Review of ANA flight Tokyo Beijing in Business

Airline ANA
Flight NH961
Class Business
Seat 8A
Aircraft Boeing 787-9
Flight time 04:10
Take-off 11 Dec 15, 09:25
Arrival at 11 Dec 15, 12:35
NH   #12 out of 97 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 224 reviews
socalnow
By 2579
Published on 2nd February 2016
Hello Flight Report community and thanks for stopping by this review.

This report series is book-ended by flying the two Japanese carriers in the USA-HND market, ANA and JAL. I have always been keen to try the Thai 747 in first so long story short I managed to add ANA HND-PEK in J on the 787-9 (new type for me) and PEK-BKK on TG in the 747 in F. For the return I pulled off a fantastic (for an airline nerd) routing of CX BKK-HKG in F(overnight at HKG), CX HKG-HND in F and JL HND-SFO in F.

The reports will be broken down as follows:

LAX Star Alliance First Class Lounge and ANA LAX-HND (First) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13078.html
ANA Haneda First Class Lounges and ANA HND-PEK (Business) (This report)
Getting TG'd by Thai Airways PEK-BKK (Business) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13146.html
Cathay Pacific Bangkok Lounge and CX BKK-HKG (First) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13173.html
Cathay Pacific The Wing and The Pier and CX HKG-HND (First) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13195.html
JAL Haneda First Class Lounge and JL HND-SFO (First) http://flight-report.com/en/report-13216.html

We pick up the trip at Tokyo International Airport - Haneda. I entered the first transit security lounge I pass and it turns out that I am among the first few passengers there. The checkpoint was just opening. I am through quickly enough and sent upstairs to the departures level.

It is just past 5am here and the airport has yet to fully come to life.

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I make my way to one of the two ANA Suite Lounges (First Class Lounge) here at HND. It is located one floor above the departures level.

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At the top of the escalator I see this unique Christmas tree in the area between the J and F lounges.

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The Suites Lounge has the red carpet rolled out.

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Just past the entrance there is a desk and another unique Christmas tree. Made from recycled lumbar, I presume…

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This is my first visit to the ANA lounges at Haneda so I took the opportunity to walk around and snap a few shots in the near empty lounge. The lounge is somewhat L shaped where the base of the L is the side that aligns with the ramp/gates and terminates in a dining area and the tall portion of the L is seating ending in another dining area.

Seating on the way to the top fo the L and the main dining area. At the start of a new day every pillow is arranged just so.

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This hall terminates with the main dining area, drinks, noodle bar, buffet.

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Beverage selection.

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Noodle bar and noodle menu.

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Buffet area.

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Looking back down the hall from which we entered the dining area.

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I was not ready to enjoy a meal yet so I continued the tour down to the other end of the lounge with the tarmac views. Apologies for the picture quality there was a lot of light variation from dark to bright so it was difficult to photograph.

Comfortable seats facing the windows.

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There are multiple rows of these well outfitted cubicles.



I had a nice idea of the layout so my next order of business was to grab a shower. I was shown to a spacious shower room and given a large key like you would find at a gas station bathroom.

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Good overall space and I appreciated the fan on the counter to some control of the temp. These shower suites can get quite warm negating the benefits of bathing!

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An abundance of amenities were placed in the shower suite.



After the refreshing shower I decided to pick a few items from the buffet and order up some noodles. I was seated in the dining area near the windows so not near the noodle bar but the lovely and eager staff will take your order and bring the noodles. Also, the buffet on this end is far more limited than the main dining area. Everything was tasty. Especially the soba.



The sun was up and I retired to the view seats with a coffee. I noticed my aircraft being towed to the gate. I spotted the Star Wars 787-9 when we landed so I knew there was always a chance it could be used on my sector but it wasn't to be.

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Time seems to fly by when I'm enjoying a hot beverage, in a comfortable seat, watching the action on the ramp. With about an hour to go before departure I decided to go on walkabout to inspect the other ANA Suites Lounge at HND.

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Orchids at the entrance.

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This was a far more compact lounge but it had all of the main amenities you can find in the other Suites Lounge.



I fixed a Bloody Mary and enjoyed the view for a few minutes before making the long trek to the other end of the terminal to gate 107B for departure. I was one of two or three guests in the entire lounge.

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I arrived at the gate several minutes before boarding excited to be flying a new type.

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Boarding started with business class. I selected a seat in the second J cabin so I made a right turn at the L2 door and another immediate right to seat 8A.

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This is the same seat you can find on the 77W and it's a very good J seat. Especially for a 3 hour regional flight. The cabin is a little bland looking and I think the curtains separating J form Y are rather unsightly the way they are stowed.

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The large windows are well received.

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The load today was very light and boarding was completed promptly. There were two other passengers in the second J cabin. Announcements were made and the taxi took us to the other side of the airfield but soon enough we were up into the cloudy Tokyo skies. I'm captivated by the 787 wing.

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Service commenced with the oshibori.

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I dimmed the window to enjoy the airshow and browsed the movie selection. We're covered for Star Wars. I decided on Episode V, my favorite of the lot.

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Drink requests were solicited and I requested sparkling water and champagne. Rice crackers were dispensed.

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Apparently I neglected to take photos of the menu. I opted for the chicken. The meal is a one tray affair with the main covered to stay warm in case you wish to enjoy the starter first. The starter was the highlight of this meal. The pickled veg and terrine were both nice, as was the bread. Everything else was forgettable.



After lunch I finished the movie and took a look around the empty galley.

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The view from the window in the starboard lav was nice. That wing.

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On approach to PEK.

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Almost there.

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Best shot I could manage of the 787-9.

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See more

Verdict

ANA

7.5/10
Cabin7.5
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering7.0

ANA Lounge Haneda - International

8.5/10
Comfort8.5
Meal/catering8.5
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Services8.5

Tokyo - HND

8.8/10
Efficiency8.5
Access9.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness9.0

Beijing - PEK

5.0/10
Efficiency5.0
Access5.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness5.0

Conclusion

This was a seemingly routine regional ANA flight but on a fantastic intercontinental aircraft.

The lounges: Both ANA Suite Lounges at HND were well appointed. I was pleased with the food and beverage options, the showers, and the varied seating options. The service was what I have come to expect in an ANA Suite Lounge in that you're greeted, delivered and oshibori and initial beverage and then you're on your own more or less.

The 787-9: The airplane is quite nice for this short hop. Flat beds, direct aisle access, and the large windows make for a nice ride. The IFE is above average in selection and the screen is large with great resolution.

The meal: Meh. I didn't expect anything more, really.

The service: Also meh, if I'm honest. I don't know if it had something to do with our cabin being sparsely populated but I didn't see much of the flight attendants. The initial service was prompt but after that they were gone. This came as a surprise as expectations are higher for ANA.

Thank you for reading along. Please stay tuned for the PEK transit and the massive TG letdown.

Information on the route Tokyo (HND) Beijing (PEK)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 8 avis concernant 3 compagnies sur la ligne Tokyo (HND) → Beijing (PEK).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Japan Airlines avec 8.1/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 4 heures et 5 minutes.

  More information

13 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 156606 by
    Nick 171 Comments
    Thanks for the extensive reporting on the lounge, it looks really nice with an impressive hot food offering. I like the cubicles, haven't seen that before.

    The color scheme makes the cabin look a little dated, but it's difficult to complain about the hard product if you were able to get one of the window seats with the table on the aisle. Huge increase in privacy from the ones with the seats on the aisle.

    Looking forward to read about what happened on the next leg. Not sure what Getting TG'd means.
  • Comment 156621 by
    indianocean SILVER 7572 Comments
    Thank you for this very nice report. The noodles look so good.
    Noodle Bar or Sushi Bar, Thumbs Up!

    The cubicles are quite nice and remind me the First Class suites.

    But the catering onboard looks very poor for an international Business Class.
    • Comment 333972 by
      socalnow AUTHOR 976 Comments
      Greetings Indianocean and thanks for the comments.

      But the catering onboard looks very poor for an international Business Class.
      -Yes, perhaps it could be improved. It is a short flight and at an odd time for a meal. Too late for breakfast but too early for lunch.

      Thanks again and happy flying.
  • Comment 156684 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1955 Comments
    Thank you for sharing your opinions on NH!
  • Comment 156791 by
    hometoyyz 539 Comments
    Great flight report, and exciting to get the longhaul product on the shorthaul. And I learned something... I previously thought, for some reason, that all the 789s in NH's fleet just the cradle product.

    Disappointed to hear that your epic adventure included a TGing, but I'm strangely interested to see what metal the Thai dispatchers' wheel of fortune decided to send to PEK that particular day.
    • Comment 334053 by
      socalnow AUTHOR 976 Comments
      Hello Hometoyyz and thanks for checking out the report and leaving a comment.

      ... I previously thought, for some reason, that all the 789s in NH's fleet just the cradle product.
      -I believe this is true of the 788 but a more frequent ANA flyer like NGO85 could probably set us straight.

      ...I'm strangely interested to see what metal the Thai dispatchers' wheel of fortune decided to send to PEK that particular day.
      -This gave me good chuckle! It is sad but so true that you can't really count on things to be as expected with Thai Airways. I really want them to recover and do well as an airline but they are their own worst enemy.

      Thanks again and happy flying.
  • Comment 156836 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6658 Comments
    Very nice! The Suites lounges seem better than JAL F lounges and it's especially nice to have the lounge basically to yourself. Great to have gotten the new long-haul J cabin on this regional flight. Al that blue and plastic is not very visually appealing, however. The catering seems a bit disappointing. Yes, that wing!
    Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 401953 by
    STAR-ALLIANCE-FLYER 48 Comments
    Wait I'm wondering how come can you use ANA suite lounge although you are booked business class?

    For Asiana, I wanted to use first class lounge, but they deny me although I am star gold, business class on air canada, and I'm willing to pay extra amount. They simply say NO YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED....

    So please tell me some tricks and tips. What would happen if I'm boarding business class on air China from haneda to Beijing? Any tips for suite lounge?

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