Hi and welcome to my third installment of American Travel Story!
Return to San Francisco: Three Days in Business Trip
This series will cover my 2nd business trip to SF in Apr. In order to make the reports not so boring, I will reveal the itinerary as we go on.
The report is broken down as follows (all in Y):
1. NH860 HKG-HND B777-200ER [http://flight-report.com/en/report-19480.html]
2. UA876 HND-SFO B787-9 [http://flight-report.com/en/report-20134.html]
3. NH7 SFO-NRT B777-300ER [You are here!]
4. NH811 NRT-HKG B767-300ER [http://flight-report.com/en/report-20581.html]
Background
Time flied and it was time to return HK.
Unlike previous trip I did not leave SF immediately after the meeting because I did not want to make my trip too rush. Since next Monday was HK public holiday, I extended my stay and departed SF 1 day later (Sun) so that I would have a half day exploring SF.
For returning to HK, choosing flights were much simpler. I had completed my at-least-4-UA-flights requirement for UA Sliver status, so no more United from now (…on this series)! I had not tried the NH long haul before, I deservedly picked NH for my return.
Meanwhile, the head had a week-long family vacation in Japan following this business trip. He self-created a "stopover" in Japan for his return flight (my company allowed this) where he would join his family in Tokyo. Initially he would fly SFO-NRT on another creepy UA B747. Knowing his situation, I advised him that he would be 1000% regret and persuaded him to fly with me. Eventually we took the same flight together.
Pre-Flight
The day before departure I made my OLCI at ANA website. I was disheartened when seeing this: a reconfigured B77W which is 10 seats per row. No chance to try the 2-2-2-3 Y cabin :(
For seat choosing, only those in the rear cabin were available. I was struggling whether picking the aisle seat on the 2-seat rows or middle rows. In the end I chose 37G as I bet no people choosing my next seat. And I thought those windows rows would be more popular and filled up soon.
Besides, I encountered an issue during OLCI that my second leg NRT-HKG disappeared, which I was unable to check-in and choose seat.
At night the head and I had dinner together with another 2 colleagues departed SF on SQ in the midnight. Recommended by our colleagues in HK that the Cheesecake Factory was very popular and we decided to try it. But when we arrived the restaurant… we totally surrendered lol
The 2 SQ robbers uber to airport after the dinner. Only the Head and I were left in SF then. We puffed away and strolled through the streets.
We went to buy some famous SF chocolates.
The chocolate is very cheap in SF (about USD0.1/piece) while HK is 10x expensive!
Next day, I got up early and went to have a Starbucks breakfast and a morning recharge.
Our dear US colleague (who donated his UA Club pass to me before) drove the head and I to airport. He was so kind since it was Sunday and not his job duty! We were dropped off outside the NH check-in counters 2.5 hours before departure.
We went to check-in. ANA counter was located at Aisle 3.
Only few people in the line. The head directly headed to the J counter.
My turn. The friendly agent greeted me and I gave her my passport. I told her my problems during OLCI and she typed my reservation in the system. The agent found it no problems and explained there may be some backend schedule changes but mine was still a valid itinerary. She also helped me to change to a window seat for my NRT-HKG segment and checked my baggage through to HKG.
My boarding pass (I took it on the flight).
After check-in, having a smoke was necessary for us
And then we walked around inside the Terminal.
The FIDS. Our flight was showing a 12:20 departure at Gate G94 in the lower half of the right FIDS.
An exhibition near the security checkpoint of Terminal G.
The shops behind the check-in area.
The airport guide
Still having time, so we went outside again for the last smoke and wandering before departure.
An UA B789
We proceeded to the TSA checkpoint.
The security line was very long because for the time being several flights to Asian soon departed and many Asians were queuing. The process was very slow because a lot of passengers brought too many prohibited items on their hand carries such as Swiss Army knives, fruit, bottled juices, canned foods, Kimchi (!)… The TSA staffs nearly had to pat down everyone.
When we were queuing, the Head shared his American Horror Story: My United Nightmare on his ex-HKG flight to SF: This time he was on the aisle J seat. After the lunch his seatmate not feeling well and vomited on him. The FA blamed him not taking care of his seatmate… Nothing to say lol
After waiting about 35 minutes we finally entered the airside.
We parted ways again: the head directly headed to the Gate and sat down to murder some emails while I wandered around between Terminal 3 and G. Walking to Terminal 3.
Some plane spotting. An UA A320
The Centurion Lounge. It is one of my wish list for future lounge visiting.
The SF famous chocolate has a branch in SFO. But it is much expensive than downtown store.
The tarmac view with the House of United. The weather was superb today.
Backed to Terminal G. My Gate was on the right.
My Gate. The NH agents were preparing.
My bird today (JA781A) which was delivered in Sep 2007. My gate was at blind spot and this was the best I could shot.
An AI B772
To NGO85: The UA Queen was at SFO now^^ But sorry Her Majesty I could not go with you. I loved NH more…
An UA B737 was taxiing
A glimpse of UA GF Lounge
I returned to my gate.
An UA B772 on the adjacent gate
The head was murdering emails and I joined him. The seating area.
Passengers sat aside and waited
Flight Report
Boarding started sharply 30 minutes before departure.
Embarking.
The FA welcomed me at the door and I replied withこんにちは.
Passing the famous NH J class. The Head was on a right-hand side window seat. We spotted each other. The Head seemed very happy and shown me “I would be alright!!!” expression^^
The window rows in the front Y cabin
My rear Y cabin on this B77W in the new 3-4-3 configuration.
I found my seat 37G but a businessman was sitting on it. I politely told him that was my seat. Initially he did not believe and insist I was wrong lol He later took out his BP and found out he should be 36G, my front seat. I finally got my seat
View of the rear Y cabin during the businessman was changing back to his seat. The FA on the left was assisting an ojisan (uncle) to find his seat, who turned out to be my seatmate.
My row. The ojisan was on the other end of the row and the FA helped him to stow his duty-free items. It was very lucky that the two middle seats in our row remained empty!^^
My seat. It has a footrest and double seatback pockets. Although the new configured Y seat has a tighter seat width and pitch, it still looks spacious and I found comfortable with it.
Ojisan's demonstration of seat pitch
The IFE along with coat hanger, USB plot and headphone jack.
The IFE control
Our route today
The airshow has several navigation modes for choosing.
The arm rest with seat recline control.
The seatback materials
Safety card
There is a plug under each seat.
The headphone
The pillow
The blanket
Passengers were settling down. Today the Y cabin was just 65% full with many middle seats were empty. A lot of Southeast Asians on this flight.
We pushed back at 12:15 and Safety video was played
We had a long taxi to Runway 28L. We took off at 12:35
Aperitif service began 30 minutes after took off.
Oshibori and a bottle water were distributed.
Long haul version otsumami was provided.
I ordered Kabosu.
Time to browse the IFE.
It was a surprise that NH uploaded today's menu into the IFE. A nice touch! Today’s lunch.
Pre-arrival meal
It also provides a selection of movies and music.
More importantly, it does have a full season of dramas!
It even has Chinese pop music collection
Lunch services started when we were outside the Oregon coast.
The food cart
The FA gave me the meal card and she apologized that the grilled mackerel was changed to the shrimp tempura. Another option was beef meat ball.
As a no-beef person, only one choice for me. I opted for shrimp tempura and requested another Kabosu for drinks. My tray. Size was generous.
The potato salad and tsukemono were tasty!
Contrary to its outlook, the entrée was very good! It was ex-SFO food, but the shrimp and vegetables were still fresh and tender!!! They used Japanese rice and it was flurry!
I really appreciated it^^ I was so touching and wanted to cry lol
Haagen-Dazs ice cream was served after the entrée. It was a brick.
NH provided a metal spoon, but it had a serious cleaning issue! OK I cleaned it myself!
After lunch the FA dimmed the lightening for resting. I was stuffed (never happened on UA lol). So it was the time to left something in the toilet after lunch.
I headed to the middle toilet. It was tidy and clean.
The middle galley between the two Y cabins. It was filled with snacks, drinks and Sarah Paulson-s (Lana!). You could help yourself once needed.
On the other side, the J dessert was preparing
The bins
When I was taking photos, a FA accidently ran into the camera. I immediately said sorry since I was afraid my photos would be forced to delete. Fortunately the FA neverminded otherwise this report could not be here lol
After the toilet I circled around the cabin to help with digestion. The 2 otakus entertained themselves with Hatsune Miku (初音ミク).
Cabin shot from the rear galley. From my observation, 20% of Y passengers were watching the Revenant.
I returned to my seat. The 2nd stage of being stuffed was being sleepy… so I rested until our plane reached the IDL.
View of the dimmed cabin.
Trip to the rear toilet. It was so-so.
Lotion was provided.
Our cabin was in the night mode.
The final stage of being stuffed was being hungry again^^ I went to the middle galley to help myself. My mid-flight snacks offering.
Then I took out my Surface and watched the popular The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. The FAs passed through the cabin hourly offering water to the needs.
I flipped through the ANA magazine (翼の王国). The NH global network.
It features an introduction of Wuhan for promoting its new Wuhan-NRT route.
The evolution of NH uniform. Interesting to know NH had the red & yellow color design before^^
Second meal service started around 1.5 hours before arrival.
Wake up mode of the lighting
Oshibori offered. No aperitif drinks.
Again the FA passed the meal card with 2 options: seafood pasta or braised chicken pasta
Another side of the meal card. This should be for ex-NRT.
I went for the seafood pasta. My tray. Portion was smaller than the first one. It contained a fruit plate and a yogurt. And I requested another Kabosu.
Another delicious meal from NH. The pasta was al dente even it was the second meal.
Overall the catering on this flight was fantastic. It becomes one of my best in-flight meals up to now (another one is KE’s Bibimbap)
Another round of stretching after the meal. View of the wing from the rear door.
Today our flight had a beautiful and symmetric arc route over the Pacific Ocean.
A pre-arrival candy was delivered before descending.
About to land. We landed from the West.
Eventually our plane landed on the North runway 5 minutes ahead of schedule. We parked at the Gate 58B which is the end of new extension of Terminal 1.
Deplaning. Passengers were rushing to pick up their belongings.
Since I had a 3.5-hour layover in NRT, I remained seated. Both my front seatmate and ojisan acted in same way and we chatted. The businessman would have a connecting flight to BKK which had a similar timing to my next flight while the ojisan was just returning home. We were the last three disembarked. Passing the premium economy cabin.
The J cabin. The FA gave warm goodbyes at the door.
Passing the jet bridge
Jet bridge view of the new Terminal 1 extension (opened in March 2016).
The Head was waiting for me at the gate and we walked to security. His family also just arrived NRT (they took NH812).
We followed the signs and proceeded to the security.
The departure level on the lower floor.
A NH B77W just arrived.
We parted ways and I gave goodbye to the head.
I arrived at the transfer security checkpoint.
Tarmac shot before entering the checkpoint. A NH B77W
The checkpoint opened all 4 counters for checking and it was very smooth.
When I was queuing in the transfer checkpoint, suddenly I heard a fierce quarrel behind me. I turned around and saw a couple started fighting…
This is the third part of flight report and please stop by the end of this series.
Thank you for your reading!
Thanks for this FR.
Once again a great service on a japanese international flight.
I clearly find the soft product better than the ME3.
Thanks for your comment KL651!
I haven’t flown on the ME3 so cannot comment on them. BTW the Japanese Carriers are always praised for its excellent soft product^^
Wow! A very complete and interesting report.
The ANA service is fantastic, and the legroom... amazing!!
Thanks for sharing!! :)
Thanks for your comment Nechus! Your reports are also awesome with great pictures and comprehensive reviews always^^
I indeed think this B77W’s legroom is not as good as their old 2-2-2-3 cabin. I googled NH’s pitch pre-flight and found that this flight is 31” while the old version is 34”. Yet it is comfortable and compared with CX and UA, NH is still better.
Thanks for this very comprehensive report. Ana seems to do a very good job in economy. The first meal looks really great and tasty and the second meal is more common but yet good. There is also a good choice of snacks available throughout the flight. I am not a big fan of the business cabin : it is certainly very comfortable but the looks need some improvement compared to some carriers. Thanks again for sharing your trip with us.
Thanks for your comment SKYTEAMCHC!
I always believe the catering is one of NH’s advantages. Agreed with you that their J cabin need improvements. If looking back the disembark photo spotted in J cabin, there is a gap between the 2 J seats in those middle rows. Thus the J seats are not 100% private where the back seatmate might aware what the front seatmate is doing. Nevertheless it is still a very good J product with a lie flat seat.
Great report! Thanks for sharing it with us. It looks like you had a great flight with ANA in Y, and the food looked really good! I would love to fly ANA sometime. What a beautiful day at SFO too - Wow!
Thanks for your comment 757Fan!
Totally agreed! Maybe I usually fly with UA (lol), so I was quite joyful on this ANA flight^^ I was lucky that SF weather was very good for this trip. The sky is so blue that it is very difficult to be seen in HK!
Thanks for sharing^^ I was a little sad not to see the B747 again ;)
"After the lunch his seatmate not feeling well and vomited on him” <== UA catering has that effect on people^^
The 3-4-3 B77Ws are regulars at LAX too, which is why I have avoided flying NH to Asia. The 2-2-2-3 cabins were too good to be true^^ The pitch is still 34”, which is one thing NH does right. I care more about pitch than width so it is one of the reasons why I would take a 10-abreast NH flight over a 9-abreast UA flight. Pitch looks similar to OZ's,
For an Asian carrier, I always thought NH had a good selection of Western content. They only good thing about UA is their extensive 007 collection^^
One thing that has eroded on NH in the last year is the oshibori, they used to give out cotton oshibori in Y, now it looks like they only give out the packaged ones. The NH catering, on the other hand, looks just as strong as it used to be. I agree that the OZ meals are a little more generous in quantity, but the NH quality is probably higher (and more consistent). Also, they used to wrap the bananas individually with a napkin, it was so kawaii^^
Now that you have your 4 UA segments out of the way, you are free to fly what you want^^
Thanks for your comment NGO85!
“I was a little sad not to see the B747 again ;)”
- I was also a little sad not to fly UA B747 to SF anymore :P My next SF trip was changed to B77W
“The pitch is still 34” ”
- Really??? As per my reply to Nechus above, I googled it and found that it is 31”… BTW this 3-4-3 seats are still comfort and agreed with you that 10-seated NH is still better than 9-seated UA anytime in every aspects^^ I should have the chance of flying 2-2-2-3 cabin next year and would find out the results ;)
“For an Asian carrier, I always thought NH had a good selection of Western content.”
- IMO both NH and CX are good in Western selections. I was surprised by my UA33 flight last time that it has HK-specific music collection @@ (HK TVB Drama theme song)
“they used to give out cotton oshibori in Y, now it looks like they only give out the packaged ones.”
- Sad to hear that NH does not provide cotton oshibori anymore. Previously I thought the cotton one is only available in long haul, so I was curious when I saw the packaged one distributed.
- For the catering, maybe this is ex-West Coast flight, so the NH 2nd meal size is smaller. I think the ex-Midwestern and ex-East Coast flights would have a more completed portion (as shown in your ORD reports).
“Now that you have your 4 UA segments out of the way, you are free to fly what you want^^”
- In fact I am just free to fly any *A I want^^ I am now a *A person with UA Sliver Status and *A is my priority for travel because I want to keep *A status. Therefore flying on UA is unavoidable every year lol
"My next SF trip was changed to B77W"
- I was actually surprised to hear that UA is putting its first B77Ws on SFO-HKG. I was expecting them to be based out of EWR initially. I guess SFO makes sense if UA's plan is to get the B744s out of service ASAP since most operate ex-SFO.
- Contrary to you, I am not surprised when they announced putting B77Ws in SFO because the B744s are too crappy. HKG-SFO is a high yield route because SF has a large Chinese population came from HK/Guangdong. This route is usually served for family travel and people are quite willing to pay for premium seats on it.
Thanks for sharing this great FR!
I especially like those many photos of the cabin interior and catering, you've shown more or less everything that could be worth to be shown :D
ANA Catering looks really delicious.
Looking forward for your next report :)
Thanks for your comment Marvin150892! Agreed with you the catering on this long haul is very good!
“you've shown more or less everything that could be worth to be shown :D”
- It is somehow boring on a long haul, so I take a lot of photos for entertain myself^^ I always want to give FR readers a full picture of my airport and flight experiences, and hope that it would be helpful to their future travels.
Hi Ashleyyau!
THanks for sharing yet another trip across the pacific. Man... I was laughing so hard when I read this:
"When we were queuing, the Head shared his American Horror Story: My United Nightmare on his ex-HKG flight to SF: This time he was on the aisle J seat. After the lunch his seatmate not feeling well and vomited on him. The FA blamed him not taking care of his seatmate… Nothing to say lol"
That was epic at unprecedented level hahahahaaha
Anyway, glad that you had a great flight with ANA. The meal looks delicious and the portion is satisfying. You know what... thanks to you, I will be ordering Kabosu on my upcoming flight with ANA to Tokyo. I hope they will have it so I can taste your favourite ANA drink :)
Keep reporting! Cuz I am always waiting for your next adventure!
Thanks for your comment BombieFlyer!
“That was epic at unprecedented level hahahahaaha”
- I had flown on it before (SFO-HKG: my own United nightmare), so I know that feeling lol
“I hope they will have it so I can taste your favorite ANA drink :)”
- Don’t worry Kabosu is on every NH flight ;) The only concern is whether it would be quickly running out due to its popularity^^
“Keep reporting! Cuz I am always waiting for your next adventure!”
Besides the last segment for this series, I still have several flight reports this year. I had had a target of finishing them all before 2017, but now it seems 100% impossible lol
And not related to this post, the forthcoming HX Lounge in HKG Midfield Concourse, which I mentioned in your HX flight report, would delay its opening because last night the construction site was in big fire… (you can google it)
I'm late in my comments but thank you Ashley for sharing this complete and informative FR.
I will be taking this flight next month when I go to CGK and your report was very useful in giving me an idea of what to expect. If anything, I am assured that I made the right choice to fly NH.
I guess the kabosu is the NH equivalent of JL's Skytime.
Nice bonus of my city. Next time you are in town we should try to meet.
Thanks for your comment Adan!
Glad to know you found my FR useful to your coming travel on NH^^ Maybe we could have a comparison on this route!
“kabosu is the NH equivalent of JL's Skytime”
- Agreed, both are citrus drinks. I always believe that JL & NH provide the same level of inflight product and services but in a very different approach.
Now I travel to SF at least once per year due to business need. So maybe one day we could meet there^^