

Somewhere over the Pacific, the screen in front of you switches from the flight map to a little cartoon of Tokyo Bay, and the question suddenly gets real: which airport are we actually landing at? Los Angeles has nonstop flights to both of Tokyo’s airports, and the choice shapes what your first hour in Japan looks like.

Which airlines fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo?

Six airlines fly nonstop between Los Angeles and Tokyo: Delta, American and United into Haneda, and All Nippon Airways and Zipair Tokyo into Narita. Three U.S. carriers and two Japanese ones, plus a low-cost option, give you a real spread of choice before you even look at schedules.

Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city itself, and it is now possible to arrive directly in the heart of the capital from international destinations. Narita is the other airport serving Tokyo, handling international and domestic destinations alike. Which one you land at depends on which airline you pick.

The three U.S. carriers into Haneda

Delta, American and United all link Los Angeles with Haneda. Each also runs Haneda flights from other American cities, which matters if you are building a trip with a connection or flying home from a different gateway than the one you left from.

Delta’s Haneda network reaches Atlanta, Detroit, Honolulu, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle/Tacoma. American adds Dallas/Fort Worth and New York–JFK, while United connects Chicago–O’Hare, Guam, Newark, San Francisco and Washington–Dulles. If you want to fly into Los Angeles on one trip and leave Japan toward the East Coast on another, these lists show what is on offer.

All Nippon Airways and Zipair into Narita

All Nippon Airways flies nonstop from Narita to Los Angeles, Chicago–O’Hare, Honolulu and San Francisco, with seasonal service to Vancouver. Zipair Tokyo also flies Narita to Los Angeles, and adds Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, San Francisco and San Jose, with charter flights to Orlando.

Both airlines also work well for onward travel inside Japan, because Narita has its own domestic network. All Nippon Airways flies from Narita to Nagoya–Centrair, Osaka–Itami and Sapporo–Chitose. Japan Airlines serves Nagoya–Centrair and Osaka–Itami from there, and Jetstar Japan, Peach and Spring Japan add many more cities, from Fukuoka and Naha to Hiroshima and Hakodate.

Where do you land?

You land at Haneda if you fly Delta, American or United, and at Narita if you fly All Nippon Airways or Zipair Tokyo.

Haneda Airport

Haneda is Tokyo’s city airport. Once you are through arrivals, the Passenger Terminal lets you search routes, departure and arrival times, and fares for trains, monorails and buses to wherever you are staying, so you can compare the options on the spot.

If you prefer a taxi, Haneda has two kinds of stands: general stands, and stands for app-dispatched or reserved taxis. Anyone who has arranged a car through an app or by phone has to use the dedicated stand for reserved taxis. 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.

Narita Airport

Narita sits in Chiba Prefecture, 1 hour by express train from Tokyo. Three rail lines serve the airport: the Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line, so you have a choice of operator once you have collected your bags.

Narita has three terminals, and the walk to the trains differs. Terminal 1 is a 5-minute walk from Narita Airport Station. Terminal 2 is a 5-minute walk from Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station, and Terminal 3 is a 10-minute walk from that same station. Knowing which terminal your flight uses tells you which station you are heading for.

If your trip starts elsewhere in Japan

Tokyo is not the only gateway. Kansai International Airport makes it possible to visit Japan without going through Tokyo, and it is the gateway to western Japan, serving Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Wakayama. It is 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 airports appear in the domestic networks leaving Narita, which is how a Los Angeles flight into Tokyo can continue to Osaka or Nagoya by air.

What do you need for the trip?

For this route, what you need is mostly a decision: which airline, which airport, and where you head next once you land.

Choose the airport that matches your hotel

If your plans center on Tokyo city, Haneda’s direct link to the heart of the capital is the point of flying Delta, American or United. If you are traveling with All Nippon Airways or Zipair, you will arrive at Narita and take one of its three rail lines, with the express train taking 1 hour to reach Tokyo.

Narita’s rail lines mean that three operators compete for your first ride. The Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line each leave from the airport’s stations, so look at the route you prefer before you pick a terminal-side platform.

Plan the connection if you are going beyond Tokyo

Narita’s domestic flights are worth a look if you are heading to Hokkaido, Kyushu or Okinawa. Jetstar Japan flies from Narita to Sapporo–Chitose, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Naha and a long list of other cities. Peach reaches Ishigaki, Amami Oshima, Naha and Osaka–Kansai, and Spring Japan flies to Hakodate, Hiroshima and Sapporo–Chitose.

From Haneda, domestic flights are run by Japanese airlines. Air Do serves Asahikawa, Hakodate, Kushiro, Memanbetsu, Obihiro and Sapporo–Chitose. Skymark flies to Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kobe, Naha, Sapporo–Chitose and Shimojishima. Solaseed Air serves Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha and Oita, and StarFlyer flies to Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Osaka–Kansai and Ube.

Think about the return too

Because the airlines split between two airports, you can fly into one and out of the other. Arrive at Haneda with United, say, and leave from Narita with All Nippon Airways, or fly into Osaka and head back to Los Angeles from Tokyo. Kansai gives you an alternative if your itinerary runs through western Japan, so you do not need to backtrack.

Good to know before you go

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

Haneda and Narita both offer rail connections into the city, so you can go straight from the arrivals hall to your hotel without renting a car. Nonstop flights from Los Angeles are offered by several airlines, which lets you compare schedules and choose the one that suits your itinerary. Japan has typhoon and rainy seasons that can affect weather on arrival, so keep a flexible first day.