Flying on ANA

My flights to and from Tokyo in the spring were in ANA business class (thank you, United miles!), and were a markedly better experience than my trips in United global first in every regard.

Only on a Japanese carrier would the flight attendants line up in the aisles and bow deeply to the passengers after the safety demonstration!  I also received a personal introduction and greeting from “my” flight attendant while we were still on the ground – she offered drinks and newspapers and took my dinner order as well.

My seat deserves special mention.  ANA’s 777 business class is laid out in a luxurious 1-2-1 configuration, exactly the same as United global first (and vastly better than United business, which is 2-4-2!).  The seat is narrower and your feet extend into a small footwell, but I preferred it because of the privacy – each seating area has a seat and a table, which alternate position by row.  I preselected one of the rows where the seat is directly next to the window and the table is next to the seat, with a small wall blocking the view of the aisle, making it feel like my own private (though small) suite area.

I had been looking forward to the food, and ordered the Japanese dinner.  To start, champagne and appetizers.

Next there were three small dishes, from left: tuna with grated yam; then a plate with marinated prawn, fried sweet potato, whelk with garlic butter sauce, and “deep fried cream cheese” (that’s the thing that looks like shredded mini wheats – was really good!); then maple chicken thighs.

The main was simmered mackerel (not my favorite, I find it a bit strong), and then the meal concluded with rice, miso soup, and pickles.  I was surprised by how well the rice was cooked, considering we were at 30,000 feet.

Oddly, I have no recollection of dessert, so I may have declined it.  The lights went off and everyone settled down to sleep, and I did my dutiful best to follow suit, without success.

So instead I watched TV and movies (including a fascinating short documentary on netsuke carving) and checked out the refreshment station in the middle of the cabin, which was complete with neatly presented water, juice, coffee (in cans, naturally!), wine, snacks, and toiletries.

And later on, when I started to get hungry mid-flight, I took advantage of the light dishes menu to order a bowl of Ippudo miso ramen, prepared to order – definitely the best thing I’ve ever eaten on a plane.

Breakfast was Japanese again: some simmered daikon radish, seaweed in vinegar sauce, fish cakes, pickles, tamago, and grilled amberjack with simmered lotus root, plus rice and miso soup of course.  In a nod to the spring season, there was also a sakura-themed pink mochi rice ball.

While the food (other than the ramen) was not exceptional, it was very good and far more nicely prepared and presented than meals I’ve had on US carriers.  And the service was vastly better – quiet, polite, and attentive.  When I went to the bathroom, one of the flight attendants always opened the door for me and took a quick peek inside to make sure all was in order.

As mentioned above, the seat setup was perfect for me and I was able to lie comfortably even if I couldn’t sleep much at all.  When I got bored with the entertainment offerings, I could watch the view from the forward camera mounted beneath the plane – particularly interesting when over northern Canada and Alaska.

While I wouldn’t have wanted the flights to last longer to extend the experience, my time on board was definitely pleasant enough to make a long trip (12 hours!) pass pretty easily!