Thursday, January 11, 2018

ANA Business class NH 879 HND to SYD

ANA Business class NH 879 HND to SYD

Got the opportunity to take ANA from Japan to Australia.
Really like HND airport, very compact, close to Tokyo and has great shops

Haneda has changing themes for the seasons.
During the fall, there were red leaf trees and autumn decorations all over.
Now during the winter, they were replaced with white lights and a snowy scene.
Very cool.


 This udon noodle shop has good udon noodles and a giant bowl too.
Seems to be a chain in Japan.
The ramen shop at the other end of Edo street is also good but only takes cash.


 Some people filming a ninja fighting scene.

Entrance to the ANA lounge shared by other Star Alliance partners.
There was a flight to SIN during that time too from SQ.

The lounge was really crowded and became a lot more crowded to the point that the airport terminal was less crowded than the lounge itself.
Forget about the shower. Waited 45 mins and still not available.
ANA really need to do something about the lounge.
Maybe open up the other lounge.
The JL lounge was, by comparison, so spacious and not crowded at all with better food.






 Cool beer dispensing machine!
Tilts the glass and foams it up. :)



At the gate which was just outside the lounge
 Seat on the left side of the plane.
Managed to get a better seat, which opened up,
This is a full lie flat seat with also has a separate mattress.
You can lay the mattress on top of the seat to have a more comfy sleep.
Pajamas are also available for "rental" during the flight.


The amenity kit contains items from Neal's Yard
Quite a nice set.



Flight menu.
Even though it was a longer flight at around 9 hours, the meals were smaller due to being a red eye flight.


Chose the Japanese meal as always.
 It was alright, not as good as the one from Seattle.


 Ippudo Ramen snack
Upon arrival, we were given a Gold Track arrival card which wasnt really necessary if you used the automated passport clearance.
The automated passport clearance machines were all over the place on arrival and made arrival a breeze!

 Somewhere north of Sydney
 Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House
Nice view from the left side !



Thank you for reading!

ANA Business class NH 177 SEA to NRT

ANA Business class NH 177 SEA to NRT

ANA started this SEA to NRT route back around 2011 and eventually taking over from UA.
Flight uses a 787 except for a short time when the 787 was grounded.

ANA uses the S terminal at SEA which requires a short train ride from the main terminal.
The main terminal was renovated a few years ago and looks really nice now!


At the very crowded "The Club" lounge shared by many airlines as well as Priority pass holders.
Priority pass holders often get turned away due to the small size of the lounge.
But it isnt like they are missing much though as the lounge food offering is mediocre.

 Cardigan Bear eyeing a bowl of yogurt and fruit.
One of the few decent food items at the lounge.

Sadly, this isnt one of the ANA Star Wars planes.



ANA uses a staggered lie flat seat on this 787.
It is a very nice seat which offers good privacy as well.


Slippers, amenity kit by Neals Yard, headphones on the seat





The IFE also offers live tv, including live sports!
Champions League football was live during the flight as well. :)
Awesome!
Many tv programs now have English subtitles and the selection has improved as well.
This is much better than years ago, where English subtitles from non-English media were hard to come by.

Takeoff was delayed a little due to air traffic.
Takeoff was to the south today, most times, it goes north.
Love the view of the curved wing!


Food and drinks menu for the flight.
Always choose the Japanese options on NH/JL!
You will never be disappointed!
Well, unless u dislike Japanese food or seafood.









This is the ANA "Kabosu" drink which tastes like sweet lemonade.
Cardigan Bear approves of this drink!

 The main meal was served shortly and was very good.
Only the dessert was very passable.
Not sure why because in Japan, the desserts are amazing but never had a good dessert on Japanese airlines.



Somewhere over the north Pacific
The 787 window doesnt have a window shade, instead there are about 5 levels of darkness settings.
It could be super bright outside but look like this from inside the plane.


Second meal served before landing.
Strange that ANA has paper separation for this meal instead of putting the rice in a separate bowl.
Looks a bit cheap to have such paper separation.
Can u imagine getting that in a sit down restaurant?

Food was excellent though!



All you can eat soba noodles !
Apparently the servers just keep filling up the bowl until you can eat anymore. :)

Thank you for a nice flight!