Review of ANA flight Singapore Tokyo in Economy

Airline ANA
Flight NH802
Class Economy
Seat 32K
Aircraft Boeing 787-9
Flight time 06:09
Take-off 23 Jan 21, 06:46
Arrival at 23 Jan 21, 13:55
NH   #31 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 232 reviews
FiamaArin
By 4779
Published on 1st June 2021

Introduction


I honestly didn't have any expectations on travelling during this period but I was suddenly given an overseas assignment in Boise, Idaho for several weeks. So after being given a day to pack my bags, I was off to America for work. I had to leave on this date so I wouldn't be liable for arrival quarantine when I arrived in the US. I didn't even have to provide any swab results prior to leaving or on arrival. Let's begin FiamaArin's Global Pandemic FR series.



All Nippon Airways
NH802
Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) - Narita International Airport (NRT)
B787-9
JA922A
Economy Class
Gate D41

ETD: 06:35AM
ATD: 06:46AM (on time)
ETA: 02:30PM
ATA: 01:55PM (35 minutes early)


Check-In


Felt odd coming to Changi and seeing just a handful of people. Even the cab driver who took me to the airport was surprised as it had been about 8 months since he went to the airport as well. The departure hall is a sterile shell, devoid of any of the usual hustle and bustle of travelers heading on a holiday. As far as I could tell, the passengers in all the photos now will also be on this flight as there are almost no other flights out.


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The airport staff guided passengers on using the self check-in kiosks though I had several issues due to the fact I had a U.S. domestic flight and had to do it the old fashion way. 


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airside


Crossing over airside was a painless affair with no one around. In terms of percentage, I would say the airport is barely operating at 2%. It's almost like an apocalypse scene, something I've never experienced.


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The only shop open in the terminal and you'll need to check-in with a local app to shop. I didn't go in and went straight to the gate.


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Arrived outside my gate and there's only one other person there. Nothing in the vicinity is open except the money changer.


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Just to show how slow the situation was, the entire day's flights could be displayed on two of T1's ancient screens. 


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Boarding pass for the segment. I got all my boarding passes for this journey at check-in but the ground staff informed me that I would have to get further details at each stop on the gate and any flight changes.


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Didn't do much till I could enter the departure lounge. The procedures are pretty much the same as pre-covid except with the added social distancing and more self-service.


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My bird for this early morning flight to Tokyo. My first time flying on ANA and I'm excited to see their offerings.


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As expected, with such a low passenger load, boarding didn't take much time. Families and disabled passengers were still given priority but the remaining passengers were boarded by groups and social distancing was strictly enforced.


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On-board


Entering an ANA plane for the first time ever!


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First impressions. A well-lit and very professional looking cabin. Economy seats look comfortable enough but really, I'll have the whole row. 


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A top down view of the seat. Not the biggest IFE screen in modern terms but seat pitch looks generous.


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Seated in 32K but there considering there are less than 30 people on this plane, you pretty much can sit anywhere you want.


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Boarding was completed in 15 minutes with no fuss and the door was soon shut.


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Switched the screen of the neighboring seat to the flight map and saw the flight preview playing.


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The flight crew gave out cleaning wipes and a plastic bag for any trash instead of the usual oshibori one would expect in normal circumstances. I used this wipe to clean my tray table and entertainment screens.


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The safety information video played as we taxied to the runway.


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It wasn't long before we were up in the air. ANA has some interesting views of the flight like the one using timezones.


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Once the plane levelled off, I took a quick trip to the bathroom. It's the usual 787 lavatory with a Japanese twist of a bidet. More cleaning wipes are also available for self-service in the lavatory.


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The sun rising as we enter the South China Sea.


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Breakfast was offered soon after. The cabin crew carried a card with the options printed along with photos. I can't remember what the other option was but I decided to get the seafood curry option. It was served with fresh fruits, white soba and a yoghurt. An typically impressive meal from the Japanese.



Amenities were placed directly into the seatback pockets instead of being handed out to reduce contact between the passengers and crew. Also, the seatback materials were reduced down to the bare minimum of just the safety card and air sickness bag.


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The trays were cleared somewhere over the Philippines and I took the opportunity to have a nap.


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A quiet cabin.


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I woke up just as the crew were serving a pre-landing snack of Pain-au-chocolat. Had an apple juice to chase it down.


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We began our descent into Narita Airport.


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Landing in a overcast Narita Airport. 


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UA plane in the distance. Guess there's still quite a bit of UA traffic to-and-from Narita.


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disembarkation


Just like boarding, disembarkation was strictly controlled with connecting passengers given priority over everyone else. 


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That was my signal to go as I headed out to my connecting flight.


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Passed by the Business Cabin. Normally a luxury but not so much in these pandemic times.


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Back in Japan for the 3rd year straight but not staying this time.


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Damp and cold January weather.


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Thank you for the pleasant flight!


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Onward connection


Used the loo outside the gate before heading to International Transfer. There's another security check before the transfer desk.


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Verdict

ANA

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

Singapore - SIN

8.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness9.0

Tokyo - NRT

8.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

A great flight overall. Though we were missing some of the charms of Japanese hospitality, I'm glad to see that ANA had great protocol in terms of cleanliness while delivering a quality product. Narita's International Terminal was pretty much a dead town just like Changi so there wasn't much to do or see.

Information on the route Singapore (SIN) Tokyo (NRT)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 21 avis concernant 6 compagnies sur la ligne Singapore (SIN) → Tokyo (NRT).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Singapore Airlines avec 8.7/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 6 heures et 54 minutes.

  More information

2 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 574451 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6769 Comments
    Hi FiamaArin, thanks so much for sharing this pandemic-era TPAC series! It's particularly interesting as there have been very few reviews across the Pacific with the boarder closures on either side.

    I had to leave on this date so I wouldn't be liable for arrival quarantine when I arrived in the US. I didn't even have to provide any swab results prior to leaving or on arrival.

    That was good timing. It's crazy now to think that for almost a year that were no testing or quarantine requirements for most of the US--some individual States like New York did require tests and quarantine, but nothing on a national scale until January 26, 2021.

    Just to show how slow the situation was, the entire day's flights could be displayed on two of T1's ancient screens.

    Wow...that's really crazy for Changi!

    Economy seats look comfortable enough but really, I'll have the whole row.

    And it seems like very few passengers in the adjacent rows as well! That's as comfortable as you can get.

    An typically impressive meal from the Japanese.

    Looks great! ANA and JAL seem to have consistently good catering in Y.

    I'm glad to see that ANA had great protocol in terms of cleanliness while delivering a quality product.

    Indeed! Proving that is CAN be done--too many carriers have used the pandemic and sanitary reasons as excuses to provide little to no service. It can be done safely and well.

    Thanks for sharing!
    • Comment 574467 by
      FiamaArin AUTHOR 71 Comments
      Hi Kevin,

      Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Hope you enjoyed it! I think ANA did a fantastic job in offering as much of their normal product as possible. Still have options during meals exceeded my expectations and using a card with pictures will definitely help passengers with language barriers.

      FiamaArin

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