The ¥67 billion (approximately $650 million) terminal building covers 51,000 square meters, or about 550,000 square feet, and has five levels above ground plus one below. The new terminal has 15 gates, from which up to 90% of flights will operate. Total space in the building is 180,000 square meters, or nearly two million square feet.

At a ceremony to mark the new terminal’s opening this morning, ANA President and CEO Yoji Ohashi said: “This magnificent new building is yet another milestone in ANA’s drive to make one of Asia’s best airlines even better by providing our customers with airport facilities that equal the best in the world.”

The Keikyu railway serves the new building from the existing station that also serves Terminal 1, connecting Haneda to Shinagawa Station in central Tokyo in less than 30 minutes. A new monorail station also is being built beneath Terminal 2. Haneda Airport is located just 20 minutes by monorail from JR Hamamatsucho Station in Tokyo.

A new hotel, the 387-room Tokyu Excel, is connected to the terminal on the departure level. International flights from Haneda will continue to operate from the International Terminal, adjacent to Terminal 2.

The new building, which faces Tokyo Bay, features a bright and open design. In ANA advertising it is dubbed “the airport with the private beach.” The entire facility reflects that design theme, in the color of the floor tiles and carpets, the check-in counters and the structure itself, which has a wave design. Even the observation platform has a wooden deck and tables and chairs from which to enjoy views of the aircraft coming and going.

For ANA, the move signifies even greater differentiation from its competitors. It now offers passengers a more convenient and user-friendly facility designed for universal access. Physical disability should be no barrier: everything from the height of the counters to the position of the signs and information screens, to wider moving walkways allowing people to pass alongside wheel chairs is in place.

This is Japan's first airport terminal to have electric carts at passengers' disposal. Similarly, everything is designed to allow ease of flow for arriving and departing passengers, who are segregated once airside, thus avoiding bottlenecks, confusion and security risks.

To speed the check-in process, ANA has installed 52 Self Check-in Machines that allow passengers to print boarding passes with no more than a touch of their mobile phone to a sensor on the machine. This reduces check-in time from an average of 50 seconds to just eight seconds, compared with manual check-in, which takes two minutes on average. This is made possible by Felica RF chip technology, which also enables check-in by mobile phone or computer prior to arriving at the airport.

In another change, ANA will x-ray check-in baggage after passengers have checked in. Until now this has taken place before going to the counter and has resulted in long lines at busy times, and bottlenecks on the departure level.

An interesting innovation for arriving passengers is the use of right-side departing bridges at some gates. Normally passengers exit via one or two boarding bridges, always on the left side of the aircraft. ANA can now attach three boarding bridges -- two on the left and one on the right -- to a 747 (seating 569 passengers in a domestic configuration), which means they can get off more quickly. It's easier for passengers and better for ANA, which can turn the plane around quicker.

There are also many innovations on the passenger services side to make life easier for airport staff. For example when passengers pass through security, their boarding passes are swiped through a card reader so it is known if they are “airside.” This makes it much easier to find passengers who fail to board flights after checking in. Similarly, large illuminated signs listing all the departure gates, located at the exits from security, will make it less likely that passengers will lose their way, again assisting on-time departures.

Also new from today, ANA has upgraded its Super Seat service to Super Seat Premium. Passengers travelling on select ANA domestic flights can enjoy a separate cabin with larger seats, more legroom and superior service. Service includes hot towel, slippers, sumptuous bento lunches and dinners* (among other menus), plus a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

The experience begins on the ground with separate check-in and a luggage allowance of 35 kilos. Super Seat Premium has its own booking class, whereas Super Seat was booked as an Economy seat with a supplementary tariff, making pricing more transparent for the customer.