TOKYO
-- ANA has launched daily flights from New York and Chicago to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
The
new routes join ANA's existing Haneda flights from Los Angeles, Vancouver and
Honolulu, in addition to flights to Tokyo's Narita Airport from nine other U.S.
cities.
In
an interview, ANA executive vice president Yutaka Ito highlighted the
convenience of flying into Haneda over the more remote Narita, saying that
travelers flying into Haneda can be in downtown Tokyo in less than 30
minutes.
He
also spoke to the advantage of enabling ANA passengers to make connecting
flights directly from Haneda to the airline's wide domestic network.
Noting
the Japanese government's recent goal of doubling annual visitors to 40 million
by 2020, Ito emphasized the importance of the U.S. market and that ANA sees the
2020 Olympics in Tokyo as a way to promote its brand.
The Haneda
flights from Chicago and New York are operated on the Boeing 777-300ER,
featuring a business class with staggered lie-flat seats.