Review: ANA Business Class B777-300/ER Tokyo to Chicago

This was my first time flying the current ANA Business Class across the Pacific. I flew out of Narita after the reveal of the interiors of ANA A380 Flying Honu. My flight, NH12 to Chicago, is operated by a 4 class B777-300/ER which only has 250 seats; this makes it one of the less dense B777-300/ER flights in the sky.

Seating

ANA Business Class on their 777-300/ER occupies two cabins, with 2 rows in the forward mini cabin, right behind First Class, with the majority 11 rows in the aft cabin after door 2. My seat was 13H, an aisle seat but you could also enjoy the window views by leaning your body over. The layout is a staggered 1-2-1, with each seat having direct aisle access.

An Amenity kit, memory form pillow, blanket and a mattress were already placed on the seat by the time I boarded.

The seat offers very good privacy, I could hardly see any of my seat neighbours across the aisle.

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I received a Globe Trotter branded amenity kit and there was plenty of storage on the table next to my seat. There was also a secure storage box and a drink holder.

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A universal power point, USB power and iPod connector are located in front of the seat under the TV screen. The seat controls and the remote are located at the side of the seat.

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Service

After take-off from runway 16R of Narita, the dinner service started with drinks and canapes.

On the menu, there were Japanese or Western options, I chose the Japanese offering. The starter came with spring vegetable and prawns, sashimi and squid. It was all neatly arranged, but a bit too much seafood for my taste.

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The main course was miso wagyu beef, which was excellent; it was accompanied with rice and miso soup.

After the main course, the flight attendant rolled out the dessert and cheese cart. The entire meal service took about 2.5 hours which was a little longer than expected.

Wi-Fi and IFE

I enjoyed a movie from the IFE system using the SONY light-weight noise cancelling headset. There was also Wi-Fi on-board, available throughout the flight. The package for the entire flight cost $19,95 but was restricted to 100 Mb usage.

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Sleeping

For sleeping, ANA does provide a seat mattress in Business Class; the mattress fits neatly on top of the seat and provides a good deal of back comfort. While I didn't find the seat too narrow in the full recline position, my legs were a bit uncomfortable due to the table and TV unit being above the foot well; I found that my legs kept hitting the table when I tried to twist and change position.

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2nd Meal Service

A second meal was served about 2 hours before landing. Instead of having a full meal, I opted for the Takoyaki snack and ramen which was decent.

Summary

All in all, my ANA long haul Business Class experience was very positive. The flight attendants were extremely polite and paid good attention to safety matters, such as checking the overhead bins were closed properly and that seat belts were being used when the sign was on. The flight attendants also took the time to talk to customers, not just rushing the service through. You could see that they were genuine in providing their service from their body language. The seat was comfortable in most positions, the only negative bit being my legs hitting the table on top of the foot well. The flight, in true Japanese fashion, was strictly on-time and my luggage was already retrieved and waiting for me at the belt.