OKINAWA TO TOKYO: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FLY INTO THE WRONG AIRPORT

I traveled from Paris, France, to Okinawa, Japan, connecting through Tokyo. Okinawa is a lovely tropical island, and it belongs on the adventurous traveler's radar. This was several years ago and a time when I wasn’t the savvy and seasoned traveler I am today. My biggest travel blooper is when I made plane reservations flying into one Tokyo airport and flying out of another Tokyo airport.

That’s right, there are two international airports in Tokyo, Japan, Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND). If you have a long layover in Japan, the Narita International Airport is almost it's own destination. I booked my tickets through Expedia—third-party booking sites are rarely a good idea, but I didn’t know that back then—and didn’t realize I was flying into Haneda and out of Narita until the day of travel.

It could have ended badly, but luckily there’s a bus service from Haneda to Narita and I had a long enough layover where I was able to make it work. It was a close call and remains one of the most nerve-wracking travel experiences in my memory bank.

Don't Panic

Losing your cool in a tense travel situation won't make it better

When faced with a large-scale travel snafu (like not realizing you’re flying out of a different airport than the one you landed in) freaking out might come naturally, but try to curb the urge to go this route.

Panicking isn't going to help. To resolve this situation, you're going to have to make assessments, make decisions, and deal with other people, and getting upset isn’t conducive to any of those things. Sure, this is an inconvenient scenario and maybe an expensive disaster but losing one’s composure isn’t going to make it better.

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Dont Use A Third-Party Booking Site

Booking direct with the airline means you'll get more help when travel doesn't go as planned

Sometimes, travelers can get killer deals on flights or flights and hotel combos through third-party services like Expedia or Booking.com. I’m not knocking those services, but booking directly gives you more control over their experience and you’re more likely to pay close attention to what you’re booking.

If something goes wrong, like in my scenario, you want to be able to deal with the airline directly which you won’t be able to if your travel is booked through a third-party site.

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Understand The Airports At Your Destination

Knowing that a city has multiple airports can be a prompt to check those reservations extra carefully

It's helpful to have a general idea of what cities have two major, or international airports in the back of your mind when booking flights. The list below isn’t all-encompassing, but it can help you navigate potential sticky situations when traveling.

And, if you book your own flight, you should get a notification from the airline that you're traveling through multiple airports, which could give you time to adjust before purchasing a ticket that will cause travel problems.

Download Ride-Share And Airline Apps

Make sure those handy travel apps are already on your phone before you leave home

This is solid travel advice in general, but if things start going south while you’re on a trip and you need to book an Uber or chat with an airline representative, having the app already on your phone will save time, especially if you need to rely on Wi-Fi to download an app.

A ride share can get you from one airport to another within a city and the airline can help you re-book flights or find other solutions, if necessary. Often, customer service lines in the airport are long and I always recommend trying to contact the airline via phone or through its app, as you can sometimes get faster assistance.

Ask The Airline For Help

If missing a flight is imminent, the airline can help you get re-booked

If you book a flight into one city airport and need to connect to a different airport, you’re probably going to miss your flight unless you have a longer layover or other factors work in your favor, such as light traffic or a flight delay giving you some extra wiggle room.

If you need the airline to re-book you, you may have to explain what happened and you may have to pay an additional fee. There's no hard and fast rule on what airlines have to do in this type of situation, so the best thing to do is to explain your case and ask for help.

Since the airline isn’t at fault, they’re not required to re-book you at no cost. If traveling during peak season, space on the next flight may not be available, and you might find yourself stuck somewhere at your expense. This is a situation no one wants to encounter, so make sure you always have travel emergency funds available.

It might be a small comfort, but airlines have probably heard every weird travel story on the planet. There are lots of reasons travelers miss flights, and although this one might not be one of the most common, airline employees have probably heard it all.

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How To Get From Haneda To Narita Airports

There are options for traveling between airportsthe fastest is the most expensive

Although reading my cautionary tale and paying attention when booking travel can help avoid this level of travel blooper, it’s not difficult to get from Haneda to Narita, although it can be expensive and time-consuming. The two airports are about 50 miles apart. Here are options for getting from one place to the other:

Taking a cab is the fastest, but most expensive way to get from Haneda to Narita. Expect to pay $200 to $400. There’s a rail service between Haneda and Narita but only a limited number of trains connect directly. Expect to pay $12 to $20 and to handle your luggage through the crowds.

The best way to get from one place to the other (and what I did) is to take the Limousine Bus between the two airports. This takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours and costs around $40 for the one-way ride.

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Be Honest About Your Travel Misadventures

Sometimes, your travel mistakes are your best travel stories

While you’re in the thick of things and trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B, it might be hard to see the humor or the value, but time and distance will provide that.

If you share your travel stories on social media, be transparent about what goes wrong. Talk to other travelers about your trip and alert them to situations like this, even if it seems like you did a colossally dumb thing that no one else would ever do.

One of the best parts about sharing travel stories is the opportunity to learn. And, you never know. Being open about what went wrong on your travels might help someone else avoid the same situation or make them a more confident traveler.

Geographical Area	Airports
NYC-Area	JFK, La Guardia, Newark
London	Heathrow, Gatwick, London Stanstead
Paris	Charles de Gaulle, Orly
Brussels	Brussels National, Brussels South Charleroi
Houston	George Bush International, William P. Hobby
Dallas	Dallas Fort Worth International, Dallas Love Field
Beijing	Beijing Capital International, Beijing Daxing International