After my arrival in NRT from SFO, I cleared transfer security and immediately headed to the ANA Lounge in Satellite 5. Below is my schedule:
SFO-NRT on NH Y - click here.
NRT-CGK on NH Y - you are here.
CGK-NRT on NH Y -click here.
NRT-SFO on UA Y - click here.
I came across this ANA Lounge while heading to gate 59B. The attendant quickly scanned my information and invited me to step inside. To the right of reception is the entrance to the ANA Suite and to the left is the ANA Lounge.
As you enter through the zigzagging hallway you come into the first section of the lounge where there is a concierge desk tucked in a corner, a vast seating area with views of the tarmac, a buffet in the middle and in one corner a window to order freshly made noodles or curry rice. It is a fairly open space that can get pretty crowded.
Concierge desk with periodicals.
Buffet in the middle of the room. A menu of the buffet for the lounge can be found on ANA's website.
Seating area.
Food ordering counter.
Then you walk through a hallway with seating arrangements and you arrive into a second section with its own buffet and enclosed seating area. In the very back there are about 3 lounge chairs to rest. I don't know if these are grab your own or they need to be reserved, as I did not use them. I found this area some spread out than the first.
Hallway.
Second enclosed area.
Resting chairs
Buffet.
Beverages.
I asked for a shower and was directed to a hallway on the far right side of the reception area. Once I arrived at the desk the attendant gave me a buzzer and within 15 min. i was summoned back.
The shower room seemed spacious and there was a fan to disperse the humidity left from the previous user. Little packs of Shiseido amenities were placed in a basket which I found a bit cheap. This is very different from other lounges were they either gave you a small kit with toiletries or there were containers in bulk placed inside the shower. I understand that those who use the ANA Suite get a nice kit with brand name products.
Shower.
Plenty of room to put my bags.
After the shower I went back to the back of the lounge and found a staffed sushi stand that wasn't there earlier. My guess is that this is offered at certain times only and the choices were salmon, tuna or prawn sushi. Only the tuna and prawn ones were left when I asked for some.
My snacks.
I then left for my gate which was a holding area for different flights that would require a bus transfer to a remote area and involve boarding the planes through a staircase. Due to some renovations at NRT, a few flights had to use the remote location but this was temporary until the end of Feb. if my memory serves me right.
The gate agents were professional and before boarding they performed a bow. Priorities were strictly enforced and the process was orderly.
Boarding the plane.
I was greeted by a smiling FA and directed to my area passing through the J cabin.
This flight was about 50% full and the back section was very empty.
I had a row for myself.
Seat pitch was a tighter 31" (or 78.74 cm) on the 787-8.
View from my seat.
The WC had bidet controls and a full length mirror.
I went to the other side and took a pic. from one of the windows.
Door in the rear.
FA's were proactive in helping pax store their bags and get settled.
Clever design of NH's tray table.
Once the door closed the FA made an announcement welcoming pax and a standard bow was performed. A video about onboard etiquette was shown during taxiing followed by the safety video.
Bye NRT.
Service started with the usual wet towel and bottle of water followed by rice crackers and beverage of choice.
FA's distributed the visual menu and today's choices were snowcrab with seafood over rice OR chicken "tandori" over rice. I had the Indian option which was excellent with tender and nicely seasoned chicken nuggets. The meal was well presented but the components were not as elaborate as those from a transpacific flight since this was a regional one. However the little side of udon noodles was a nice touch.
Salad.
Udon.
Chocolate cake.
After the meal coffee or tea were offered from the cart.
Before arrival a coconut bun was offered with a wet towel and drinks.
Thanks again !
Nice catering even for this "regional" flight.
You didn't play with the Asahi draught machines in the lounge ? :P
Hi Clement.
Very decent catering, although you can tell it's regional due to the salad as a "lesser" component.
That's not something I would play with. :P I am not fond of beer unlike another notorious member. ;)
Thanks for stopping. Always nice to see you around.
How weird pitch on 787 is tighter than the one on 77W...
Catering is OK: the salad is appaling, so is the bread in the plastic
Thank you Adan
Hi Bernard.
Indeed I find it odd too that the new 787's pitch in Y is less than on the 777's. NH operates different versions of the 787 and on some the pitch is equal to that of the 777. However, on the seatguru site, the 787-9 that is configured with a 3-class cabin for intl. travel has the restrictive 31" pitch in Y.
At least the bread was soft and not hard as a rock. :P
Thanks for your visit my friend.
Gasp, Adan on a B787 over open water, what were you thinking?^^ I was eying this route on a mileage run, but the arrival times are just brutal having to endure a never-ending day.
The NH Lounge you went to was the biggest of the lounges. T4 has the same food offering, but is much smaller/quieter. The UA Lounge is the biggest of them all, but lacks hot buffet items. I personally like the little Shiseido shower packs^^ Food looks unchanged since the last time I was there, they need to dump the karage and fries.
Woah... wasn't expecting this configuration at all. Regional cabin on a flight this long? Just be glad you didn't get the knee-crunching domestic B787 seats ;) At least these have new IFEs, versus the older B772s and B773s that have the old 6" square screens. And as far as IFE content, NH is one of the best for Asian carriers catering to Westerners. I found their content to always be better than OZ/KE/JL/CA.
The meal looks solid, better than the SFO-NRT first meal, but that is probably just ex-NRT catering coming through. The pre-arrival snack looks meh, but I guess at this flight length, they can't do a second meal service and something is always better than nothing to tie you over until you get to bed.
PS - Thanks for the spotting shots of the FW CRJs, I miss those little guys!
Hi Michael.
It's a brutal schedule any way you look at it, but I would much prefer to arrive at night and go to sleep which helps to reset my clock better.
I decided to concentrate on the NH lounge instead of hopping all over the place this time. ;) Fried food is only good when you eat it right away, so I agree with you about dumping the karage and fries.
I found the IFE selection on NH solid. Very decent as a matter of fact.
The main dish might have been better than the transpac one, but the appetizer was much better on the long haul than the salad given on this regional flight. NRT catering is always up to standards as we know. I didn't bother eating the pre-arrival snack, but it was better than nothing as you said.
I knew you would like those FW CRJ's. ;)
Thanks for dropping by.
Those resting chairs!! Now I know what I'm asking Santa this year!! ^^
And Chilean wine! Viña La Rosa La Capitana, nothing less!! My family on my father's side is from Pelequén, a tiny town that's 2 or 3km from their vineyards!! I was there last month! You must - MUST - try their carmenere. This variety is originally French, but now the major producer is Chile! HA! If you don't find it where you live, just tell me and I can send you a bottle. Or just plan a trip to Chile! I'll take you to visit their vineyards if you come in January or February! That will be a terrific tourism bonus! ^^
Thanks for sharing!
More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carm%C3%A9n%C3%A8re
Hola Nelson.
Glad that i was able to inspire your Christmas list. Now all you need to do is focus on being a good boy so that Santa can pay you a visit at the end of the year. ;)
Gracias por tu oferta y el link. I'm not an expert in wines, but I used to drink "Casillero del Diablo" and really loved it. i've been intrigued by Chile for some time but never made it there. I know it's a beautiful country with a very diverse geography so if I ever go down there I will let you know. ;)
Saludos y gracias por tus comentarios.
Thanks for this FR.
Wow an video about flight etiquette! First time I heard of that!
Great service once again on NH.
I really can't wait to try them out sometime.
Hi Etienne.
I think an etiquette video is a must in this day and age by all carriers. We have too many disruptive passengers and adults behaving like children.
You should really give them a try in the future. You might get "converted". ;)
Thanks for your comments.
Thank you for sharing this FR with us!
Nice pictures from the NH lounge.
Stunning pictures with dusk at NRT.
It seems like you got to fly on one of the earliest NH 787s, judging from that special 787 livery.
Having an entire row for yourself in a 3-3-3 787 must have been really comfortable, what a nice treat!
“Clever design of NH's tray table.“
- Good to see NH putting some effort in installing tray tables with more useful features.
Nice shots through the window.
Have a good one, see you later!
Hi RI 777.
"It seems like you got to fly on one of the earliest NH 787s, judging from that special 787 livery."
- You might be right.
"Having an entire row for yourself in a 3-3-3 787 must have been really comfortable, what a nice treat!"
- I was even able to get some sleep. The poor man's flat bed. :P
Thanks for stopping.
Thanks for sharing this FR with nice pictures Adan!
Odd to see that NH uses this configuration on this route. The shell J seats are totally not competitive while JL uses the sky suite flat seat on this route. On the other hand, NH has J flat seats on HKG-HND route despite its flight time is shorter than this one. Really don’t understand why they use this 787 on this route.
“Clever design of NH's tray table.”
- I haven’t imagine the NH tray table does have this function :P
The rice crackers you had is exclusive for special meal passengers on my flight back to HK. Mine is in pink package.
IME it is a bit weird that the appetizer for ex-NRT intra-Asia meal is meh (especially the salad) while the ex-HKG one is even better. But overall it improves a bit which they add the noodles back. I also had the same appetizer (we both ex-NRT… can’t be different :) ) for my return flight. BTW the pre-arrival bread is as meh as JL.
Look forward to next leg!
Hi Ashley.
Who knows the criteria for airlines to assign the type of airplane for certain routes. I know that CGK was one of those flights that didn't get a jetbridge, perhaps because it is not "premium" enough.
"The rice crackers you had is exclusive for special meal passengers on my flight back to HK. Mine is in pink package."
- They were halal so that fits with their special meal designation.
Maybe the appetizer on the HKG-NRT flts is better because it is a more lucrative route. ;)
Thanks for stopping.