This came out of the blue. As mentioned in my previous post, I was flying back from Auckland onboard Singapore Airlines and caught a whiff of this out-of-the-world deal! I have already shared my experience flying from Singapore to Narita and this time around I would like to share my thoughts on ANA long-haul flight. This is the flagship route from Tokyo to the USA. I will be flying in their 787 for this flight to LAX. The longer route and flight duration will give me a better understanding of ANA. It is always nice to fly in a premium cabin and even one that cost me close to nothing.
Checking In
I already had my boarding pass when I was checking in earlier in Singapore. Narita offers international to international transit and I do not have to enter Japan. I was back in the transit area after a security check which took minutes. It was very efficient. I then make my way to the lounge for a much-needed shower. We had an early arrival into Narita and I have about 2.5 hours before my upcoming flight.
Boarding Process
Boarding is scheduled at 4.30pm for our 5pm departure. As with the Japanese, everything goes like clockwork. I was there early to be one of the first to board. I wanted to get some really good pictures of the aircraft and seats. Diamond members were invited to board first and then business class passengers. Boarding is especially efficient on ANA and it is so hard to get pictures.
I was welcomed onboard by the crew at the door who then ushered me over to my seat. The dedicated crew for my aisle will also introduce herself and address me by name. This is one aspect that I appreciate and I hope it is something that SQ can adopt. Left on the seat is a set of amenities consisting of headphones, slippers, a mattress pad, a blanket as well as an amenity kit. This is only provided for long-haul flights.
Pyjamas are also offered upon request and this is more of a “loan” from the airline. It felt weird that these are cleaned and not brand new ones that they offered to passengers. It is a first for me. Do note that these can get rather hot at times and ANA likes to keep the cabin very warm.
Soon the crew came over with welcome drinks and similarly, there was a choice between orange juice or sparkling wine in plastic glasses. Yucks!
Air Nippon Airlines 787 Staggered Long Haul Business Class
I was in the same type of business class seat and as well the 787 for my flight to Los Angeles. I will not share in detail about the seats. You can refer back to my previous post. This time around I will be on the left aisle and in seat 3A, a non-bulkhead seat. I specifically choose a different seat to have a holistic review. I will also be flying for almost 11 hours to LAX and this will give me a better gauge of ANA. Here are some pictures of the seat.
In contrast to the bulkhead seats, the regular seats are significantly more narrow. This can be seen from the entrance to the seat. The seats alternate between being closer to the window or the aisle. 3A seat is closer to the window which meant that the platform and the area the table slides out from will be on the right.
Immediately to the side of the seat, this is where you can find all the seat controls. It allows you to adjust the backrest as well as shifting the seat forwards and backwards. Do note that the seat doesn’t come with a leg rest. This is my main criticism of this seat. You need to push forward your seat to fully rest your legs on the ottoman. If not it will be rather uncomfortable. To the right, you can find the platform as well as a headphone holder. It also comes with an international power outlet and a USB plug. This is also where the remote for the television is located. It is one of the older ones with an inflight phone.
The television is of a good size for the seat and comes with touchscreen controls. It comes with both live TV as well as a good selection of movies. While it isn’t KrisWorld or ICE, there are more than sufficient selections for your flight.
In my opinion, the window is the best inflight entertainment for any flight and any airline. Those views are spectacular. The aircraft is also equipped with Wi-Fi but complimentary access is not offered for business class passengers. Right next to the television, you can find a coat hook. The ottoman is of a good size and fairly deep. This allows a spacious and lengthy bed once you converted the bed into a fully flat surface. I could stretch out comfortably. ANA does not provide any turndown service and you have to make your bed. I fell asleep with about 6 hours to go and got a solid 3 – 4 hours of sleep. I woke up after the first light and caught a glimpse of the sunrise. Time always passes so fast onboard.
The toilet in the middle between the two business-class cabins is much more spacious and even comes with a window. How lovely is this! Peeing with a view? You got it here! No one’s gonna spy on you at 41,000 ft in the air!
Meal Service
After takeoff, the crew came around to provide some wet wipes. I hope that more airlines bring back hot towel services. The crew also came over to provide us with the menu for the flight. This is a long-haul premium route and you get a fairly high-quality menu. You can find the food menu here. The drinks here are here. Service started around 1hr after take-off with the amuse-bouche and the after-take-off drink. The ANA signature stick and pickled daikon are lovely.
I can’t say that I am a fan of the champagne that ANA pours in Business Class.
As usual, I went for the Japanese menu. I have heard that the Japanese menu is spectacular out of Japan. The menu is produced by Toru Okuda, the head chef of Ginza Okuda. We started with a platter of small dishes. I love the sashimi and the poached beef. I paired it with some shochu and iced green tea.
The mains were brought over soon after and the Spanish mackerel was outstanding. I love the soy-based sauce and polished off everything. This is one of the best business-class meals that I had in the air. I love their rice. The portion was sufficient but given how delicious it is I wish that I have more of it. I had this with some sake.
The crew soon came by with desserts. I was also offered some coffee or tea. Speaking about coffee. ANA can improve its brew. I got some fruit and cake. The strawberry and pistachio cake was good. I also requested some ice cream. The whole meal took about 2 hours. Service is slow at times. Overall, I enjoyed the meal. The fish was really good.
I woke up shortly after the first light and was greeted with an amazing sunrise. The second meal service started about 2.5 hours out of LA. In my opinion, this is way too early. We still had around 2 hours to go after the meal. I went for the Japanese choice too. A hot cup of matcha is a great way to warm up. Everything was served all at once and the sake steamed ocean perch was delicious. I love the accompanied vegetables too. I moped it all up! I love the daikon.
I was still hungry after the meal and got the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. It was disappointing. It was cold and stale. The IPPUDO ramen is a better choice.
Conclusion
You can’t say that you had a bad time when you are onboard a business class flight. Most of the business class out there will be lovely! There are of course some that are spectacular! I enjoyed my ANA flight and got to the USA comfortably. Do also note that this is a subpar ANA product. The meals were really good coming out of Japan but do note that there isn’t much of a choice and ANA only change their menu every couple of months. The crew were friendly but I would still say that the SQ crew had a notch over them. Sometimes drinks orders were forgotten and required additional reminders. The crew were also not proactive in clearing dishes besides walking by. It would be nice if they could add in turn-down service to their SOP. They have a strict cut-off timing for their service like clockwork. On SQ, I would be enjoying a double espresso 5 mins before the captain say “Crew to your landing station”. The staggered business class seats are the older ANA business class seats. ANA have the new product “The Room” which is found on a couple of 777. Stay tuned to this series as I will be sharing my other ANA business class flights very soon. This is out of the world and paying just 400 SGD to fly a return business class on a premium airline to US West Coast is impeccable.
Is all Nippon Airlines a good airline?
From economy to first class, ANA offers a top-notch experience. In economy, passengers get a better-than-average 34 inches of pitch, various movies and audio programs and surprisingly good food. ANA premium economy passengers get more-spacious seats and even airport lounge access.
How many times a day does ANA from Sydney to Tokyo?
ANA will increase the Sydney-Tokyo schedule from 10-times weekly to double-daily from 26 March 2023. While the current daily flights run during the night in both directions, each leg of the new second service will mostly take place during daylight hours.
Is premium economy on ANA worth it?
Passengers get a wider seat, extra legroom and can even visit ANA lounges before their flight. However, other aspects of ANA premium economy fall short, such as the meals that are similar to economy class and a lack of additional checked baggage allowance.
What is the ranking of all Nippon Airways?
Here are the top ten international airlines for 2023 according to Bounce:.
Japan Airlines (8.28).
Singapore Airlines (7.63).
Qatar Airways (7.50).
Korean Air (7.19).
Vistara (6.43).
All Nippon Airlines (6.23).
Ethiopian Airlines (5.99).
Air India (5.40).