NAGOYA, Japan -- All
commercial airline traffic to Nagoya, Japan, including Northwest
and Continental, began using a new airport Feb. 17, with twice as many gates, more
check-in capacity and easier boarding procedures.
Northwest operates
more flights at Nagoya than any other U.S. airline, with daily
service from its Detroit hub; Manila, Philippines; and Saipan,
Northern Mariana Islands. It also offers service between Nagoya and
its Tokyo hub.
Northwest said the
changes mean its customers now can board via jet bridges instead of
outdoor boarding stairs, as was the case at the old
airport.
Continental also flies
its own aircraft to Nagoya, from Guam and Honolulu. In addition,
Delta offers code-share service from Seoul, Korea, on Korean Air.
United will begin San Francisco-Nagoya service March 26, and
American will launch service from Chicago April 3.
The new Central Japan
International Airport, known as Centrair, was built on a man-made
island and becomes the Japans third major international airport. It
currently offers 271 flights per week to 25 international
destinations, as well as 94 daily flights to 24 cities in
Japan.
It is about 25 miles
south of Nagoya, or about 30 to 40 minutes by car, train, rail,
taxi or airport limousine service.
To contact the
reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to Andrew Compart at
[email protected].