Bangkok Tokyo

Suvarnabhumi is enormous. A single terminal building with concourses stretching in both directions from a central departure hall. The walk from security to the farthest gates can take fifteen minutes at a steady pace. Departures are on the fourth floor, arrivals on the second, and the Airport Rail Link platform sits in the basement level. Follow the signs down from the arrivals hall to reach it.

Domestic gates are grouped on the lower concourse levels, with shorter walks from security than the international wings. The terminal is fully air-conditioned with food courts, charging points, and shops throughout the gate areas. Immigration queues during peak hours can stretch long. Leave time if you are connecting between domestic and international flights.

Don Mueang was Bangkok's only airport before Suvarnabhumi opened, and the terminal shows its age. Two buildings face the runways: Terminal 1 for international flights, Terminal 2 for domestic. A covered walkway connects them. The buildings are lower and more compact than Suvarnabhumi, which means shorter walks between check-in and the gate but tighter crowds at peak times.

The domestic check-in area fills up during morning and evening rushes. Security lines tend to move faster than at Suvarnabhumi. Food options past security are limited to a few chain restaurants and convenience stores. The arrivals hall exits directly to the taxi queue and bus stops, with no rail platform inside the terminal.

Narita sits 60 kilometers east of central Tokyo in Chiba prefecture, and that distance defines the entire airport experience. Built in the 1970s when Haneda ran out of international capacity, the location was a political compromise that passengers have been paying for ever since. The airport itself works well: three terminals, clear English and Japanese signage, efficient security lines.

Terminal 1 handles most full-service international carriers. Terminal 2 splits between international and domestic service. Terminal 3 is the budget terminal for low-cost carriers, with a stripped-down fit-out and a long walk from the train station marked by a running track painted on the floor. Food across all three terminals is good, especially the ramen shops in T1 and the family restaurants in T2.

Inside the building, the experience is smooth. Immigration has e-gates for many nationalities. Duty-free shopping is extensive. The problem starts when you leave: you are an hour from central Tokyo by express train. If you miss the last Narita Express or Skyliner, the taxi ride into the city costs around 20,000 to 30,000 yen and takes over an hour on the highway.

Haneda is a city airport in every sense, sitting 15 kilometers south of central Tokyo on the edge of Tokyo Bay. Terminal 3 handles international departures. The building is modern, well-signed in English and Japanese, and compact enough that walking from immigration to your gate rarely takes more than 10 minutes. An observation deck on the top floor looks out over the runways with the Tokyo skyline behind them.

The fourth floor of Terminal 3 recreates an Edo-period street lined with restaurants. Ramen, tonkatsu, sushi, tempura. The food is better than it has any right to be inside an airport. Below the departure level, shops carry Japanese snacks, cosmetics, and last-minute souvenirs without the tourist-trap markup you find at Narita.

Domestic terminals (T1 and T2) are separate buildings connected by free shuttle buses. If you are connecting to a domestic flight to Osaka, Sapporo, or Okinawa after arriving internationally, budget 90 minutes for the terminal transfer and second security screening. Immigration moves faster here than at Narita because international arrivals spread through the day instead of hitting in one wave.