ANA announced today that they will be launching service from Tokyo Narita to Seattle and San Jose on their new Boeing 787 aircraft. The service is supposed to start on April 1, 2012, though I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a bit of a delay there.

While the Airbus 380 is an amazing plane, as I found out from flying it in Qantas first class, it really doesn’t add anything in the way of new routes, since for the most part it instead leads to the consolidation of fights and reduction of frequencies. So aside from marginally more comfortable cabins, I’d say it’s a negative for consumers on the whole.

And that’s the beauty of the 787. It leads to new routes and more frequencies, thanks not only to how much lower the operating costs are, but also thanks to how small the plane is. ANA only has 158 seats on their 787s, 46 of which are business class.

I already have a business class seat booked on a Japan Airlines 787 for next May, from Tokyo to Boston, using American miles. That being said, their business class product is nowhere near as good as ANA’s.

These flights aren’t bookable yet, though as soon as I see them loaded I’ll be sure to post, especially since I suspect we’ll see some award seats loaded as well, at least initially.

According to Frequently Flying, ANA has sent out a survey to select Mileage Club members offering 100 miles for completing a survey.

Now, the survey itself doesn’t explicitly mention the 100 bonus miles, but Darren posted the screenshot and it didn’t indicate it was targeted.

What makes this useful is that ANA has one of the best Star Alliance award search tools, though last year they changed rules to only allow members with miles in their account to search for award availability. While there’s a workaround, the 100 miles in your account would mean you’d have full access to the tool without any extra work.

Trip Report Index

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Given that the reLAX lounge was nothing too exciting, I headed down to Singapore Airlines check-in at around 12:20PM, shortly after it opened.

Bradley Terminal exterior

Bradley Terminal interior

Some of the airlines leaving from Bradley

Check-in

Business class check-in

While there were well over 100 people in the economy class line already, there was no one in the business class line. Check-in was prompt and the agent was incredibly charming, and soon enough I had my boarding passes all the way to Kuala Lumpur, as well as lounge invitation for the Star Alliance lounge. She advised me that we would be departing from a remote stand today, saying that boarding would start at 2:45PM, one hour before departure.

I was surprised at just how many police officers and security guards there were with machine guns, not just at El Al check-in, but otherwise too. I was almost scared to take pictures in the terminal.

Bradley is easily the biggest mess of a terminal out there. It’s an absolute cluster-you-know-what. At the same time, in a weird, twisted kind of way, I kind of like it just a little. And that’s simply because of the variety of airlines that fly out of there, mostly to exotic destinations. When I leave out of Bradley I know I’m headed somewhere fun.

I proceeded to the TSA checkpoint, where there was a premium line (up until a few years ago they didn’t have one), though it was basically as long as the other line, and probably ended up taking longer since it’s the same lane that handicapped people, families traveling with small children, and crews use, and they always have line cutting privileges.

The TSA agent checking IDs was so friendly and sincere that I couldn’t help but pay him a compliment, which is a first for the TSA for me.

The biggest problem with security at Bradley Terminal is that they don’t use any line dividers. So once your ID is checked it’s basically just a mob scene to get to the actual x-ray machine, as opposed to a single filed line. After a wait of about 20 minutes I was through, and proceeded to the Star Alliance lounge. While there are some decent restaurants at Bradley Terminal landside, the terminal looks like a hospital corridor airside.

Bradley terminal airside… how charming

The Star Alliance lounge can be accessed through the same elevator as the SkyTeam lounge, though is one floor higher.

Lounge elevator

While the lounge is far from spectacular, there’s still something cool about it to me, since it’s shared by several airlines. So at check-in you’re greeted by a Singapore agent, Lufthansa agent, Asiana agent, Thai agent, Swiss agent, etc., all in their respective uniforms.

I was directed to the business class section of the lounge, which is a pretty big area though always packed. The lounge is nothing special, with a few cold and warm snack options. They have olives, cheese, fruit, chips, some chicken noodle dish, instant noodles, etc. Most importantly, the wireless internet is pretty fast.

Star Alliance business class lounge

Star Alliance business class lounge

Star Alliance business class lounge

Star Alliance business class lounge snack options

Star Alliance business class lounge snack

The odd thing about the lounge is that there is a first class section with a separate entrance, though there’s a door between the two lounges that’s usually wide open. So if you wanted to use the first class lounge you could easily sneak in there. That being said, I’ve used it many times and it’s nothing special, usually just as crowded as the business class lounge.

Door to the first class lounge

At around 2:45PM I left the lounge for the gate (or bus terminal, whichever you prefer), which was maybe a 10 minute walk away. By the time I got there they were boarding coach, though they still have a priority lane. I got onto the bus, where I had to wait for about 10 minutes for it to fill up. I almost felt bad for the other passengers, because I seemed to be the only person not mumbling something along the lines of “oh my gosh, how am I going to survive the next 20 hours?”

Departure gate

Bus

While a bus ride isn’t all that much fun, I did enjoy the views, as we drove past two Qantas A380s, a couple of V Australia 777-300ERs, and an Air Pacific 747. I’ve gotta wonder, though, why does Singapore seem to leave from remote gates so often at LAX? Is it something they do to save money, or can they simply not get a gate?

Sexy Qantas A380s that I’d be flying later in the trip

V Australia 777

The remote stands at LAX aren’t your typical remote stands in that they don’t use airstairs, but instead have a remote gate of sorts, where you walk up a ramp and then through a jetbridge onto the plane.

Remote gate

Ramp up to jetbridge

The one disadvantage of boarding a few minutes late is that the jetbridge line was 100 people deep, so it took a while to board.

Jetbridge

Fortunately, all of the stresses of traveling, especially through Bradley Terminal, subside as soon as you step onboard a Singapore Airlines plane.

Singapore Airlines 11
Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (NRT)
Sunday, May 15
Depart: 3:45PM
Arrive: 7:15PM (+1 day)
Duration: 11hr30min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 11A (Business Class)

At the door I was greeted by two lovely flight attendants who directed me left towards my seat in row 11.

Seat 11A

Seat 11A

Entertainment and seat controls

Before I could even settle in I was offered a pre-departure beverage of choice and newspapers and magazines. I went with champagne, which was promptly served by one of the lovely flight attendants. That was quickly followed by hot towels.

Champagne

Hot towel

At my seat already were headphones and the menu for the flight.

Menu and headphones

While this flight was initially supposed to be operated by the Airbus 380, it was downgraded to a 777-300ER due to the earthquake in Japan. In theory that was a bummer, though it meant I could secure row 11, which is by far the best place to sit in business class on Singapore. For one, it’s part of the forward mini cabin with only two rows. More importantly, however, the seat is vastly superior to the rest of the business class seats. The rest of the seats only have a cutout to put your feet in, while the bulkhead row gives you a ton of open space. The seat really isn’t that much different than what’s offered in first class.

Rest of the mini cabin

Plenty of space

Shortly before scheduled pushback time the captain came on the PA for a welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of a “quick 11 hours.” He said we would be a few minutes late as they loaded some last minute bags, but should make up for it once airborne.

The “new” Singapore safety video showed, which is probably the most boring of any airline out there. The old one at least had decent music with it.

About 15 minutes late we pushed back and quickly began our taxi to runway 24L. After holding for some smaller planes to take off, it was our turn.

Pushing back

Ready to go

The 777-300ER is one powerful beast, and I’m always surprised by how quickly it gets off the ground, even with what I assume is a near full load between fuel and cargo.

The views of the California coast on the climb out were beautiful, as it was a clear and sunny day. After a bit of chop thanks to some thick clouds, the seatbelt sign was turned off less than five minutes after takeoff.

Airport views after takeoff

Coastline views

At that point the flight attendants closed the curtains and their “performance” began. It started with socks and eyeshades being distributed. Interestingly, Singapore doesn’t have an amenity kit in business class. Instead, they have all the essentials in the lavatory.

Socks and eyeshades

Following that hot towels were served, which were quickly followed by one of the flight attendants introducing herself and asking what I’d like to drink. Unlike US airlines, it wasn’t “whaddya wanna drink, hun?” but rather “Mr. Lucky, it’s a pleasure to have you flying with us today, my name is Angel, and along with my colleagues I’ll be taking care of you. May I offer you a beverage now that we’re airborne?” I went with a Diet Coke with lime (or as they seem to call it, lemon), which was served with a small ramekin of cold nuts.

As the flight attendant noticed my ramekin was almost empty, she came by immediately and offered another one.

The KrisWorld entertainment system was turned on, and I started by watching a couple of episodes of “Two and a Half Men.” The entertainment system is fantastic, with all kinds of sitcoms, movies, and CDs.

Entertainment system

At this point the main meal service began, starting with orders being taken. Interestingly, Singapore actually has a pretty simple menu in business class. It’s not five courses, but rather an appetizer, main course, and dessert. As I always say, I’ve never been hungry on an airplane in a premium cabin, so that was perfectly fine by me.

The only disappointment for me is that Singapore no longer serves satay before the appetizer from Los Angeles to Tokyo, as they used to. Now they just serve it from Tokyo to Singapore.

The menu read as follows:

Dinner Menu Los Angeles to Tokyo

Starter

Seared ahi tuna, heart of romaine lettuce, shaved parmesan cheese, anchoiade vinaigrette

Main

Panroasted corn-fed chicken breast in morel sauce with wild mushroom ballotine and garden vegetables

Stir fried beef with ginger and spring onion, served with braised beancurd with eggplant and asparagus and steamed rice

Grilled seabass with artichoke tomato ragout, buttered vegetables and new potatoes

Finale

Double fudge brownie ice cream served with raspberry coulis

Gourmet cheese with garnishes

A selection of fresh fruit

Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas, with pralines

For anyone interested, they also had a Japanese menu, as follows:

Dinner Menu Los Angeles to Tokyo

HANAKOIREKI
Embark on a culinary journey that takes you through the changing flavours of the seasons. Savour the best of spring, summer, autumn and winter in this delectable Japanese meal for the most discerning palate.

ICHINI JYU
Sakizuke
Konbu cured sea bream sashimi salad with citrus dressing

Sunomono
Baby octopus with sesame sauce
Jelly fish with citrus sauce

Shiizakana
Japanese style omelette
Pickled mountain vegetables

Men
Cold green tea soba noodles

NINO JYU
Ha Sun
Smoked salmon rolled with radish sprout

Takiawase
Fried tofu cake with ginger sauce

Kuchitori
Assorted pickles

Yakimono
Wagyu beef with garlic sauce

Gohan
Bamboo shoot steamed rice

Tome-Wan
Miso soup with spinach, seaweed and tofu

Mizugashi
Sesame ice cream with garnishes

Lastly, the wine list read as follows:

Champagne
Bollinger Special Cuvee

White Wine
Cuvaison Chardonnay 2008 Napa Valley Carneros
Dr Loosen 2008 Riesling

Red Wine
Chateau Paloumey 2007 Haut-Medoc
Tenuta Di Castiglioni 2007

Port
Offley LBV 2005 Port
Fonseca Unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage 2005

I went with the seared ahi tuna and stir fry beef.

The meal service was at a rather leisurely pace, as the flight attendants seem to be stretched rather thin when the cabin is nearly full.

Seared ahi tuna, heart of romaine lettuce, shaved parmesan cheese, anchoiade vinaigrette

The tuna was delicious, and served with Singapore’s always excellent garlic bread.

Once the starter was complete, my beef stir fry was served, which was also good. Nothing earth shattering, but good.

Stir fried beef with ginger and spring onion, served with braised beancurd with eggplant and asparagus and steamed rice

After that I was offered dessert, which was delicious ice cream. While Singapore’s desserts in first class are always works of art, I kind of wish that they’d get a bit more creative with their desserts in business class.

Double fudge brownie ice cream served with raspberry coulis

Once ice cream was served, the cheese cart was rolled through the cabin, and I went with a little bit of everything.

Gourmet cheese with garnishes

To finish off the meal I ordered a coffee.

Coffee

The service throughout the meal was typical Singapore service – efficient, detail oriented, and always with a smile.

Meal service finished with a hot towel and bottle of water.

Hot towel

Bottled water

Then it was time to relax and enjoy the great “hard” product. Singapore really must have the best business class seat out there. It reclines a good bit, but then if you want to turn it into a bed you have to get up and flip the surface over.

Seat in the reclined position

I wasn’t tired yet, so watched a few more TV shows, starting with the BBC comedy “Come Fly Wit Me.” While I’ve seen all the episodes before, there’s something fun about watching “Come Fly With Me” on an airplane. Then I watched the British Comedy “Maranda,” which was hilarious, followed by some “Modern Family.” I then got a bit of work done on my laptop, at which point we were almost half way to Tokyo.

Watching “Modern Family”

Airshow

I checked out the snack selection, not because I was especially hungry, but because I wanted to swipe a few snacks for the rest of my trip, since I’m sure we’ve all been hungry in our hotel rooms at 2AM jetlagged.

Snacks

The snacks offered included chips, Hersheys chocolate, nuts, etc. I put those in my bag, and a few minutes later asked for a Krispy Kreme doughnut. I wasn’t really hungry, but there’s just something cool about eating a freshly made Krispy Kreme doughnut on an airplane. The flight attendant came up to my seat and said “Mr. Lucky, please be so kind as to pick out which doughnut you would like and I will plate it for you.” I pointed to one with sprinkles, which was served moments later on a plate with a fork and knife. Ah…

Krispy Kreme doughnuts

Doughnut

Just for reference, the full snack menu read as follows:

Light Bites Menu Los Angeles to Tokyo

Should you fancy a little snack or something more substantial in between your meals, simply make your selection known to our crew, during the flight

Noodles

Rice noodles in broth served with fish balls

Kitsune udon
White wheat noodles in light fish broth garnished with sweetened beancurd and fish cake

Vegetarian and non vegetarian instant noodles

Sandwiches

Tomato tortilla wrap with chipotle pepper nayonnaise spread, smoked chicken, avocado, tomato and letture

Krispy kreme doughnut

Snacks

Assorted nuts

Chips

Fruit yoghurt

Chocolate bar

Assorted biscuits

A selection from the fruit basket

At that point I was feeling pretty tired so decided it was time to get some sleep. One of the lovely flight attendants made my bed with great care, and brought me another bottle of water while I visited the lav.

In bed mode

Classy lavatory

Amenities

I woke up about two hours out of Tokyo as the second meal service began, starting with juice and hot towels. I went with an orange juice.

Orange juice

The menu read as follows:

Light Meal Menu Los Angeles to Tokyo

Starter

Salad of cajun spiced grilled chicken with boston and frisee lettuces, caramelised walnut, feta cheese, shaved fennel and dried cranberry served with chipotle dressing

Main

Malay style fried noodles with seafood and chicken satay

Enchiladas
Baked corn tortilla with pork stek, tomatillo salsa, panela cheese and red onion

Finale

Lavendar and chocolate gateau

Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas

Or the Japanese menu read as follows:

Light Meal Menu Los Angeles to Tokyo

HANAKOIREKI
Embark on a culinary journey that takes you through the changing flavours of the seasons. Savour the best of spring, summer, autumn and winter in this delectable Japanese meal for the most discerning palate.

Kuchitori
Egg tofu and salmon roe

Yakimono
Black cod with miso sauce

Takiawase
Seasoned and braised shrimp, shiitake mushroom
Lotus root and carrot

Sunomono
Yuzu citrus tart with seasonal fruit

Gohan
Steamed rice with seasoned cod roe
Assorted pickles

Tome-Wan
Miso soup with wheat cake, shredded egg and shiso leaf

Mizugashi

Shortly thereafter the starter, which was a cajun chicken salad, was served, accompanied by bread from the bread basket.

Salad of cajun spiced grilled chicken with boston and frisee lettuces, caramelised walnut, feta cheese, shaved fennel and dried cranberry served with chipotle dressing

For the main course I went with the fried noodles with seafood and satay, which was delicious.

Malay style fried noodles with seafood and chicken satay

For dessert was a small piece of chocolate cake, which was also tasty.

Lavendar and chocolate gateau

Airshow

About 30 minutes before landing the captain came on the PA to advise us of our on time arrival at Tokyo Narita, and advised the crew to prepare the cabin for landing. Headsets were collected and we descended into Narita as day turned to night.

On descent

After a smooth landing and quick taxi we parked right next to a United new colors 747.

United 747 next door

After bidding the crew farewell it was off to transit security, where I was the first one, surprisingly. I guess most of the people on my flight were terminating their travels in Tokyo. Security in Japan is always a pleasure – they’re so friendly, the process is so simple, and you don’t feel violated when you’re through.

I took the escalator down to the ANA business class lounge, where I was promptly admitted. While I wanted to shower, I first checked my email briefly, which I always do to make sure the world hasn’t ended (or something like that).

ANA lounge entrance

The ANA business class lounge is nice with finger sandwiches, a noodle and sake bar, and all kinds of drinks, though it’s nothing special.

ANA lounge interior

After about 15 minutes I decided it was time for a shower. I love the showers in the ANA lounge because they’re very high pressure, though the only downside is that they’ve substantially deteriorated the quality of their toiletries over the years. Now you only get a tiny sample back of shampoo and body gel, which just doesn’t cut it.

Shower room

Shower room

Once I was done with the shower reboarding was already underway, so I headed to gate 41, where the plane was parked. Boarding was super speedy since almost everyone was already aboard, and I settled back into 11A.

Narita terminal

Narita terminal

Singapore-bound 777

Singapore Airlines 11
Tokyo (NRT) – Singapore (SIN)
Monday, May 16
Depart: 8:50PM
Arrive: 3:05AM (+1 day)
Duration: 7hr15min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 11A (Business Class)

Waiting for me at my seat, once again, were headphones and a menu. I was immediately offered socks and eyeshades, followed by a pre-departure beverage. I went with the pineapple juice (or whatever tropical juice it is that they have).

Eyeshades and socks

Pre-departure beverage

Hot towels quickly followed.

The captain came on the PA to welcome us aboard and announce our flight time of 6hr45min, anticipating we would arrive right on schedule (shed-jewel).

One of the disadvantages of sitting in the first row of business class is that you have a full view of first class during boarding. On this particular flight it was just a Japanese couple in first class, and I found it quite funny as the guy was standing up in his pajamas looking at business class with a huge grin, knowing he had the cabin to himself. Rub it in, buddy.

We pushed back right on time and began our taxi to runway 16R. Singapore Airlines recently pushed back the departure time of the Los Angeles to Singapore (via Tokyo) flight, so that it leaves Los Angeles a couple of hours later and also leaves Tokyo a couple of hours later. Previously it got in at around 1AM, though now it gets in at 3AM. That’s awful, except for the fact that it leaves Tokyo later, which means that the queues for takeoff aren’t as long out of Tokyo anymore, since the evening rush has already left.

After a quick takeoff roll we were airborne, though this time the seatbelt sign stayed on for a while as there was some turbulence on the way out. The captain kept the seatbelt sign on for about 30 minutes.

The KrisWorld entertainment system wasn’t turned on for about 30 minutes, and even at that point there were problems with the system, so they had to reboot. It was 45 minutes into the flight before the system worked.

Entertainment system issues

Once the ride smoothed out a bit, the flight attendants quickly sprung into action. They first distributed socks and eyeshades, followed quickly by taking drink and meal orders.

The dinner menu read as follows:

Dinner Menu Tokyo to Singapore

Prelude

Satay
With onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce

Starter

Marinated prawns with sliced lotus root and sesame seeds

Main

Anchovy and caper crusted cod with pepper sauce, buttered vegetables and fettucine pasta

Wagu Koshi-ni
Soya flavoured beef steak, sauteed vegetables and steamed rice

Roast peppered chicken with gravy, ratatouille and potatoes

Finale

Gourmet ice cream

Gourmet cheese with garnishes

A selection of fresh fruit

Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas, with pralines

The Japanese menu read as follows:

Dinner Menu Tokyo to Singapore

HANAKOIREKI
Embark on a culinary journey that takes you through the changing flavours of the seasons. Savour the best of spring, summer, autumn and winter in this delectable Japanese meal for the most discerning palate.

ICHINI JYU
Sakizuke
Bamboo shoot, udo, squid marinated with kinome miso

Sunomono
Conger eel bo-sushi, lily bulb, boiled nabana with mustard

Shiizakana
Omeltte with mountain vegetable
Burdock rolled with conger eel, ginger stick

Men
Cha soba noodle, soba sauce, egg julienne, mountain vegetables
Spring onion, seaweed, wasabi

NINO JYU
Ha Sun
Simmered baby octopus, ice fish, mountain vegetable, wrapped sea bream, grilled prawn with egg yolk, plum jelly

Takiawase
Simmered bamboo shoot and sea bream eggs
Butterbur and carrot flower

Kuchitori
Marinated radish, carrot, cucumber
with conger eel, salmon roe and white sesame

Yakimono
Grilled flounder Saikyo-yaki
Kelp roll

Gohan
Steamed rice with minced beef

Tome-Wan
Miso soup

Mizugashi
Yuzu mousse cake with citrus sauce

I ordered a Singapore Sling as my drink, and since I wasn’t especially hungry, skipped the main course.

Singapore Sling

To start was satay, which is one of my favorites on Singapore. As I mentioned before, I’m sad that they no longer serve it between Los Angeles and Tokyo. Actually, you’d think they would serve it on Los Angeles to Tokyo, which is a flight during “normal” meal hours, as opposed to Tokyo to Singapore, which is basically a redeye. Whatever. Regardless, it was as good as it’s ever been.

Satay

The starter of the prawn salad was served next, with a choice of breads. I went with garlic bread, which has never disappointed me on Singapore.

Marinated prawns with sliced lotus root and sesame seeds

The seatbelt sign went on a few times during the meal service, which meant service was suspended a couple of times. It’s a real shame, since I was dying to get some shut eye.

About two hours after takeoff my last course was served, which was ice cream. It was tasty, though it certainly wouldn’t hurt if Singapore had a bit of variety in their desserts. Service finished off with a bottle of water and some pralines.

Gourmet ice cream

Praline

Bottled water

At that point my bed was made, and I got a solid four or so hours of sleep. Like I said, the bed is very comfortable for sleeping, and I was very tired, not to mention I had a 15 hour layover in Singapore without a hotel room.

In bed mode

I woke up as we began our descent into Singapore, at which point the seatbelt sign was once again turned on.

Airshow

The descent was mostly smooth, with the exception of a few very thick clouds, which caused quite a bit of chop.

Approach into Singapore

We touched down shortly before 3AM and had a quick taxi to terminal 3. Changi Airport is tranquil all times of the day, but especially at 3AM. While I was exhausted after flying for over 20 hours, I wasn’t tired, so I figured my wait till my 5PM flight would be survivable enough.

ANA is making some minor changes to their partner award chart, for travel booked on or after April 1, 2011. Their award chart is distance based (meaning you’re charged based on the number of miles flown), so they’re just “simplifying” the award chart for travel of under 2,000 miles. See the new and old award chart here. Previously there were different rates for travel of 0-600 miles, 601-1,600 miles, and 1,601-2000 miles. Now they’re billing all awards of under 2,000 miles at the previous 1,601-2,000 mile level.

Fortunately other than that, the award chart remains unchanged… including the ability to book Virgin Atlantic from New York to London for 63,000 miles in Upper Class.

Part One: The Planning Process
Part Two: TPA-IAD on United in First Class, Lufthansa Senator Lounge IAD
Part Three: IAD-NRT on ANA in First Class
Part Four: ANA First Class Lounge NRT and NRT-SIN on Singapore Airlines in First Class
Part Five: The Crowne Plaza Changi
Part Six: The Grand Hyatt Singapore
Part Seven: Singapore
Part Eight: Singapore Business Class SIN-BKK, Thai First Class Lounge BKK
Part Nine: BKK-NRT on Thai in First Class, NRT-ICN on United in First Class
Part Ten: The Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport
Part Eleven: The Park Hyatt Seoul
Part Twelve: Seoul
Part Thirteen: ICN-FRA on Asiana in First Class
Part Fourteen: The InterContinental Frankfurt
Part Fifteen: Lufthansa First Class Terminal and FRA-SEA on Lufthansa in First Class
Part Sixteen: Conclusion

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ANA 0001, IAD-NRT, 777-300ER
Tuesday, June 15
Depart: 12:20PM
Arrive: 3:25PM+1
Duration: 14hr05min
Seat: 2A (First Class)

Once aboard I was greeted by the purser and another flight attendant, who promptly directed me to my seat. They were all smiles. The “Another Sky” signature ANA boarding music was playing, which is soothing. On one hand I never like the no cell phone on the ground rule, but on the other hand I all of a sudden felt so relaxed. It had been a tough couple of weeks on many levels, and being able to escape mentally was perfect.

While I have flown ANA a handful of times before, this was my first trip with them in first class, so I was quite looking forward to it. The first class cabin is equipped with a total of eight seats, and I was the only passenger to begin with.

Seat 2A

View from 2A

View from 2A

Seat controls

Side of seat

Seat storage

Other seats

Once settled in the purser came by my seat and introduced herself. She explained that there was a sweater and pair of pajamas at my seat that I could change into, and I indicated I would like to change after takeoff (the reason being that I wanted to take a picture of the pajamas first, and I can’t take a picture of them on the ground since no electronic devices are allowed).

Sweater and pajamas

Pajamas

She offered me magazines and newspapers, and I went with USA Today and Time. The other first class flight attendant then came by to introduce herself, and asked me how to pronounce my last name.

Newspapers and magazines

The flight attendant then returned with a basket full of toiletries/amenities, along with a bag. ANA doesn’t have a traditional amenity kit stocked with goodies. Instead, they fill it up with what you need. No expensive brands like JAL, which has Shiseido products in their amenity kit. Instead they just had ANA branded toothbrushes, eye masks, face and hand cream, combs, and little aroma kits. Hardly spectacular, though the flight attendant stocked my “bag” quite liberally.

Amenity kit contents

Amenity kit

Japanese Aviation Regulations apparently also dictate no pre-departure beverages, so there were none of those, unfortunately. Fortunately the boarding process is pretty quick so there wasn’t much time to just sit around, but I did explore the seat a bit. The cabin is configured in a 1-2-1 configuration with two rows, and each seat is quite private. While it’s not as private as Jet Airways first class, that can be a good thing. When the cabin isn’t full I’ll take an “open” cabin over a suite where I have a door, as it feels more spacious.

First class cabin

Center seats in first class cabin

As boarding finished up one more passenger, an older Japanese man, joined me in first class. He was seated in seat 1K, so we were on completely opposite ends of the cabin. The doors closed by around 12:40PM, about 20 minutes late, and we quickly began our pushback.

The manual safety demonstration commenced, and the flight attendants did their “safety” checks. Now this is the thing that absolutely cracks me up about ANA. Before the plane takes off the flight attendants will go up to every overhead bin and literally just touch it with one finger to ensure it is closed. Not only that, but in this case, I spotted four flight attendants checking the same overhead bins in first class. It’s just the most superficial safety check, so it really is quite entertaining. And the worst part is that they’re not even touching the latch, but rather just a random part of the bin.

After a slow taxi to runway 19C the quadruple chime was heard throughout the cabin and we slowly but surely rolled down the runway. After a long takeoff roll we were airborne. There were some bumps on the climb out, so the seatbelt sign was only turned off after about 10 minutes.

Climb out

Clouds from close to cruise altitude

Airshow after takeoff

At that point I changed into pajamas. It’s worth noting that ANA doesn’t actually let you keep the pajamas. They wash and reuse them, which is a bit disappointing, given that JAL, their competitor, lets you keep them (and ANA is generally thought of as the superior carrier).

The funny thing is that in the lavatory they have a little “platform” that folds down for changing. I guess the premise is that you don’t want to change on the floor that’s constantly being peed on. Creative!

Lavatory platform to change on

Lavatory

Lavatory amenities

As I exited the lavatory I tried to fold my clothes a little bit before hanging them, but the purser absolutely insisted on doing it for me.

As we leveled off the captain came on the PA and announced the flight time of 13hr17min. I didn’t really understand anything else he said.

The purser then offered me the menu and wine list, which was presented in a nice folder.

Menu folder

Menu and wine list

The lunch menu read as follows:

Our special kappo course

Our original Japanese cuisine is carefully prepared with seasonal ingredients and accented with palate-pleasing flavors. Enjoy a course meal or feel free to select single dishes of your choice. Then, savor your selection in comfort — just as you would in a private dining room at your favorite restaurant

Otsukuri
Quick-seared rare tuna and kombu kelp-cured flounder sashimi with steamed sea urchin eggs

Nimonowan
Savory egg custard and seasonal garnish in hot seafood stock

Mushimono
Steamed red tilefish wrapped up in grated turnip with wasabi-flavored seafood broth

Kobachi
King crabmeat cocktail, cucumber and wakame seaweed with Tosa vinegar

Shusai
Sake-steamed sablefish with rich vegetable broth

Braised duck breast and vegetables with lightly citrus soy sauce

Steamed rice
Freshly-steamed Hokkaido Yume Pirika rice, miso soup and assorted pickles

Freshly-steamed Megumimai rice, miso soup and assorted pickles

Wagashi You can also choose from the cheese plate, dessert, or petits fours on our a la care menu.
Azabu monaka (a wafer cake filled with red adzuki bean jam)

A la carte

Enjoy modern European delicacies from our menu degustation.
You can choose from half portion or full portion dishes, and then mix and match selections to suit your taste, just as you like.

Appetizer plate
Caviar with traditional garnish
Lobster and avocado cocktail with spicy mayonnaise
Seasonal white and green asparagus with prosciutto
Foie gras pâté with pear compotes trio

Fresh garden vegetables Our cabin attendant will serve you personally
Served with a choice of dressings — yuzu citron of Japanese harmony taste, Italian or creamy pepper

Main plate
Gratinéed mussels with herb and fennel flavors
Braised beef and burdock root galantine in red wine-flavored veal stock
Veal costoletta Milanese with sour vegetable salsa

Selection of breads Choose from four kinds of breads, or select steamed rice from our special kappo course.
Choice of flavorful premium lsigny butter or extra-virgin olive oil with bread

Cheese plate
Camembert, Stilton and Comté

Dessert You can also choose wagashi from our special kappo course
Premium vanilla and mocha chip ice cream duo
Fruits tart
Warm apple crumble tart with premium vanilla ice cream
Fresh seasonal fruits

Petits fours

And the wine list read as follows:

Champagne:
Krug Grande Cuvee

White Wine:
Mer Soleil Chardonnay 2007
Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spaetlese 2007
Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume 2007 Domaine Chatelain de Oliveira

ANA Special Select Wine:
Bulgia 2006 Testamatta Di BIBI GRAETZ

Red Wine:
Hess Collection Cabarnet Sauvignon 2006
Corton Perrieres Cru 2007 Vincent Girardin
Cirrus Syrah 2006

ANA Special Select Wine:
Grace Merlot 2006

Dessert Wine:
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2005

Immediately thereafter the other flight attendant brought my noise reduction headsets and a towel, and took my drink order.

Headsets and towel

I asked for a Diet Coke with ice and lime, which was promptly served.

Diet Coke with lime

There were at most four ounces of Diet Coke in there, between the half full glass and ice, though the flight attendants were so attentive that they could pull it off. I thought it was funny that every time I requested a refill, it came in a new glass instead of just topping off my glass.

The flight attendant brought out an appetizer cart with six small plates to nibble on, including three western options and three Japanese options. Based on what I’ve read about ANA, they board plenty of food, and they’re all for letting everyone sample as much as they want. So I didn’t feel too sheepish about taking the three western options and one of the Japanese options. They were quite tasty, and even more impressive to me was the precision with which the flight attendants served, when it came to the way they placed everything on my tray.

Pre-appetizer

Pre-appetizer

After the small plates the purser came by to take my order, and I decided to go to town. I ordered the caviar, the lobster and asparagus appetizers, the salad, and the beef tenderloin. I can’t begin to say how impressed I was by the flight attendants. They genuinely cared and wanted to provide great service, and they were much more confident with their English abilities than their counterparts at JAL. I don’t want to say I prefer an airline because the flight attendants speak better English, but it really does make a difference because it makes them more confident and less nervous when communicating, and that’s generally reflected in the quality of their service.

The caviar course was quite good, and the flight attendant insisted I have a glass of Krug with it, which I accepted.

Table setup

Krug

Caviar with traditional garnish

Caviar with traditional garnish

I have to say I really love ANA’s plating and glassware. As soon as the caviar course was cleared, the two appetizers were delivered, which were the lobster and avocado cocktail with spicy mayonnaise and seasonal white and green asparagus with prosciutto. Unfortunately lobster and prosciutto aren’t my two favorite foods, but it was still decent. I was also offered some bread from the bread basket, and went with a baguette and roll.

Bread from breadbasket

Lobster and avocado cocktail with spicy mayonnaise and seasonal white and green asparagus with prosciutto

Next the salad was served with creamy pepper dressing. It too was tasty.

Salad

Now here’s where I’m a bit confused. Typically main courses in international first class are quite grand. In this case the flight attendant served me a tiny plate with the braised beef. I can’t say I really liked it, but it wasn’t bad either. And to clarify, I don’t have a problem with the small portion after eating about 10 plates worth of food, but it was just a bit surprising.

Braised beef and burdock root galantine in red wine-flavored veal stock

I was stuffed, but I wasn’t in a position to turn down ice cream. I asked for some Baileys and had some mocha and vanilla ice cream. The flight attendant apologized profusely as the ice cream was still hard, and said it would take a few minutes.

Premium vanilla and mocha chip ice cream duo

Overall I was really impressed by the service. The food was quite good, though for my taste buds I far prefer Swiss, but the service and attention to detail were exceptional. Maybe it’s partly because there was only one other passenger, but the service was just at the perfect pace, lasting about two hours.

To finish off the meal the purser offered me a bottle of water, towel, and pralines.

Water, towel, and pralines

I asked her if I could get a duvet and blanket, at which point she expressed concern as to whether I was feeling OK, given that it’s only 3PM and I wanted to sleep. I explained that I hardly got any sleep the night before, but more importantly enjoy watching movies while in “bed,” so wasn’t going to sleep yet. She sighed with relief, obviously distressed that I might not be happy with the flight. She began by dimming the cabin lights, which was much appreciated.

Cabin after lunch

She made my bed with great care, and asked me if the cabin temperature was alright, which it was. Did you hear that, European airlines? Other airlines ask passengers about the cabin temperature, unlike the typical Lufthansa upper deck sauna.

The bed was extremely comfortable. There were no “awkward” positions/intrusions, and there was plenty of width to the seat. The duvet and pillows weren’t great, but the amazing bed more than made up for it.

In bed mode

In bed mode

In bed mode

TV while in bed mode

I decided to watch a movie, and eventually decided on Intolerable Cruelty. It was quite entertaining, though by the end of it I was drifting to sleep, so decided it was time for a nap. With about eight hours to go to Narita, I figured I had plenty of time. While I was exhausted, I just wasn’t tired, so didn’t get more than two hours of rest.

Airshow location

Cabin when waking up

When I woke up a flight attendant quickly appeared to offer me something to eat. Lady, you just served me a 38 course meal, I’m not hungry! But since I am on an airplane, I get tempted a bit too easily. The snack menu read as follows:

Light dishes

We invite you to enjoy light dishes whenever you wish. You’ll find these dishes are a delicious follow-up to alcoholic beverages

Bowl of hot Japanese udon noodles with nameko mushroom and yam garnish

Japanese tea poured over steamed rish, garnished with spicy-pickled takana greens

Steamed chicken thigh with simple sesame soy sauce, served over steamed rice

Traditional clam chowder

Toasted pork cutlet sandwich

Penne amatriciana

Chicken tikka masala, accompanied with steamed rice

After mulling over the menu, and remembering what an awful sweet tooth I have, I asked whether there was any way I could get the apple tart with vanilla ice cream. She obliged, and 10 minutes later appeared with a glass of water and towel.

Hot towel and water

This was quickly followed by a tablecloth and steamy apple tart accompanied by slowly melting ice cream. It was delicious.

Warm apple crumble tart with premium vanilla ice cream

I wasn’t hungry and I really shouldn’t have eaten more, but what the hell. I started watching From Paris with Love, which was entertaining enough, but what’s the fun in watching a movie without something to eat? So I ordered some udon noodles. They appeared about 15 minutes later, and were tasty.

Bowl of hot Japanese udon noodles with nameko mushroom and yam garnish

She still tried to convince me to eat more, but eventually I decided to be rational and resist. Almost as if disappointed at not having done a good enough sales job, she walked away and cleared my tablecloth and bowl. She also brought me a bottle of water and another towel.

Towel and water

From Paris with Love was entertaining enough. It’s one of those movies I won’t remember tomorrow, but at the same time I don’t regret seeing. Then again, as many of you have pointed out, I’m no movie critic, because I liked Couples Retreat.

As the movie finished up I decided to do the “call button test.” On every flight in international first class I try to push the call button when no flight attendants are in sight to see how long it takes for one to show up (and it’s a legitimate test — it’s because I’m feeling lazy but wanted some more water). I had the timer on my iPhone on, and it took the flight attendant 7.6 seconds to appear. Not bad in my book! She refilled my water and once again tried to convince me to eat something, but I declined.

After From Paris with Love I decided to take another nap for about an hour, waking up with about 2.5 hours to go to Narita. Within minutes of me waking up the flight attendant asked whether I’d care for something to eat. I figured it would be as good of a time as any for the pre-arrival meal. The pre-arrival menu read as follows:

Refreshing fare

Set menus are available for your refreshment before arrival. You can mix and match dishes of your choice from petite Japanese course or petite international course menus

Petite Japanese course You can also choose fresh seasonal fruit from the petite international course

Kobachi — Lightly vinegared mozuku seaweed

Shusai Salt-grilled salmon

Steamed rice, miso soup and assorted pickles or creamy rice pooridge

Accompaniment for steamed rice Choose from four condiments
Dried seaweed
Natto (fermented soybeans)
Braised tangy sansho pepper
Braised green pepper sprouts

Petite international course You can also choose steamed rice from the petite Japanese course

Main dish — Braised chicken thigh in creamy veal stock

Bread roll
Accompanied with flavorful premium lsingy butter and a choice of strawberry confiture, marmalada or

Fresh seasonal fruit

Crisp brown rice flakes with milk

I wasn’t a huge fan of “chicken thigh,” so asked if I could go with the penne from the snack menu instead. It wasn’t an issue, and within about 10 minutes it was served.

Location during pre-arrival meal

Hot towel

Penne amatriciana

Following that was a fruit plate, which was light and refreshing.

Fresh seasonal fruit

Since I had gone for two of the three desserts from the lunch menu, I asked whether they still had a fruit tart from the first meal service, which was also promptly delivered.

Fruit tart

While I’m not the biggest fan of ANA’s food, the menu flexibility is awesome. You can have basically anything from any menu at any time. That’s kind of hard to beat.

With about an hour to go to Tokyo I changed out of my pajamas and freshened up, in preparation of what would be a long rest of the day, first with a three hour layover at Narita and then a seven hour flight to Singapore.

Before landing I made a quick trip to business class to see what the load was like. As I walked towards the curtain the purser chased me with a look of horror on her face, as she reminded me the first class lavatories were in the front of the aircraft. I explained that I just wanted to stretch my legs, and she of course obliged. Not only that, but she followed me to business class to let all the other flight attendants know that I was actually in first class, so that they don’t try to stop me when I return. Overkill much?

The biggest of the three business class cabins on this aircraft

We landed on runway 16L and came to a very quick stop by around 3:10PM, at which point we taxied for about 15 minutes. When we arrived at the gate the flight attendants quickly closed the curtains between business and first class (which always cracks me up), and I bid farewell to the crew and thanked them for the great flight.

Overall I was really impressed by ANA, much more so than JAL. The attention to detail of the flight attendants really made the flight great. For example, every time I went to the lavatory the flight attendants would re-make my pillow and bed, adding a bottle of water to my console along with a hot towel.

That being said, I still prefer Singapore Airlines. While the service is excellent on both, the food is a bit more to my liking on Singapore. Most importantly, though, the entertainment is much, much better. I was kind of bored during the flight. The movie selection is limited (there was only one comedy, for example), and there were no TV shows. There’s nothing I like more than a few episodes of The Simpsons, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, etc., during a flight. But they didn’t have a single sitcom I would consider seeing.

But I would fly ANA in first class again in a heartbeat. They’re a solid airline and the first class seats are among the most comfortable of any I’ve had for sleeping – too bad it was a daytime flight!