ANA vs. Air Canada vs. United

Here is my current Situation.
Family of 4
Travel dates are November 19-Dec 1st 2015.

We will have to travel to an airport from my rural location, Likely the Washington D.C area or Atlanta (both are the same distance for us).

Here is what I have learned so far;

Air Canada (BWI-HND) 1155.00 Ticket
-17-18 hour flight (1 stop Toronto)
1155.00

ANA (IAD-NRT) 1580.00 Ticket
12-14 hour flight (non-stop)

Here is where I could use opinions!

1. Which airline is better? (more reliable/comfort) Is it worth the 500+ (2000.00 total!) difference in price?

2. Should I be concerned with(Air Canada) weather with the one stopover in Toronto in November?

3. Flying into Haneda seems to be a bit better in terms of distance from our Hotel, (using Limo bus service). Is this a significant concern?

United runs 1500-1600...are they even worth considering?

Thanks for any airline info you can help with!

Will

As someone in Toronto, flew into Haneda Nov 18 this year. I can tell you the weather varies in Toronto.

It's hard to say if there would be snow or not but Pearson has experience with de-icing machines (we. Had a big snowstorm the year before).

Personally, I liked going into Haneda as others mention, it's closer to Tokyo. The airport limo is cheaper to go into Haneda than Narita. I think it was $15 compared to $33.

Check the seat configurations for your flights/planes. The Air Canada from Toronto to Haneda uses the 777-200LR which has a 3-3-3 configuration in economy (9 seats across). The ANA 787 also has 9 across. United has a 3-4-3 (10 across) in the 777 which jams you in and has narrow aisles. November is a ways off so the planes could be reassigned.

Also check the upgrades for a "preferred seat." You get a bit more leg room. My knees touch the seat in front on a United 777 but I'm not going to pay the $600 RT for a few more inches on a UA Japan RT ticket. Other airlines only charge $50 each way for a preferred seat.

Any way you look at it, the big jump is 13 hours and it will get old even in 1st or business class.

Haneda is much closer to downtown Tokyo, and you can take the monorail or subway into town if you don't want to take the bus. There are also some business hotels 1 stop on the subway from the airport.

It depends on your priority.

Making a stopover can sometimes be better than being sqeezed in an economy seat for a long time. The huge downside of a stopover, however, is not the hours but the risk of missing your connection flight due to a delay on your first flight. This can happen a lot due to numerous reasons. But if your itinerary is flexible enough for that risk, then it's not a bad idea at all.

Now, flying into Haneda is a huge benefit. You can save lots of time, money and energy after arrival. About the only thing you'll be missing is the village view near Narita. Typically, people use Haneda if the whole trip is short (meaning that you're not spending too many days at your destination), but use Narita to save the flight ticket money if the trip is long.

You can consider United, of course, but that depends on the advantages of doing so. UA is usually cheap, so it can be a great advantage for travellers who want to save money, even though their economy seat meals are you-know-what. You can even bring in your own food and sleep for the rest of your flight.

I haven't flown the first two airlines, but I have flown with United, twice. The first time was fine. I thought the seats were fine, especially because I had only ever flown domestic up to that point. We first trip we received two meals, the second one. Again, it was good, but certainly nothing to write home about. My second trip one of the flights was overbooked (which I thought was illegal), and we had "maintenance problems" where we had to sit on the freaking plane for 2-3 hours. We got crackers.

I've read some articles saying they're now third in U.S. for receiving complaints. I know I won't be flying them anymore.

Personally, I just choose the cheapest flight. $2000 is a huge savings, and could potentially the majority of your lodging, if not all of your food budget and more. (11x200=$2200). I couldn't imagine making that choice for a couple hours, but depending on how old your children are, I can imagine a couple hours will save you a lot in headache. I would also think it would depend when you're landing (i.e. if one flight lands at 2pm and the other lands at 5pm, both days are kinda a wash)

Haneda is more convenient

TLDL: air canada.

Ive always maintained the rule to never fly a domestic carrier aka united overseas. Not only have i found the seats uncomfortable on short legs that are domestic, but they have the worst customer service and often loose bags.

As for making a stop in Toronto in nov, it could go either way since the weather is so unpredictable. I flew air canada 10 yrs ago and it was fine.

I have heard good things about ana so for the extra money, peace of mind, direct flight and better food it might be worth it. However, check and see what type of plane it is before you book, google that specific plane w airline company and make seat assignments based on peoples feedback. When i flew singapore airlines this past sept i looked up this info and wow was i happy i did. The plane we took, people commented that the window seats were not friendly for sleeping (which is where id normally sit) i booked a middle seat and was so happy i looked into it because when i got on the plane the window seat was not good at all.

Good luck

Related question - how does one schedule an airport limo to/from the hotel?

As others also suggested, check plane configurations and seats, the site www.seatguru.com is very helpful, they now also offer a cheap flight search. We flew on United non-stop from Denver to Narita on the Dreamliner and that was a good experience. Due to the lower altitude cabin pressure and less noise than in other aircrafts you arrive less fatigued after such a long flight. The Narita Express Train will also be in service when you go. It will probably make the trip from Narita to Tokyo a shorter one than the Limousine Service which can be stuck in traffic.

have entered Japan 21 times on most of the major airlines, including Air Canada, and there is very little difference between them. I would go for the lowest price.
I stay at Nippori so the Keisei Skyliner from Narita is the best. 39 to 44 minutes to Tokyo can't be beat.

I always prefer to use the Limousine Bus from either Narita or Haneda.

They're right outside the arrival gates, you can book a seat right away, the walking distance is extremely short, the Bus staff will handle and store your luggage, they run various routes taking you directly to various places, they're affordable, and in fact, they hardly cause traffic problem. They will choose alternative routes if they have to.

But depending on your desitination, you might find other transportation means more convenient.

If you want to see the latest airline rankings, try looking through:
http://www.worldairlineawards.com/awards_2013/Airline2013_top20.htm

http://www.airlinequality.com

ANA year after year comes out near the top. Others are way down the list. But it is more expensive - and for a family of 4 that's an extra $1700 to save a few hours. Only you can decide what is best for you.
About the way into Tokyo from Narita, the limousine bus can be quite convenient if you want to go to a specific big hotel - no dragging luggage around etc. But it isn't cheap either.
You can take a \1000 bus instead to save some money:
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/

Some thoughts

Seatguru is usually very out of date for non-North American airlines
Airline rankings, such as world airline awards, airline quality, and Skytrax are little more than paid advertising by airlines and have little real world value.
Example - ANA score highly over last few years and have been increasing, but at the same time have been dramatically reducing their economy class comfort and service level.
In economy class, most airlines are basically the same. except that Asian/ME airlines tend to have slightly better service, food and drinks
Some put 10 abreast seats on 777 or 747, or 9 abreast on 787 aircraft. These are very narrow seats for a long haul flight.
North American based airlines tend to have more Americans flying on them. This makes for more selfish behaviour, nosier flight, and worse behaved children.
Japanese based airlines, usually have ridiculously hot cabins (worse than Japanese trains and department stores in winter).
You are likely to get cheaper flights if you connect. So comfort being equal, it depends on how much you value time. E.g. Cheapest for your dates is probably Turkish airlines (an excellent carrier), via Europe, however, it will take you more than 24 hours each way. AC is probably a better balance of cost saving versus connecting time.
Don't neglect the arrival departure times - paying a little more might be worth it, if you arrive at time that suits you. Some people prefer going straight to hotel to rest and then starting fresh the next day. Other traveller prefer an early arrival having slept on the flight to reduce jet lag and gain an extra day holiday.

Just some random points. Hope they help.

Well.... I have never had good experience with United so I would avoid United as much as I can.

If it is Air Canada 787 service, you should take it as that plane is awesome! Otherwise 777 or 767 is still pretty good

I took ANA recently via Vancouver. While the service was great, the plane is older 767 at least until the get more 787s

For me it goes Service-Price-Customs (usually Vancouver is best for customs for Canadians)-then Airline choice but that's me of course.

Hope this helps you. Have Fun in Japan!!!

Wow.sounds like the type of plane can make a huge differece!!!
I am also bit concerned about the short layovers. Where do I go though customs on the way back? At my final destination or my first arrival ? If I pass through Canada do I got through customs there? How long is that process????

When flying from Japan straight to the US you go through customs in the first US city you arrive in, then you connect to your final destination. When flying from Japan via Canada you have to clear US customs in the Canadian airport before boarding your connecting plane to the US. Hard to tell if there will be a long wait for the US customs or not.... tight connections can always be risky.

From my experiences: Air Canada all the way! I took once Ana because AC was full at that time during holidays :/

Whats a safe layover time?
1-2 hours?

Whats a safe layover time?
1-2 hours?

If you have to clear customs during the lay-over I would rather have 2 hours than 1 hour..... without going through customs 1 hour whould be enough provided your plane arrives on time...... weather conditions can also play a role.... it also can make a difference if you sit in the front of the plane and get off the plane quickly versus sitting all the way in the back of the plane and then end up at the end of the line at customs....
Sorry, not much help, I would rather play it safe and book my flights allowing for enough time to go thru customs and have time to make a pitstop and stretch my legs, esp after a long flight.

A safe layover time is supposed to be what the airline suggests, but nothing is really safe any more. Again, flights delay all the time, due to engine problems, audio problems nuts problems and all kinds of problems you'd never imagine. Know your risks.