Quick Review: ANA Business Class 787-9
Intro
This will be part of the quick review series due to the lack of content for this flight. However, I think this is a note worthy of a mention due to how mediocre ANA Business Class is on the 787-9.
Route- Jakarta- Tokyo Narita
Seat- 9K
Plane- 787-9
Flight Number- NH837
Date- June 22nd 2023
Flight Time: 6 Hours 35 Minutes
Price Paid- 2400$ RT
How I Booked
During my summer in Bali, I had to head back for a dentist appointment in New York (12 fillings, 2 root canals😒). Fares are notoriously low from Jakarta heading back to the States and I came across a ticket for 2400$ round trip in Business. The ticket consisted of two flights onboard the 787-9 with ANA in Business and the other two flights in United Polaris from Tokyo to New York and vice versa.
All in all, it's a very solid deal with only a 3-hour layover in each direction in Tokyo.
The Plane
The 787-9 is a beautiful plane to fly on. It is quiet and perfect for this trip (both of the United flights were on a 789).
I love this specific flight as you takeoff around sunrise time, and land late afternoon.
There was some wear and tear on the exterior of this aircraft. Nothing to be concerned about, but it was noteworthy.
Just take a look at that wing, some of the panels seem to be a different color😅.
The Seat
The seat is okay for a business class offering. The colors are quite sterile, but they do go lie-flat on the 787-9.
The footwell was relatively narrow, more so than the Thai Airways business class (https://www.jettoajet.com/post/initial-thoughts-thai-airways-business-class-hong-kong-bangkok-on-the-777-300), which is extremely similar.
The biggest aspect, which was the downfall, was the lack of privacy in the seats. It's confusing as the seats aren't private nor are they good for families. ANA confuses me with this layout.
Meal Service
I had two flights on the same product, which meant one would be a breakfast service and the other would be a dinner service. The breakfast service was okay, and the hamburger steak I had at the dinner service was mediocre.
The biggest letdown of ANA business class is that they serve Castlenau Champagne. I am just personally not a fan, but I won't dock them in the review as this is solely my opinion.
Amenities/IFE
ANA doesn't offer pajamas to business class customers, unlike First Class. However, I was lent a cardigan by the FA which I was supposed to give back at the end of the flight. They never asked for it back, but I'm pretty sure I left it on the plane. Slippers were also provided, as you can see in the pictures above. They were flimsy but did their job of letting me take off my shoes.
The IFE was dated, to say the least, at least they had a couple of good options like The Intern! ANA also offered live sports where I watched a basketball game. I flew them years prior and watched the NBA finals on the plane. Cool!!
Mount Fuji
The highlight of flying ANA business class was on the way back. Due to the sunset departure from Narita, we got to see one of the greates views from a plane, possibly ever.
If you look closely, you might see Mount Fuji in the background😉.
Okay, I'll zoom in😉.
This might be the reason I would fly this route again, solely based on a sunset Glass of champagne when viewing Mount Fuji.
Overall Service
ANA shines through its service. On the return flight I asked to switch seats and was warmly accommodated. On both flights, I couldn't find any area to fault ANA for.
Final Thoughts
ANA sets the bar for a mediocre Asian business class on the 787-9. While The Room (review coming soon) is vastly different, there are only a few aircraft that feature the better business class seat. Due to the lack of hard products, I would seek out Garudas A330-900neo, which flies on this route, or the JAL 787, which has flat beds on this route over ANA. Both of these products offer better hard products and similar soft products. To conclude, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't memorable in any way. Sorry ANA💔.
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