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This was my first time flying ANA Business Class and I absolutely loved both, the hard product and the service! It was the second leg of my four segment trip back from Saigon to Ottawa (SGN-BKK-NRT-IAD-YOW). I could have flown ANA business directly from SGN to NRT on a 767-300 with old angled seats, but BKK-NRT sector runs a sparkling 787-9 aircraft. So I chose to backtrack SGN-BKK, on Thai Business Class 777-200 (review of my 1.5 hour flight) instead, to enjoy a lovely 6 hour overnight journey in a Boeing 787-9!
Flt: NH808 Bangkok (BKK) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Duration: 5hr 50min
ANA Business Class – Boarding and Seats
After a quick layover in the lackluster Thai Royal Silk Lounge in BKK (review here), I made my way to gate D4 for boarding. I arrived at the gate 10 minutes before boarding time only to see a priority/business class queue longer than general boarding lineup. Strange, given that I could still see several empty seats in Business cabin (as per expertflyer).
Gate D4 for Flt NH808 to Tokyo Narita
A priority boarding call was made for both Business class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members to board at the same time – that explained the long lineup.
Extremely long line-ups at the boarding gate, Business class and priority lane on the left
Slow boarding process, lineup inside the jetbridge
I was seated in 11C, which came with a pillow, bottled water, menu and a blanket. Business class cabin was equipped with 1-2-1 configuration and seat 11C had an aisle side seat with a large ‘work desk’ by the window and generous amount of legroom and storage area in front. The cabin looked classy and fresh, I love the 787’s!!
ANA Business Class, seat 11C
Business class rows 1-7 were located in the front of the cabin.
1-2-1 configuration of the Business class cabin
I personally like the large elegant windows of the 787. However, given the layout of my seat, windows were a fair distance away and peeking out and down was difficult. Can’t have it all I suppose!
Boeing 797 Dreamliner windows with eletronic dimming
The large touch-panel LCD screen was a perfect compliment to the spacious seat itself.
Touch Screen LCD in 11C
There was plenty of leg room and storage space in the seating area. Seats also came stocked with slippers and a bed pad.
Leg room and storage space
The fact that USB/power outlet and other electronic amenities were in plain sight and not hidden in nooks and corner of the seat, was wonderful. All plug-ins were elegantly placed on an electronic panel beside the seat.
Electronic Panel – Reading light, remote control along with USB/headphone plugin and power outlet.
Controls for seat configuration and food tray were located on the side panel.
Seat control and tray table
Other seat amenities included a travel kit, headphones, slippers and a bottle of water.
The noise canceling Panasonic headphones were really comfortable and sound quality was crisp.
Noise canceling Panasonic headphones on ANA Business Class
The ANA Business class amenity kit came in a cute pouch and included socks, face and eye masks, ear plugs, hand&face cream, refreshing ‘aroma towel’ and a dental kit.
Business class amenity kit
Food and Cabin Service
Shortly after take off, crew came around with a hot towel service followed by drinks and snacks. The crew had already collected our meal and drink preferences while at the gate. I opted for a Japanese white wine and a traditional Japanese meal – Washoku.
Hot Towel Service
Japanese white wine with water and beef bites
Given that it was past midnight, menu service included a dinner and breakfast with a ‘Light Dishes Anytime’ menu option. I opted to skip breakfast for sleep time but ate the traditional Japanese dinner.
Menu – Traditional Dinner and Breakfast
Menu – Light Dishes Anytime
The traditional meal was served all at once and included the main course, a miso soup, pickles, a selection of one bite options and fruits. The crew was extremely polite, they explained the contents of the traditional meal and even guided with the sequence I should eat in.
Traditional Japanese Dinner
Main Course – Salmon, Chicken and Eggs over bed of rice
Bite size Prawn with cheese, Lotus stem in soy sauce and vegetables
I followed up my hearty meal by setting up the ‘bed’ for the next few hours of rest. The seat cushion was already plush and comfortable, but the mattress/bed pad added an additional layer of comfort. The flat bed seat on my ANA business class was an absolute delight – I slept a solid four hours overnight.
Flat bed configuration with additional bedding/mattress and pillow
The entertainment system in the cabin was top notch and provided live TV streaming, wifi and several movies and shows. However, this being a red eye flight, I preferred to sleep and catch up on some live CNN the next morning 🙂
Live TV 42,000 feet in air
TV and Movie listings were impressive – entertainment galore
I quite enjoyed watching CNN live
While browsing, I came across a peculiar functionality of Seat-to-Seat messaging. This was my first and I could not fathom who would use or benefit from this function. Maybe handy when traveling with family?! It was a real head scratcher for me.
Seat-to-Seat messaging function
I slept for four hours and got up with an hour to landing, I requested the Udon Noodle with deep fried tofu from the anytime menu. The staff was more than happy to oblige even though breakfast was being served throughout the cabin. The udon noodles were lightly spiced and the tofu had a hint of sweetness to it – I quite enjoyed my ‘non-traditional’ breakfast.
Udon noodles with deep fried tofu
My non-traditaional breakfast – bowl of udon noodles with deep fried tofu
Soon it was time to change back out of my PJ’s and prepare for landing. The washroom was standard yet spacious with plenty of elbow room. The supplies included the standard dental kit with mouth wash and face and body sheet.
ANA Business class washroom
Obviously (Japan and its glorious toilet culture!) the toilet came equipped with adjustable water pressure and preset markers 😉
We arrived at Gate 47 in Tokyo Narita’s Terminal 1, an impressive 20 minutes before scheduled time. Once parked, I peeked out out my 787 window and saw a A380 🙂 – simple pleasures!
View from ANA 787-9 window: Thai Airways A380
Final impressions and Take Away
My decision to backtrack from SGN to BKK, simply to fly the ANA 787 was validated by the excellent cabin and crew of ANA Business Class. Impeccable service, friendly crew and a superlative ANA hard product, I could not have hoped for a better flight. ANA is a great star alliance redemption and one I highly recommend.
