Routing
Enchainement de vols
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4NH854 - Business - Taipei City → Tokyo - Boeing B787-8
- 5
Airport and Check-in
It was time to head back to Songshan.
Being in the city center, it is easily accessed by foot, bike, bus, subway, or car.
Inside the international terminal, the NH counters were nestled away amongst these pillars making it difficult to find at first.
Ground services are handled by BR. After a short wait, I was checked through to SFO and handed my boarding passes and lounge invitation cards.
I first went back outside to find the observation deck above the domestic side of the airport, but it was unfortunately closed.
I went straight up to the immigration/security check-point and was airside in 5 minutes.
TSA, like SHA, is tiny with just 6 international gates.
The gate areas were under construction to refurbish the duty free stores so the available seating areas were very crowded and dark.
Airlines VIP Lounge
The lounges are located upstairs after security.
There are two lounges, Airlines VIP Lounge for all premium passengers and a Plaza Premium Lounge for pay-in access.
The lounge doesn't have windows and is dark. It has some decorations, but really just sits as a large open seating area with a crowded buffet zone off to the side.
It was busy, but not crowded and I was able to find a section to occupy for myself.
In addition to a small cold/hot offering, there was the standard noodle bar.
My offering of beef noodle soup and draft Kirin.
The beef noodle soup here was not as good as the CI Lounge at TPE.
Boarding
15 minutes before boarding was due to start, I left and went back down to find our gate.
FIDS this afternoon with the BR flight to HND delayed and ours on-time.
Our steed today is JA802A, an almost 14 year-old B787-800, is the 24th B787 frame built and the oldest B787 left in NH's fleet. It features NH's regional configuration of C42 (2-2-2) and Y198 (3-3-3).
Boarding was on-time with a healthy group of NH Diamonds boarding first on this premium business route between economic hubs. Group 2 was called next so down we go towards 1L. Always strange to see 2 jet bridges attached to the stubby B788.
The welcome on-board was warm and I was shown down the aisle to my seat.
NH's regional product is dated, but well maintained. The forward cabin occupies 4 rows and the rear cabin occupies 3 rows in a 2-2-2 configuration.
My seat for today's trip up to HND. Only blankets were pre-placed on the seat so I grabbed a pillow from the overhead bins.
Seat Features and Amenities
The seats feature a modest sized IFE, but given the distance a remote is needed to effectively navigate.
Below the screen are literature compartments (empty) and a storage pouch.
Pre-placed in the storage pouch were menu, slippers (recently minimized to remove the bag and shoe horn), and Panasonic headphones (non-noise cancelling).
Safety card and airsickness bag that doubles as Wi-Fi instructions.
The center console features the basic seat controls.
On the side are a USB-A port, 110v universal power outlet, and headphone jack.
Along the side of the seat is a slot for holding smaller items along with the IFE remote.
Above your shoulder is a reading light and hook for headphone storage.
The pillows are good quality and the blanket is the standard NH affair.
The side armrest contains the tray table, which is very flimsy and wobbly.
The view of the cabin from my seat. The flight would go out ~85% full in business.
Looking at the menu, there are 2 set course options (Japanese or Western). I pre-ordered the Japanese meal, which was confirmed by the FA.
The regional drink offering is strong with a good selection of Japanese liquors accompanied by a limited wine list.
Taxi and Departure from Songshan
Boarding wrapped up quickly and as the front door closed, the BR B787-10 flanking us started their pushback to leave for HND.
The ground crew were taking in the views as well.
After the BR B787-10 pushed back, it was our turn offering a glimpse of the MU A333 heading to SHA.
The Pokemon themed safety video played, which is highly distracting.
Our RR turbines as they cycled on.
A pair of Real World Aviation Cessna 208Bs.
As we queued up on the taxiway, we waited for the arrival of a pair of AE ATR-72s from domestic missions.
Then a CI A333 arrived from SHA.
The BR B787-10 to HND barreled down the runway and then it was our turn.
Aligning onto runway 28 with a CI B738 behind us in queue.
The ZE B738 to GMP in front of 101.
We took off at 17:06, ~15 minutes late. As we lift up over the airport, we get fantastic views of the city center.
As an urban airport, TSA is definitely one of the best for city views.
We make our u-turn over New Taipei City with views of the Tamsui River.
Banqiao District.
Aerial of TSA as we complete our u-turn.
As the sun sets, we say goodbye to Taiwan and start our trek northeast.
In-Flight Service
Packaged oshibori were distributed after the FAs were released.
This was followed by the "linens" being laid and the distribution of drinks and packaged otsumami. The sake from Hokkaido offered this month was quite good.
The meal tray was then handed out along with top ups on drinks. NH does not course the meal and delivers everything on a single tray including the small packaged dessert and miso soup.
The zensai was a selection of Marinated Field Mustard, Enokitake & Yuba in Soy-based Sauce, Sesame Tofu, Fishcake with Vegetables, and Japanese Omelet with Edamame.
The kobachi was Simmered Stir-tried Pork, Lotus Root & Burdock Root in Soy-based Sauce.
The shusai for May is Simmered Pork in Soy-based Sauce with Steamed Rice.
Disposable hashi, spoon, and toothpick are contained in the napkin.
The crew came down the aisles offering sencha.
After the meal tray was removed, I ordered a coffee to sip with the kanmi which contained red bean paste.
After the meal service, the lights were dimmed for the remainder of the flight.
The lavatory was pristinely clean and contained the expected bidet toilet and dental hygiene products.
In-Flight Entertainment
The plane has the old IFE interface which is very clunky requiring you to scroll through long lists to navigate content. There are a decent number of movies (124), for example, but having to manually click through 124 titles looking for something you want to watch is tedious. The in-flight magazine is only available on request, so hasn't been obsoleted completely.
NH has Wi-Fi on their long-haul fleet and free texting is available for all passengers with premium passengers getting free Wi-Fi vouchers. These were e-mailed ahead of the flight and made it very easy to connect using the web portal.
During the cruise, I requested a glass of the sweet potato shochu and water, which were promptly served along with a packet of mixed nuts.
Arrival into Haneda
We were soon preparing for our descent into Tokyo.
The purser came through and thanked me for flying and offered the standard selection of NH candies from a tray.
We approached over Chiba before making a u-turn to align with an approach on Runway 22. The cabin crew left the lights on during landing so almost all photos on approach were unusable.
We touched down on Runway 22 at 20:36, ~15 minutes early and taxied back to T2.
We pulled into a gate at T2 next to the NH B789 in *A special livery.
Deplaning through 1L, I followed the directions for connecting flights. My flight to SFO was due to leave from T3, so a bus transfer is required.
The long empty hallways towards security.
Transfer from T2 to T3
For passengers connecting to T3, a further walk is required and then down to tarmac level where the buses depart from.
The buses are your standard Japanese affair. I took a seat in the front, which had acceptable seat pitch.
Japanese punctuality is enforced with the bus driver's timetable and it will be at most a 15 minute drive between terminals.
Plenty of plane spotting enroute starting with a NH B789.
Our plane from TSA.
NH B77W.
NH B789 in Star Wars R2-D2 special livery.
JL B789 under maintenance.
Reaching T3, it is a short escalator ride upstairs to intercept the security check point for transferring passengers.
I'll leave off this report as I start my layover in Haneda, thanks for stopping by!
Flight Information
All Nippon Airways, NH854
Equipment: Boeing B787-800 [JA802A, delivered October 2011]
Departure: 16:50 (ATD: 17:06)
Arrival: 20:50 (ATA: 20:36)
Flight time: 2:31
