Review of ANA flight Nagoya Tokyo in Economy

Airline ANA
Flight NH 86
Class Economy
Seat 9K
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 01:00
Take-off 10 Jan 16, 07:55
Arrival at 10 Jan 16, 08:55
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 1521
Published on 23rd January 2016
Background:

This series will cover a quick weekend trip on NH using UA miles. The goal of this series was to try several new products in the NH family while also going someplace new to me. This trip cost 10,000 UA miles and I built a very non-direct routing to zig-zag my way to my final destination. I’ll reveal the segments as we go to add some suspense.

Part 1 – NGO-HND [NH 86, Boeing B737-800, Economy] – You are here
Part 2 – HND-CTS [NH 59, Boeing B787-800, Economy] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13033.html
Part 3 – CTS-KUH [NH 4873, Bombardier DHC-8-400, Economy] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13079.html
Part 4 – Coming soon
Part 5 – Coming soon
Part 6 – Coming soon

This report will cover the short hop from NGO to HND. This will be my first ever time flying to HND.




Pre-flight:

An early morning flight means taking the first train to NGO. Arriving at the airport, I veer off to the domestic side to the NH check-in counters. I’m quickly helped as there is no one in line. The agent spends about 20 minutes getting my boarding passes printed. She had to manually go in and check me in for each flight that I’d be taking today. I could tell she was intrigued by the routing as she had me look over the boarding passes to confirm the destinations.

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With my stack of boarding passes in hand, I head upstairs. Aerial view of the domestic check-in lobby.

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Nothing in the airport opens until 7am, so I’m left to wander the empty shops still decked out in their Christmas decorations.

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Domestic FIDS.

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As the clock hits 7am, the doors to the observation deck open and I scurry out. Domestic line-up.

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I find it amusing that they alternate JL and NH planes. From front to back: JL B763 to NRT, NH B738 to NRT, JL B734 to OKA, NH B738 to HND (my plane), JL B738 to HND, 7G A320 to FUK, and NH B738 to NGS.

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The international terminal as the sun pokes its head up.

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PR A333.

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KE A333.

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Exotic visitor in the distance: An-124-100.

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Domestic remote stands. I have no idea what the AK plane is doing out there since AK does not serve NGO. The plane was still there when I landed the next day.

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TG B788 arriving on the redeye from BKK.

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9C A320 taking off to PVG.

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The final tail line-up at the international terminal filled with China-bound narrow-bodies.

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The Phantom of the Opera is being advertised.

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The domestic FIDS as I go through the empty security line.

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Airside, the omiyage shops.

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Blurry shot of the entrance to the beloved Centrair Airline Lounge (shared JL/NH lounge).

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No hassles this time, I’m quickly granted access with my EY credentials. The lounge is packed! Not surprising with 4 flights to NRT/HND about to leave. I grab some drinks and settle into a desk along the wall. Basic desk with power outlets.

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My offering of orange juice and coffee.

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The jammed packed lounge. This is the entire seating area. As I’ve said before, it feels like a doctor’s office waiting room.

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The liquid offerings.

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After downing my drinks, I head down the long terminal towards my gate.

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——————————-

All Nippon Airways, NH 86
Equipment: Boeing B737-800 [JA74AN, delivered October 2013]
Departure: 7:55 (ATD: 8:06)
Arrival: 8:55 (ATA: 8:48)
Flight time: 0:42


Reaching my gate, boarding is almost finished and I’m one of the last to board.

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A picture of my B738 before I head down the jetbridge.

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Down the jetbridge we go.

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Fuselage shot.

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Smiling FAs welcome me aboard. I take my familiar seat 9K (I don’t know why, but I’m always assigned 9K on B738s). The middle seat will remain empty.

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Seat pitch is good.

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Entertainment box under the window seats.

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Outside, a NH B763 is towed into the gate.

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The audio controls and recline.

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Recaro seatback.

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Headphones preplaced in the seatback pocket. FAs pass through the cabin offering blankets.

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Front door closes, the safety video plays on the overhead monitors. We quickly get backed up, giving a glimpse of our twin heading off to NRT.

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We are followed on our taxi by the 7G A320.

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We cross our evil twin.

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NH B738 taking off for NRT.

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We turn onto the runway and quickly get going. It’s a bumpy run down the runway so my shots of the hungry hungry hippo are a little blurry.

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We lift up over NGO on this beautiful winter morning.

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We do the standard 270-degree turn around the airport to head towards HND.

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Flying over Minamichita (???).

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Shino Island (??).

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Toba (??) in the distance as we leave Ise Bay.

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Seatback contents.

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Safety card for this B738.

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ANA Sky Vision plays on the overhead monitors.

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Sunrise over the Pacific Ocean.

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The FAs make one pass through the cabin offering apple juice. There was no other option, I passed on the apple juice since I just had a big glass of orange juice in the lounge.

Oshima (??) basking in the early morning sun.

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Crossing over Chiba-ken and into Tokyo Bay.

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The entrance to the Tokyo Bay Aqua Line.

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Tower of the Winds (???).

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Crossing HND’s newest addition: Runway D.

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As we descend, I can see R2-D2 is here at a remote stand.

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We touchdown a little early and taxi by the JL domestic terminal.

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JL B773 in “FLY to 2020” special livery.

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A really rare sighting: an elusive NH A320. These are getting phased out of the nearly all Boeing NH fleet (for now, Airbus A321NEOs are on the way to replace B767s).

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Reaching the NH terminal, the NH B772 in *A special livery is here.

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We pull into a gate next to another NH B772.

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As I wait to deplane, I catch a CA A321 lifting off for PEK.

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I also catch this NH B788 taxing by, which will be my plane for the next segment.

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Warm goodbyes in Japanese as I head into the jetbridge.

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Following the signs for domestic connecting flights.

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The walkways in HND.

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The NH B772 in *A special livery getting pushed back for service to CTS.

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There is a small door for domestic connecting flights. The agent standing there checks my boarding pass and then lets me in the door. This door is actually dual purpose in the case of a tsunami.

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The mini staircase up to the departures level.

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I’ll leave off this series here as I begin my layover in HND. Tune into the next segment for the continuation of this journey as we get into more interesting NH products and take a look at the ANA Lounge at HND.
See more

Verdict

ANA

6.5/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering3.0

Star Alliance Lounge Business Class Section

2.8/10
Comfort2.0
Meal/catering2.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Services2.0

Nagoya - NGO

8.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness10.0

Tokyo - HND

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

Conclusion

Standard domestic flight on NH: uneventful. The B738s are comfortable for short domestic hops. Service should be better, only serving apple juice is below average service for a flight of this length.

Cabin comfort: The Recaro seats on the “new” B738s are not as good as the older seats on most of the B738s (planes that are 4-5 years old). Entertainment box is a minus, but pitch is good. Middle seat remained empty and the cabin/lavatories are clean.

Crew: All 3 FAs did their jobs with smiles and efficiency, pretty much non-existent other than the one apple juice run. Standard NH crew.

Meal and catering: Only apple juice offered. I think this is below average based on what I’ve seen on other flights around 45-minutes long. NRT is only fractionally further and gets a full drink cart service.

Entertainment: No newspapers offered. Standard seatback literature. Audio channels and ANA Sky Vision played on the overhead monitors.

On-time performance: We left on time and arrived early. Par for course.

Related

7 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 156014 by
    Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10416 Comments
    Thanks for sharing.

    A good deal to spend 10'000 UA miles for 6 flights.

    The liquid offerings. -> This Japanese guy could easily fly LH : He's drinking beer at 7am ! lol

    Shino Island looks quite squeezed.

    The FAs make one pass through the cabin offering apple juice. There was no other option -> So lazy from them.
    • Comment 333451 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      ????????Clement???

      A good deal to spend 10'000 UA miles for 6 flights.
      - Especially because it also earned 2,000 OZ miles... If I bought this routing through NH, it would have cost 138,000? ($1,200). Unfortunately, there is no Premium class availability through UA :(

      This Japanese guy could easily fly LH : He's drinking beer at 7am ! lol
      - Don't worry the beer will start flowing in the HND Lounge^^

      So lazy from them.
      - I think so too, but they were at least friendly. NH crews are highly variable and are not perfect like everyone thinks.
  • Comment 156100 by
    aussenrist 225 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this report with nice pictures!
    Oh jeez you are luring the readers to follow you by changing the report opening style :P Beautiful morning scene in NGO!!
    The entertainment box is really annoying and the only one drink offering is not in NH standard. But luckily it is a short flight and no seatmate next to you so that's OK.
    Look forward to your next trip!
    • Comment 333531 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thank you for your comments!

      luring the readers to follow you
      - There is only so far I can go on a domestic series, lol. I'll quickly run out of space in Japan, so getting 3 flights in each direction was some work.

      The entertainment box is really annoying
      - Wait until you see the next hard product... much worse than the B738s. Compared to the mainland Chinese carriers, NH/JL are very far behind with respect to in-flight service standards. Japan is mimicking the US style.
  • Comment 156765 by
    BombieFlyer 93 Comments
    Hello NGO85!

    Another thorough and very detail report from you! I enjoy it very much as I can feel like I am also there to witness what you experience.

    Just a quick question, it seems to me, based on your domestic flight reports, that the service in economy class both on JAL and ANA resembles the service in the USA. Is it correct? Is there a flight sector where you get served a meal?

    Also, do you think that being able to communicate in Japanese helps? Put it in other way, would the ground staff, flight attendants, etc treat/serve you differently if you were unable to speak Japanese? It intrigues me as I have always heard that Japanese are very polite and helpful regardless of the language barrier but I did experience from time to time cold shoulders from them when they realize I don't speak Japanese.

    Last question, were you using a DSLR camera or just a digital pocket camera? I find the colours to be very vivid and the image quality quite sharp

    Anyway, I look forward for your next adventure!
    • Comment 334073 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thanks for stopping by :)

      Just a quick question, it seems to me, based on your domestic flight reports, that the service in economy class both on JAL and ANA resembles the service in the USA. Is it correct? Is there a flight sector where you get served a meal?
      - Japan domestic service is an exact replica of US domestic service unfortunately. Both NH and JL have replicated what the US carriers have done, which is quite a shame considering what the mainland Chinese carriers offer on domestic flights. NH has recently installed Premium class cabins in their domestic fleet, which mimic US F class. I have a couple reports on this product which offers a small meal (regardless of length of flight as well as full bar drinks). For economy, you are limited to the complimentary drinks or the BOB menu (only available on longer routes). JL offers 3 classes of service: First, J-Class, and Economy. First is really rare and only seen on routes to/from HND on their wide-bodies. The service in JL First is the same as NH's Premium class. JL's Class-J is essentially what we call Y+ in the US: no service benefits other than a slightly better seat (no meal or snack is offered in Class-J).

      Put it in other way, would the ground staff, flight attendants, etc treat/serve you differently if you were unable to speak Japanese?
      - Very much so. Very few NH/JL crew are very comfortable speaking English (this varies highly so don't take it as a rule). For example, on a random OKA-MMY flight I did last week, all three FAs spoke fluent English did all the cabin announcements in English and even did the safety demonstration in English. Other times, you won't hear a word of English. I find I get better service if I speak Japanese to them. I feel that this is the same anywhere though and not necessarily a Japan problem. I've been on random carriers in Eastern Europe where English proficiency is low and the crew just couldn't communicate and seemed cold.

      were you using a DSLR camera or just a digital pocket camera?
      - DSLR
    • Comment 334078 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Imagine a different situation. You are flying AM from MEX-MTY, you don't think the service would be different if you spoke Spanish or English?

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