Review of ANA flight Nagoya Hakodate in Premium Eco

Airline ANA
Flight NH497
Class Premium Eco
Seat 2K
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 01:30
Take-off 18 Apr 15, 11:15
Arrival at 18 Apr 15, 12:45
NH   #15 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 227 reviews
NGO85
By SILVER 4932
Published on 27th April 2015
Background:

This series highlights a recent weekend trip I took up to Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaido. While a simple domestic routing in Japan might not seem that interesting, we will take a look at a new product for me: NH’s Premium class. I have had a love/hate relationship with NH in the past, so this is my chance to give them a fresh start. My past impressions were that NH crew English abilities were generally poor, resulting in unnatural/forced interactions that make me feel uncomfortable because they visually look uncomfortable trying to speak English to me. Yes, this is a common problem throughout Japan and is not only directed at NH, but it's something that a 5*-carrier should be addressing in order to keep up with it's south Asian rivals. Despite this problem, I've always enjoyed flying on NH and think very highly of their services and products. My Japanese has improved greatly since my last trip on NH so let’s see how they do from a different perspective.

NH has an extensive domestic network, however, most of their flights are shuttle flights to/from NRT/HND on international connections usually operating in high-density economy configurations (B735s and A320s). This will be my first time flying a mainline NH domestic flight that was not to NRT. NGO is a pretty large focus city for NH; there is an extensive network of direct flights to 17 different destinations (route map provided by http://www.ana.co.jp/) although most are only connected by one daily flight (and operated by IBEX or NH Wings, not mainline NH). Taking a look at this route map, destinations are mainly on the islands of Kyushu and Hokkaido since these are destinations that are not easily accessible by the more practical Shinkansen.

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There is a single daily flight from Nagoya to Hakodate, so there was little choice when choosing flights. Fortunately, NH sends a B737-800 on this route meaning it is configured with a Premium class. I would normally just fly economy on a flight like this, but since I had enough *A miles, I decided to splurge for Premium class to try out this new product. I will fly to Hakodate on Saturday morning and return the next day in the afternoon. This gives us a very simple routing:

Part 1 – NGO-HKD [NH 497, Boeing B737-800, Premium] – You are here
Part 2 – HKD-NGO [NH 498, Boeing B737-800, Premium] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-10411.html



Pre-flight:

As like all NGO85 trips, we start on the Meitetsu ?Sky Airport Express with service to Ch'bu Centrair from downtown Nagoya for ¥1230 ($10 / €10). Seat pitch is good and April’s issue of Wind is in the seatback. Today was a clear day, so we get a nice view of Ch'bu Centrair as we get close to the airport.

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Exiting the train, we head towards the domestic side of the airport for check-in. Technically, you don’t need to check-in for domestic flights in Japan unless you are checking bags. When you book the ticket, there is a barcode on the e-receipt you use at security to get your boarding pass receipt. What unnerves me the most about this process is that your ID is never checked. Anyone can take your receipt and board your flight for you. I think this is done to speed up check-in for domestic flights in order to make them more competitive with the Shinkansen, but from a security standpoint this is very alarming (from an American’s perspective).

I wanted a printed boarding pass on NH cardstock so I went to the check-in desk anyways. There was of course no one at the Premium class check-in line so I was quickly helped. No surprises here, but the first words out of the agents mouth after “?????” (“Good day”) was “????????” (“Is Japanese okay?”). I, of course, immediately concede so check-in was done in Japanese and I was handed my e-ticket receipt on NH cardstock with a smile and bow.

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I then head upstairs to the shopping area to give a daytime glimpse of NGO’s activities. During the day, it doesn’t have the same “night club” feel that Kevin likes, but it is nonetheless dark since the airport only uses the skylights for lighting. It’s of course very crowded (you’ll see why in a minute) and all of the restaurants and shops are pretty busy. Looking up, you can see that they have the airport decorated with cherry blossoms. I’m neither hungry or interested in buying omiyage so I head straight out onto the observation deck.



There is nothing like a cool, crisp spring morning and a tarmac filled with airplanes! The deck is pretty empty right now, but the tarmac isn’t. Looking at the international side of the airport first, we can see a row of beautiful planes (TG, AY, SQ, and CX) lining one side.

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Right in the middle is the LH A343 with a KE A332 getting backed up. UA and NH B737s are sitting at remote stands in the background. Looking to the left, we can see even more tails (CI, JL, VN, NH, MU, and PR).

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But who is this hiding in the heat haze in the very back corner??? The Boeing DreamLifter is here! This is actually a very common sighting at NGO (Marathon also saw it when he was at NGO a couple of years ago). Why is it here you might ask? Both Fuji Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries do a lot of parts construction work for Boeing, so they fly the components from Nagoya to Everett for final assembly.

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One last look at the Air Pepsi A332 before we head over to the domestic side of the observation deck.

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The domestic side is pretty barren since they alternate international and domestic activity at the airport since it is a single runway. We have a NH Dash-8 doing its start-up; you can see the right propeller is now starting up while the left is still off. There is a CZ A320 taxing to the runway, which is then followed out by the same NH Dash-8 that was just starting up. Finally, a JL B738 is getting backed up.



Turning around, we can see the arrival of a NH B767 in the distance who then taxis by me.

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The Japanese love plane spotting, I’m just using this guy as an example of how intense of a hobby this is for them.

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What was he photographing? The KE A332’s departure. I can only catch the lift-up as she heads back to ICN. She was then followed by the CZ A320 and the NH Dash-8.



Their departures were followed by the arrival of this war veteran: a UA B738 (ex-CO) who has 16 years of Micronesia duty under her belt. You can see how beat up she is with chipped paint and scratches everywhere.

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She was followed in by her better looking cousin, a NH B738.

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This one is dedicated to the Kevin of yore, a DL B757-200.

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CX A333, SQ A333, AY A333, and TG B773.



The DreamLifter is now open and getting ready to get loaded up. A JL B738 taxis by.

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The LH A343 is getting backed up for its departure to FRA.

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And to wrap up this 30 minute spotting session, the final tail line-up at the international terminal before heading inside: CI A333, NH B738, JL B788, VN A321, UA B738, and MU B738. Remember this sight, since by the time my plane leaves in an hour, this entire terminal will be empty.

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It’s now about an hour to my departure time so I head towards security for the domestic side of the airport. First, we stop and admire this morning’s domestic departures in both English and Japanese. My flight is showing on-time, leaving from Gate 9. Security line is empty as always and I’m through within 2 minutes.

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Airside, we see there are no duty-free shops, instead only a dark lobby with some stores to buy omiyage. Right next to security is the generic domestic terminal lounge. It’s shared by JL and NH. But first: stop and think about what you are expecting to see behind these doors.

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Surprise! Here is the entire lounge in one photo. The greeting was pretty minimal, just a bow and a hand gesture towards the bar code reader that I use to scan my boarding pass myself. It beeps, then a hand gesture towards the lounge. The lounge has no windows. It has this simple seating area, then desks along the back wall where everyone currently is sitting. There is a bar area to the left of this photo where there was a coffee machine, soda machine (tea, orange juice, soft-drinks, water), one bottle of Suntory whiskey, and then the beer tap (Yebisu, just for Numero_2). The fridge to the right just had cold glasses for the beer. Not a single item of food. That’s right, nothing. Right after I took this photo, a stream of twenty people came in so I don’t have a better photo of the bar, but it was easy enough to describe.

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My offering thus will be liquid only: a coffee and an orange juice (not fresh, from the soda machine). I just sit down and take my boarding pass photos and the corporate screen shot using the NGO Free WiFi. A casual glance to the left shows this large spill in the carpet. Definitely a classy lounge.



After I finish my drinks, I leave. The domestic side of the terminal is a mirror image of the international side, with the dark corridors and colorful carpet. That said, the airport is very clean and functional.

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As I walk to my gate, I see the NH B763 getting backed up before it heads down to Okinawa.

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My plane is here (foreground) and is parked next to a NH Dash-8 that was heading to Matsuyama. A KE B738 just arrived from ICN and is taxing to the international side of the airport in the distance.

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I arrive at my gate twenty minutes before departure and the gate agents are already behind the counters. The flight is still on-time. NH recently updated its crew uniforms in February 2015 so they now wear grey jackets, but the blue or or pink neck scarves are retained.

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——————————-

All Nippon Airways, NH497
Equipment: Boeing B737-800 [JA61AN, delivered August 2010]
Departure: 11:15 (ATD: 11:25)
Arrival: 12:45 (ATA: 12:38)
Flight time: 1:13


Right on time, 15 minutes prior to departure, the boarding starts. That might shock most of you since you are thinking there is no way this plane could possibly leave on time with that short of a boarding window, but in Japan that is standard and the planes are rarely late.

Now here is my second point of contention with NH: all boarding announcements at the gate are made in Japanese only. They start off with special assistance boarding and three old ladies in wheelchairs are escorted down to the plane. They then call for Premium class passengers along with NH and *A elites to board. That’s me, so I scan my boarding pass by myself and walk through the turnstyle. This gives a nice view of the tarmac so I take a picture before heading down the jetbridge.

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Reaching the actual jetbridge, I can’t help but take another picture of this beautiful NH B738 bound for Ishigaki.

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Reaching the threshold of the plane, I can see that we have pilots today (always a relief) and then I go to the other side and take the classic fuselage shot.

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Walking onto the plane, I’m greeted in Japanese by two FAs, one of them then walks me to my seat. (My experiences with Asian carriers is that a Westerner is always greeted in English) She takes my backpack and puts it in the overhead bin then asks me if I need anything. I made the mistake of greeting them in Japanese, so they are going along with it speaking to me in Japanese, but this is where I challenge them. I respond in English to her question by asking for a pillow (only a blanket was pre-placed in the seat). She looks startled and then quickly looks through the overhead bin to pull one out and hands it to me without saying anything, only bows and quickly goes back to the galley. Aha! As soon as I address them in English, they immediately change their service pattern and stop talking. I guess NH has not changed since I last flew them.

Anyways, here is a picture of my seat (taken on arrival, hence the blanket was not nicely folded into the seatbelt). The cabin is in two rows of a 2/2 configuration standard in Asia and similar to US domestic first.

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Settling into my seat, I look out the window and see the baggage getting loaded up. Our neighbor has now changed and we have a NH B735 parked next door.

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Once priority boarding is finished, the count in the Premium cabin is 3/8. The FA then comes by and offers me a choice of two English newspapers; I take The Japan News and thank her in Japanese (the game is over). She then looks surprised by the Japanese, and asks me if Japanese is okay, to which I acknowledge that I can speak some Japanese and she compliments me for my Japanese ability (in other words, she was relieved not to be forced to speak English). I love the Japanese newspapers: a quick look at the bottom of the front page and it’s an article about how they are accusing the Chinese of hacking Japanese networks. So much love in this region of the world…

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Economy boarding is well underway at this point. Seat pitch is good (50 in, 127 cm). With these seats, there is no under seat storage, so both rows are like being in the bulkhead. In the seat back, there are slippers (same as NH long-haul business class with shoe horn and shoe bag inside), low quality headphones, and then the standard literature that I’ll show later on.

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Boarding is finished on-time, the front-door immediately closes, and we begin push back. Japanese efficiency prevails and we can board a B737 in less than 15 minutes contrary to any domestic flight in the US. No pre-departure drinks are offered or oshibori (not a big deal, these could be had at the lounge since boarding is so quick). After the safety video (standard Japanese/English version with Japanese subtitles), we get this awesome flight simulation: they show the entire route along with speed and time.

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The taxi is kind of long and we are in a queue to depart. First up was the TG B773 heading back to BKK. This was followed by an IBEX CRJ-700 bound for SDJ. There was then a brief pause at the threshold of the runway as this CI B738 came crashing down from TPE.

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We align onto the runway and then begin our north-bound take-off. As we head down the runway, we can see the DreamLifter one last time. Then the completely empty international terminal other than one lonely OZ A321, which was filled to the brim when I was at the observation deck just an hour ago. Wheels are up as we pass by the control tower and domestic terminal. The CI B738 taxis below as we head into Ise Bay.



It was a beautiful sunny day and we went straight over downtown Nagoya. Up first is the Port of Nagoya (largest and busiest in Japan), the center of the next picture is Mizuho Stadium: home of the Nagoya Grampus, and then the center of the last photo is Nagoya Dome: home of the Chunichi Dragons.

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We then rise up into the foothills of the Japanese Alps, so I take a break and introduce the offerings of this product. We have the blanket, pillow, and safety card.



Moments later we reach the Japanese Alps, and can take in some beautiful aeriel shots on this clear, sunny day.

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The FAs are then released for service. The purser can be seen making the seatbelt announcement in the galley (only in Japanese).

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Let's take a look at the Premium class service guide located in the seatback pocket and see what we have on offer today. Opening it up, we can see the top is a big advertisement about NH being the “Inspiration of Japan” and how they have renewed their 5* rating with SkyTrax and are the only Japanese carrier to receive such an accolade. These subtly say: “Suck it, JL!” We do get a meal on this flight. As indicated on this chart, meal offerings vary by time of day and origin of departure. Our flight departs between 11:00 and 13:00, so we will get a Premium Gozen for lunch. The other side of the first page is a list of all the non-alcoholic drinks that won’t interest most readers of this site.

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Now onto the alcoholic drinks section. No champagne is a big minus. They offer four French wines, but then a sparkling wine from Spain? I don’t drink wine, so I’ll let you judge these offerings on your own. The other side shows we have a sake from Niigata and sh'ch? from Kagoshima. Then a good beer selection of all your standard Japanese brews.



The last page of the Premium class guide talks about the seats. Here we can see the new Premium class seat that appears on all regionally configured aircraft (aka, used as business class for any route to the Asian region that is not used by a long-haul configured aircraft). For example, this B738 configuration also operates the NGO-PVG and NGO-HKG routes and is sold as J. Are these 5* quality seats for those kind of routes? I’m thinking no since they lack personal IFE, but for a 1-hour domestic flight: no complaints here!

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Service is underway, and we can see our FA has the coat off and is now in apron. You can also see the IFE is running in this photo, it was just showing travel shows highlighting different parts of Japan and then switching to the moving map every 10-15 minutes. The IFE is quasi-personal, there is one overhead monitor per pair of seats so it is very easy to watch, but it's not completely personal, but do you really need personal IFE on a 1-hour flight? The moving map showed up on the cabin IFE, which was all I needed.

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It was then my turn for service. She came out, opened my tray table, and then placed down my bento boxes, hashi (chopsticks), and an oshibori. She then asked me what I would like to drink. I asked for hot tea. She returned immediately with a cup of miso soup and then my cup of tea (served in a paper cup). The cold oshibori was in a wrapper, but it was actually cloth and of decent thickness.

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Opening up my little wrapped bento boxes, let’s see what we have today! On top there is a little card standing this is a Premium Gozen and on the back is the menu (in Japanese only). It's nice that they say how many calories are in this meal (406 kcal). It was prepared by Nagoya Air Catering (NAC), which I should mention has never given me a bad meal ex-NGO on all carriers.

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Without further ado, the revealed meal! As I mentioned, front left is the miso soup. The bento box on the left had rice, topped with egg, shrimp, and peas. The bento box on the right was everything else divided into five compartments: meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit. Of course, Japanese food is a feast for the eyes, but it’s the taste that counts. The miso soup was hot and of good quality. The bento boxes were all very good and I happily ate it all up. This is very much in line with what I eat for lunch on a daily basis so I was happy. I actually liked this better than the kaiseki served by EY. I thought this was a very good meal offering for a 1-hour domestic flight. It may not look like a whole lot of food, but this was the only thing I ate for lunch (since the lounge had nothing) and I didn't feel hungry again until 21:00.



Halfway through the meal, the FA came by again and asked me if I wanted anything else to drink and asked me how the food was. I asked for more tea and sh'ch? and told her that I liked the offering on this route. She asked me how I wanted the sh'ch? served, so I just asked for a cup of ice. She came back with my hot tea, a bottle of sh'ch?, a cup of ice, and a packet of otsumami (seasoned rice crackers). At this point, we were now flying along the coast of Japan just north of Niigata.

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After I finished my bento boxes, she came by again and chatted for a bit asking me why I was flying to Hakodate. She asked me how I liked the sh'ch? explaining that it comes from Kagoshima and asked me if I wanted more. I told her that I thought it had a good taste (potato is my favorite), but declined another just asking for a cup of coffee instead. I still had a long day of sightseeing ahead of me so I thought better of it. She brought the coffee with a little chocolate (somehow didn’t make it into this photo). Now we started to get into cloudier weather near the northern parts of Honshu.

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Since it's cloudy outside, let’s take a tour of the seat! The seat itself is leather and very comfortable. The recline is good and you have controls for the leg rest, which is always nice. Next to your headrest, there is a reading light, and a small little cubby where you can fit a wallet, phone, boarding passes, etc. You can also see the personal divider between the seats that offers good privacy when the seat is reclined.

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The inside armrest of the seat has the tray table and textured surface so things don’t go flying off during takeoff/landing. At the front is a little dial that you can turn for service: nothing, wake me for meal, or do not disturb.

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The outside armrest of the seat has the seat controls as well as the headphone jack and a little flip-up opening for the audio/video controls.

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The inflight magazine for this month has a very colorful cover. Flipping inside, we can see the NH fleet list including everyone’s favorite member of the fleet: shiro nagasu kujira (blue whale). They also have the most confusing, impossible to read domestic route map that takes up four whole pages! The biggest downfall of this magazine is that there are no English articles, everything is in Japanese.



The captain came on and made some announcements in Japanese about our estimated arrival time and weather in Hakodate since we were beginning our descent. A peak out the window shows our winglet and grey clouds.

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We then can see Hokkaido below us!

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The FA made the final descent announcements in Japanese, but this time also repeated it in English! This was the only time English was spoken over the loud speaker by any crewmember whether FA or pilot. I was the only Westerner on the flight. A shot of the cabin after being prepared for landing. As they were preparing the cabin for landing, the FA came by and thanked me for flying and asked me how was my experience with NH was. That was a nice gesture and shows they at least care how their service is. I responded positively even though the whole anti-English vibes I get with NH still irk me.

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Looking out the window, we can see we are now flying back over the water and it is very grey/rainy outside.

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Then all of a sudden, we can see our final destination; a beautiful aerial welcome to Hakodate! Our final descent takes us right across the city. We can see the famous Mt. Hakodate rising up on the peninsula and the historically famous Hakodate Port in the foreground.



We slowly cross the city and finally dip down further to run along the Pacific coast.

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We have a very smooth, soft landing at HKD right on time and then make the taxi back to the terminal. There is only one plane at the terminal when we show up and it is probably not a plane you’d expect to see here: a NH B772. NH, the Inspiration of Japan, indeed, but those P&Ws (thanks Numero_2 for the correction) are proudly showing they are American-made if you look at the decal on the side.



After arriving at the gate, an announcement is made to let Premium class passengers deplane first. It’s Japan, so they don’t have to physically block off economy; this request is explicitly respected. Heading out, the FAs thank me for flying and bow. Walking up the jetbridge, we get our first hint we are in Hokkaido: Russian is the third language before Chinese and Korean on the signage.

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This is also a very dark airport and very small. Heading downstairs we arrive at the baggage claim that has two carousels. No bags for me, so I head straight through to the lobby. I pick up a one-day tram pass at the tourist information desk, and then head out to take the shuttle bus to the city. There are two options for reaching the city (other than taxi): city bus and shuttle bus. The shuttle bus seemed quicker but was slightly more expensive (¥410 ($3.50 / €3.50)). Be warned! No English signage for this bus, but if you look at the back you can see it runs from Hakodate Airport to Hakodate Station in 20 minutes. The shuttle buses are synched with the flights so there is no guessing as to what the schedule is (like you would with the normal city bus). And then a picture inside the bus as we head into town. The bus makes a couple of stops at hotels along the way. I reached Hakodate Station at 13:20 not bad considering we arrived pulled into our gate at 12:43.

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And so why is NGO85 going to Hakodate, a city no foreign tourist to Japan ever visits? Well, Hakodate is home to one of the three most famous night views in Japan. Here is your tourist bonus teaser for the return leg:

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Thanks for reading this report and please stop by for the return trip for another glance at the NH domestic product as well as a full tourist bonus of Hakodate.
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Verdict

ANA

8.9/10
Cabin9.5
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering9.0

Star Alliance Lounge Business Class Section

4.0/10
Comfort2.0
Meal/catering2.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Services4.0

Nagoya - NGO

9.2/10
Efficiency10.0
Access9.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness10.0

Hakodate - HKD

7.9/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.5
Services4.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

Another great flight with NH. I really liked the Premium class product, even if it isn't worth the money to actually pay for it on a 1-hour flight. NH has exceptional service standards, but you really need to speak Japanese in order to get this quality of service. I think that's a real shame, but for me it isn't such a big problem now, so I will review it as such.

Cabin comfort: A little disappointing that NH doesn’t opt for BSI on their planes, I would have thought the blue mood lighting would have been the perfect match for their livery. These B738s are new and clean. The new Premium class seat is a treat for a domestic flight: royal pitch (50 in) and good width. In addition, the seat was very comfortable. Privacy is very good with the divider; in-seat power and USB is available for all the business folk. What didn’t I like? That grey plastic seat back you are left looking at and the lack of underseat storage (even in the second row!). Some of you will argue this is no big deal, but for a female traveler, a purse is something you might want close by and not in the overhead bin.

Crew: Here is where some of you might attack me for my rating given my complaints about English ability. I’m only taking 1 point off for when I asked for the pillow and she panicked because I was able to speak Japanese with them for the rest of the flight and had a great experience as a result. The FA for our cabin was always present and asking how we were doing. She was chatty in that she sought feedback on their service and explained some of the nuances of their menu. It felt like she genuinely cared about the comfort of the passengers in a personalized way, this is what separates a 5*-airline.

Meal and catering: This may just be personal preference, but I really liked this meal. It was a great lunch offering on a domestic flight of 1-hour. I ate every last morsel of food given to me and was happy. Drinks were constantly proposed including little treats with each one (rice crackers with shochu and chocolates with coffee). Why am I deducting a point: tea/coffee was served in a paper cup, shochu was served in a plastic cup, hashi were cheap throwaway wooden ones, and oshibori was cold. These are small things, but the little details are what separate a 5*-carrier from the pack. There is no reason why they can’t use real glasses/cups and nicer hashi.

Entertainment: IFE was only partially personal (-1) and in-flight magazine is only in Japanese (-0.5). Do I need a personal IFE on this flight? No, but the fact that it doesn’t exist is worth a criticism. Fortunately, the shared overhead TVs did show the moving map periodically so I was happy. Two choices of English newspapers and great natural IFE out the window.

On-time performance: Left on time and landed slightly early, no complaints.

Related

28 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 135032 by
    cobra 3582 Comments
    Thank you Michael(?) !:))

    Japan is my favourite country with Italy(surprise? :)) for burning my shoes, so it's always a pleasure to see a FR on this lines ^^

    NGO seems to be a mini KIX, and it's not bad at all.
    Nice pics of stranger on apron

    I often experience flight with FA who don't speak english. But generally, they offer me the magazine in english version.
    And i never experience a Japanese FA who speak French :)))

    The seat look comfy, but i'm not a big fan of the DL blue ^^

    Superb view on the deadly Ontake-san (you can see some smoke o the top of the montain) and the lake of the Miure dam on the piedmont

    Bento box look tasty and you can begin your meal with your eyes, as usual in Japan. But unfortunatly for me, watashi wa ebi arerugi des... :))

    Wines are not on the top. One of the white wine proposed is served on AF Y MC flights ^^

    Nice arriving at Hakkodate, a city i really want to visit, but a bit out of my tracks.
    The night view is superb !

    I'm waiting for a tourism bonus on Yokkaichi for your next leg ! ahahahah :)))

    Sayonara
    • Comment 314834 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Merci Cobra!

      Japan is my favourite country with Italy
      -Fortunately for you, AZ flies to Japan.

      NGO seems to be a mini KIX
      -I have never been to KIX, but NGO is a compact airport with quite good international connections (although the airport gets bloated around 9-11 and 19-21 when all the international flights leave and depart)

      I often experience flight with FA who don't speak English
      - I understand this is a domestic flight, but NH is a proud global carrier and that type of service standard should extend through it's entire product. If I was flying one of their subsidiaries, like 7G, then I wouldn't complain as much.

      i'm not a big fan of the DL blue ^^
      - Haha, I did not notice this connection until you pointed it out. Even with the red accents on the seats, it does look very similar to the new Delta One seat colors.

      Superb view on the deadly Ontake-san
      - Yes, Ontake-san is still smoldering away.

      watashi wa ebi arerugi des... :))
      - At last, we find Cobra's Achilles heel^^

      Wines are not on the top. One of the white wine proposed is served on AF Y MC flights ^^
      - Good thing I don't drink wine, their beer selection was larger than their wine selection^^

      Nice arriving at Hakkodate, a city i really want to visit, but a bit out of my tracks.
      - It is not popular tourist destination for foreigners since it is very small city and can be seen in 1-day. It is not so accessible, but the new Shinkansen line will go through Hakodate so it should be easier to get to in the future.

      The night view is superb !
      - It was also superbly cold :(

      I'm waiting for a tourism bonus on Yokkaichi for your next leg ! ahahahah :)))
      - Yokkaichi? This is a city outside of Nagoya in Mie.

      Sayonara
      - I think you should use ja mata or dewa mata since these are closer to see you later. Sayonara is usually very formal for a goodbye, suggesting you won't see the person for a long time (or ever again).
    • Comment 314842 by
      cobra 3582 Comments
      Ah wonderful !! That seem a pretty good location to hike (i just see some websites) ! :)
      If one day, i loose a third of my weight, i promise i will try to hike on the Kumano Kodo :))
    • Comment 314835 by
      cobra 3582 Comments
      Yes i pass trough Yokkaichi 3 or 4 times, going to Ise or far south of Kii hanto, and it is a marvellous city full of heavy industries, polluted, ten or fifteen kilometers of real pleasure...and of course my wish to see a bonus i a real joke ! :))
    • Comment 314837 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      I actually can do a bonus for you^^ I go hiking in the Suzuka Mountains (always change trains in Yokkaichi) often so I have some pictures from Fujiwara-dake last weekend^^
  • Comment 135063 by
    tn92 173 Comments
    Hi! This is such a great report and the spotting done at the beginning of your trip was simply marvelous! I must say that I was addicted to your reports for the past few days and I finally finished reading them all. Looking forward to the final EY flight back to NGO! (: I realized this NH report actually cut the queue and got itself published first yeah? =P

    Your beautiful photos of Japan's airlines, airports, and sceneries are making me so eager about visiting Japan soon! Haven't got the opportunity to do so, but chances are high that my first Japan trip will take place before 2015 ends...

    Thanks for the great reports!
    • Comment 314838 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting!

      I'm glad to hear that you enjoy reading my reports. Yes, I broke protocol by publishing this report before finishing the other series. I promise the last EY report will be published! I wanted to mix up reports so that I don't feel like I'm always writing about the same thing. There will actually be a third series starting before I publish the EY report, so hang in there!

      Japan is a beautiful country. Most people only come for Tokyo/Kyoto, but there is a wealth of natural beauty in abundance here. And as you mentioned, it is a spotters heaven here!
  • Comment 135068 by
    flyingjapans 1349 Comments
    Thank you for that report! Actually FA's weren't that bad ;) But i acknowledge it is quite a big problem in Japan.

    • Comment 314839 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thank you for your comments. You often fly JL, but here is your peek at the dark side^^

      When we started talking in Japanese, the FAs were back in their comfort zone and the service was as good as you could expect from NH on a domestic flight.

      it is quite a big problem in Japan
      - It is a problem here, and I live with that, I don't expect every Japanese person to speak English, that is unreasonable. I make a big effort to speak Japanese to them in order to bridge that gap, but for a global carrier they should make more effort to address these deficiencies in their crews.
  • Comment 135085 by
    Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10416 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this brilliant FR, as usual. ;)

    What unnerves me the most about this process is that your ID is never checked -> I'm pretty sure that most of the fake IDs you can find (and order) on the streets in Southeast Asia's big cities are like genuine ones for the airports staff's eyes.
    Anyone can take your receipt and board your flight for you. -> This is the same for trains. ;)

    I didn't know that LH was flying to NGO !

    What a tiny lounge you got there ! Does NH Premium Economy allow to enter lounges ?
    Yebisu, just for Numero_2 -> Yay ! :D
    Not a single item of food. That’s right, nothing. -> Not even typical japanese crackers ? :(

    What a strange cabin you got on this airplane !
    It's a bit weird that a *5 airline can't even provide an onboard service with English FA speakers on its flights...

    The meal seems just okay to my eyes for Y+, but I concede that the wine - and especially the beer - menu looks interesting. ;)

    NH, the Inspiration of Japan, indeed, but those GE90s are proudly showing they are American-made if you look at the decal on the side. -> Sorry for disappointing you, but these engines are not GE90s because they show the Pratt&Whitney logotype, not the GE one. ;)

    See you NGO !
    • Comment 314841 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Merci Clement!

      Anyone can take your receipt and board your flight for you. -> This is the same for trains. ;)
      - But trains aren't filled with 26,000 liters of jetfuel. Growing up in post-9/11 America, we have very different perspectives on air travel.

      I didn't know that LH was flying to NGO !
      - Daily A343 service, has been that way for at least three years. Shame on you^^

      What a tiny lounge you got there ! Does NH Premium Economy allow to enter lounges ?
      - This was not premium economy (Y+). Premium class is what NH calls Business/First class on domestic flights. They use the US model, so it's really like a US domestic F product. Y+ does get international lounge access with NH. This lounge was the domestic lounge (In my EY889 report you can see the real *A Lounge on the international side).

      Yebisu, just for Numero_2 -> Yay ! :D
      - And the Suntory whiskey ;) The domestic lounge at NGO was designed just for you^^ Yes, no food, not even crackers. It was really disappointing. It was worse than domestic lounges in the US (other than free alcohol), but 10am was too early to start drinking for me^^

      It's a bit weird that a *5 airline can't even provide an onboard service with English FA speakers on its flights...
      - It is a shame, but this is common in Japan unfortunately.

      The meal seems just okay to my eyes for Y+
      - Same comment as lounge, this was a F/J-type meal. In Y, they only distribute drinks and crackers (also a BOB menu). The domestic service in Japan is identical to service in the US on domestic flights. Would you ever get a meal on a US domestic flight of 1-hour length in the US? No, so I felt that this was a very good offering.

      they show the Pratt&Whitney logotype, not the GE one
      - Foot in mouth! Thank you for correcting me^^ Still American ;)

      Soon, you can give us a report on Japan ;)
    • Comment 314861 by
      Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10416 Comments
      - But trains aren't filled with 26,000 liters of jetfuel. Growing up in post-9/11 America, we have very different perspectives on air travel. -> Well, I was thinking from a passenger's perspective.

      Soon, you can give us a report on Japan ;) -> 13 days remaining. ;)
    • Comment 314862 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Yes, from a passenger's perspective: no check-in is a big advantage, you only have to be at the gate 10 minutes in advance to get on a plane.

      Hopefully the weather remains good for your stay, now it is low 20s and sunny every day. Most of April was cold and rainy :(
    • Comment 314864 by
      Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10416 Comments
      There's a French proverb which says : En mai, fais ce qu'il te plaît. ^^
    • Comment 314865 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      English saying: April showers bring May flowers ^^
  • Comment 135103 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    You've just been posting up a storm lately! Meanwhile, I'm 4 months behind on posting, LOL. I just love the viewing decks at Japanese airports--really a planespotter's dream. Nagoya has a surprisingly impressive variety of carriers with lots of widebody longhaul traffic. Makes for some great planespotting pics...always my favorite way to begin a FR.

    I think this is the first report I've seen with NH's new Premium class. I like the design of the seat. Looks sleek. And 50 of pitch is almost long-haul Business class standard, which is awesome.

    Great aerial pics, throughout the flight. It's fascinating how densely populated Japan is, when you see the cities from the air.
    • Comment 314852 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thanks Kevin :)

      Yeah, I travel in spurts. This month was busy with three trips, but then I won't get another 2 day weekend until July :(

      These open air observations decks are amazing, especially because at NGO, it is accessible from the check-in lobby directly (not airside like some airports). When you can stand out there and get the sounds, it adds so much more effect.

      I like the design of the seat.
      - That's your subconscious talking since as Cobra pointed out, these look very DL.

      The Premium class is kind of weird. It's just what they call the business class when they are used for domestic routes. Japan has modeled their domestic system on the US system (for better or for worse). These are nice seats for a domestic flight and the catering is better than in the US where you get nothing for a route under 2 hours. Either way, NH blows JL out of the water on domestic service, since all the JL B738s have the dreaded 3-2 business class, yuck. JL has such a confusing product with mixed cabins that it is impossible to know what they actually offer when it comes to wide bodies (I think all NH domestic wide bodies are only two class). So I'm not sure what JL actually offers for meals on domestic routes; no interest in ever flying JL.

      Nagoya metro area is around 8-9million (nothing compared to Tokyo/Yokohama), so it's about the same size as Chicago. Nagoya doesn't have too many skyscrapers, so it's like Houston or LA where it is just suburban sprawl.
  • Comment 135108 by
    eminere™ 271 Comments
    What an amazing flight report - you have such an incredibly engaging writing style.

    NH, the Inspiration of Japan, indeed, but those P&Ws (thanks Numero_2 for the correction) are proudly showing they are American-made if you look at the decal on the side.
    - Aren't 777s made by Boeing in USA as well?
    • Comment 314902 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thank you very much for compliments and comments!

      Aren't 777s made by Boeing in USA as well?
      - Yes, 777 final assembly is at Everett. My original comment was a bit of an error on my part, but it was in reference to the American bald eagle logo on the engines. I originally made a mistake calling them GE before Numero_2 corrected me saying they were P&W.
    • Comment 314908 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      gorgeous NGO spotting
      - Oh, and I know that SQ had your mouth watering, mmmmm 6.5-hour red-eye flight on regional product ;)
  • Comment 135113 by
    lagentsecret 12186 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    Are you Doctor Who ? You should be in Abu Dhabi !

    Comprehensive and gorgeous NGO spotting

    NGO is lacking its EK ;)

    The lounge is only a bit below (food offer) of the usual Japanese lounges

    It's always the same with Japanese FAs and foreign languages ;)

    home of the Nagoya Grampus, and then the center of the last photo is Nagoya Dome: home of the Chunichi Dragons.
    Are they base ball's teams ?

    The other side of the first page is a list of all the non-alcoholic drinks that won’t interest most readers of this site.
    Of course who cares having a Starbucks' coffee or a Coca Cola ;)

    The seat looks comfortable for a not too long domestic flight

    The food looks (as usual in Japan) great and good to your taste

    I didn't feel hungry again until 21:00.
    I can only say Wow lol (I certainly need more than 406 kcal)

    How much is the difference between Y and Y+ fares ?

    See you soon for another report (on earth or anywhere else !)
    • Comment 314906 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Merci 007!

      Are you Doctor Who ? You should be in Abu Dhabi !
      - I thought YOU were supposed to be the international man of mystery ;)
      - Yes, I broke a cardinal sin and started a new series before ending an old one, but there is a method to my madness. The final EY report will be coming soon (all the photos are ready), I promise!

      NGO is lacking its EK ;)
      - Maybe the only airport in the world not served by EK, lol? But with their KIX service, no need for NGO service (same with QR).

      The lounge is only a bit below (food offer) of the usual Japanese lounges
      - Honestly speaking, this was my first time in a domestic lounge in Japan, so had no idea what to expect. I would have at least expected to see packets of crackers to have with a drink. Hakodate didn't even have a lounge (that would have been exciting to see^^).

      Are they base ball's teams ?
      Nagoya Grampus = J-League (soccer)
      Chunichi Dragons = Nippon Professional Baseball (Chunichi Shimbun is the newspaper company in Nagoya)

      who cares having a Starbucks' coffee or a Coca Cola ;)
      - The forbidden nectars of the West^^

      The seat looks comfortable for a not too long domestic flight
      - I think this is the most private seat I have ever seen on a narrow-body (other than those special Transcon birds).

      good to your taste and I can only say Wow lol (I certainly need more than 406 kcal)
      - Exactly. Personally, I found the meal to be perfect for me with high quality ingredients. I find rice to be very filling with low calories. Portion sizes are generally small in Japan, so I've lost my Western appetite. Others may strongly disagree with the selection and quantity, but I included enough pictures to let everyone make their own opinions on the offering. I was just happy to get anything since even this small offering is infinitely better than what you'd get on the train even in a Green car (which is nothing).

      How much is the difference between Y and Y+ fares ?
      - NH domestic fares are quite convoluted. It all depends on when you buy the ticket and how many seats are left. A Premium seat purchased 28 days in advance can be cheaper than an Economy seat purchased 14 days in advance, but it's highly variable. For example, I was looking at round-trip fares to Nagasaki: Premium was ¥42000 (€310), Economy was ¥29000 (€220), and Shinkansen (regular car) was ¥44000 (€330) when booking more than 28 days in advance. But if you don't get one of the first three seats in Premium, it skyrockets to ¥84000+ (€630+).

      See you soon for another report (on earth or anywhere else !)
      - Be prepared to be disappointed ;) (or maybe not...)
  • Comment 135166 by
    Bernardpf59 77 Comments
    thanks for nice report, i love ANA on domestic business class, very good service and interesting catering, u did good spotting, great! thks
    And Japan is such a wondervul country
    • Comment 314907 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Merci pour vos commentaires!

      NH domestic product is very similar to US domestic F, but I find service and catering to be much better.

      Japan and Taiwan are both beautiful island countries with oceans and mountains close together.
  • Comment 135183 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Fantastic FR! Very detailed as always :).

    Love the spotting pictures from NGO, nice to see quite a few international carriers at the same time!

    The catering onboard this flight looks great for this short flight.

    The seat seems to be comfortable on this flight.

    See you on the next part!
    • Comment 314986 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thank you for your comments!

      Yes, NGO is great for spotting. I love the sky deck since you can get real close to all the planes and the runway, plus there is no glass to take pictures through :) Since NGO isn't an international hub for any airline, almost every carrier in Asia sends 1-2 flights a day to Nagoya (plus the bonus AY/LH planes from Europe). CX/CZ/KE/MU are the most active of the foreign carriers sending 3-5 planes per day.

      Asia always has high catering standards, so a flight to ICN (about the same distance) would have better catering since it's international, but this was a very good offering for a domestic flight.

      Even Y comfort looked good on these planes, I have a picture of the Y seating that I'll include in the return leg. It's really not necessary to fly Premium class on a domestic flight in Japan especially since the Premium class class meal is available as BOB.

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