TOKYO — After spending the night near Narita I made my way toward the Japanese equivalent of La Guardia Airport, the smaller mostly-domestic Haneda Airport. Unlike La Guardia and its two short runways with a vast array of narrowbody aircraft, Haneda features some of the most exotic widebody types in the world including the rare 777-300 and 747-400D. My first leg out of Tokyo will take me to Fukuoka on 747-400D, JA8963, along with 564 of my closest friends. The 747-400D was designed specifically for the Japanese domestic market as a high density transport. Boeing and the Japanese have a long history of adapting long range jetliners for short hops and high cycles. (see also -3, 787) Only ANA and JAL have ever operated the -400D. I’ll be in seat 12A for the quick trip south to Fukuoka, after trying my darndest to fly on the upper deck.
Haneda also features one of the best airport model shops I’ve seen. It was brimming with ANA paraphernalia, including models of the 787 and MRJ90. The airline has branded virtually item imaginable with the Dreamliner logo. There is no shortage of excitement (and patience) from ANA for the 787. Not to mention that Haneda will be the first airport in the world to host 787’s first commercial operations.
From Fukuoka I’ll have a quick layover and switch to a Korean Air 737-900 for the last leg to Busan and the first ‘official’ stop of the trip.
Next stop: Korea!
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.