MY 400 SGD ANA BUSINESS CLASS Ticket! Part III!

I was on my whirlwind 400 SGD ANA ticket and am flying back from Los Angeles via San Francisco as well as Tokyo. I will be taking a total of 3 flights. I have already shared my experience flying from Singapore to Narita and Narita to Los Angeles. This time around, I will be flying back from SFO, another one of ANA’s signature routes. It will also be on their 777. Sadly, I did not get one of the newer 77 with ANA’s latest cabin products. This will still be in the staggered business class products that I have already flown twice. I am keen to see what the service will be like when flying from the US back to Japan. It will also allow me to try out the catering out of Japan.

Checking In

While I had already checked in for my flight earlier in Ontario, United Airlines could not issue me the ANA boarding pass. They did manage to intercept my baggage and check it to Singapore. I spent most of my time in the United Polaris Lounge in SFO. They also could not issue my boarding pass. There isn’t a transfer desk for ANA at SFO and you can only get the boarding pass at your gate. This is the standard procedure for ANA passengers with a domestic transfer.

Boarding Process

My flight was scheduled for 12.20pm and boarding only started at 12.30 due to some refuelling delay. This is not what I had expected from a Japanese carrier where punctuality is key. This is further delayed till 1pm and boarding started with those needing assistance, Diamond Premier Members and then Business Class. Boarding was very neat and efficient as with ANA.

I was warmly welcomed by the crew onboard and the crew in charge of my aisle came over to welcome me onboard. She also introduced herself and addressed me by name. This is a very nice touch of service that I appreciated. I would love to see Singapore Airlines adopting this SOP too. She also offered to hang my jacket. Left on the seat is a set of amenities consisting of headphones, slippers, a mattress pad, a blanket as well as an amenity kit. This is only provided for long-haul flights.

While on the ground the crew came by with welcome drinks and I also got pyjamas from them. With ANA, “pyjamas” are only on loan from them and on request. There was a choice between orange juice or sparkling wine in plastic glasses. I wish that they used proper glassware. We had a pretty long wait on the ground and finally began the takeoff run at around 1.30pm. All in all, we were delayed about an hour.

Air Nippon Airlines 777 Staggered Long Haul Business Class

This is the same type of business class seats that I flew to the States. I will not share in detail about the seats. You can refer back to my previous post here. This time around I am in the back of the cabin in 21C. This is rather close to Premium Economy. Business class was pretty full. Similarly, the aisle seats alternate between being closer to the window or being closer to the aisle. Here are some pictures of the seat.

In contrast to the bulkhead seats, the regular seats are significantly more narrow. This can be seen from the entrance to the seat.

Immediately to the side of the seat, this is where you can find all the seat controls. It allows you to adjust the backrest as well as shifting the seat forwards and backwards. Do note that the seat doesn’t come with a legrest. This is my main criticism of this seat. You need to push forward your seat to fully rest your legs on the ottoman. If not it will be rather uncomfortable. To the right, you can find the platform as well as a headphone holder. It also comes with an international power outlet and a USB plug. This is also where the remote for the television is located. It is one of the older ones with an inflight phone.

The television comes with touchscreen controls. There are both live TV as well as a good selection of movies. While it isn’t KrisWorld or ICE, there are more than sufficient selections for your flight. The aircraft is also equipped with Wi-Fi but complimentary access is not offered for business class passengers. Right next to the television, you can find a coat hook.

The ottoman is of a good size and fairly deep. The seat can be converted into a bed using the controls.

You do not have to get up. This time around when I was setting up the bed, a crew very nicely came over to help me set it up with the mattress pad. I wish turndown service were a standard offering on all ANA business-class flights. I love their blanket and pillow. The mattress pad can be improved and be of a full size that covers the entire sleeping surface. I struggled to sleep given how warm the cabin is. Japanese carriers always tended to keep the cabin temperature so high.

Between the two meal service, the crew also set up a small refreshment area in the gallery.

Pyjamas are also offered upon request and this is more of a “loan” from the airline. It felt weird that these were cleaned and not brand-new ones. It is a first for me. Do note that these can get rather hot at times and ANA likes to keep the cabin very warm. A self-bought t-shirt will be better.

The toilet in the middle between the two business-class cabins is much more spacious and even comes with a window. How lovely is this! Peeing with a view? You got it here! No one’s gonna spy on you at 41,000 ft in the air!

Meal Service

I have heard that the Western meal is better when you are departing the US and the Jap selection is preferred for flights out of Japan. You can find the food menu and the drinks menu for the flight here. Upon levelling off, the crew came over to take drinks orders. I got some iced green tea and Sake. I love Ocha and this is one of my favourite drinks onboard ANA. This is served with the amuse bouche.

I opted for the Western menu since I had Japanese on all of my previous flights. I had the Beef Steak and paired it with some Merlot. The lovely crew soon came by to set up the table. The starter was Cajun Scallops and dry-cured Pork Ham with Green Sauce. I had bites of it. It wasn’t too fantastic. This was served with some bread rolls and they were nicely warmed.

The crew then served me the Beef Fillet Steak with Herb Caper Sauce. This was delicious and very flavourful. It is nicely heated to medium rare. Steak dishes are often challenging to perfect onboard and it is very easy to overheat them during the preparation onboard.

I was still feeling hungry after my steak and the crew very kindly offered me an additional portion of the Japanese Meal. The grilled Gold Striped Amberjack with Soy-based Sauce was divine. This is perfect with white rice.

The meal ended with desserts and I was offered some fruits and ice cream. I would love it if ANA offered some variety in their ice cream instead of having just Vanilla flavour Haagen-Dazs all the time. Midway through the flight, I got some Ippudo ramen. No one can resist an ippudo ramen. This is one of the best things onboard and even better than instant noodles. Trust me! The effect of the ramen making you hungry is even more powerful. This is another reason why SQ should come up with the Laksa snack box or something for mid-flight snacks. I far prefer this to the rest of the mid-flight snacks.

I had the pork rice bowl on my other flight.

About 2 hours out from landing, the cabin was prepared for the second meal service. While my original plan was to go all out on the Western meals on this flight, the options didn’t sound particularly interesting and I opted for the Japanese menu instead. First up, the crew brought over the Kobachi which was simmered white konjac noodles and spicy fish roe. Then the main course is served alongside steamed rice and miso soup. The simmered mackerel with Japanese plum in soy-based sauce was excellent. The sauce goes so well with the rice. I love it. I paired it up with some Suntory Premium Malt beer. To end the service, the crew came by with some chocolates and sweets.

Conclusion

Sadly, I did not manage to get a flight with the newer seats onboard their 777. That hard product will be way better. This is still a very comfortable way to fly and I enjoyed it. ANA and in general Japanese carriers always keep their cabin very warm and this is no different. It will be better if you bring your own thinner t-shirt as pyjamas. I love their blankets and memory foam pillows. The inflight entertainment can be refined and they can surely offer complimentary wifi for business-class passengers. With the language barrier, the crew can certainly come across as cold at times. After 3 consecutive flights on ANA, the novelty has worn off and I just want more time in Narita right now. What a whirlwind week it has been.