a man taking a selfie in an airplane

Trip Report: ANA B787 Economy Middle Seat to B777 Widest Business Suite

I want to visit my mom in the U.S. but all the flights have been packed. Last minute, I found a seat on ANA.

The first flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo is in Economy Class on their B787-8.

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an airplane parked at an airport
Flight NH860 operated by 9-year-old JA829A
a seat in an airplane
ANA Economy Seat on 787-8

There’s nothing wrong with flying economy class, but once you tried premium class, it is hard to sit back here….I made a mistake by forgetting to do online check-in and it was a full flight, so this time it was my turn to sit in the middle seat!

Admittingly, no one likes to be in the middle seat, but sometimes seating in Economy makes one appreciate their flight, appreciate the chance to be upgraded and fly in Premium class.

ANA used to have 2-4-2 (8 abreast) configuration on their B787 initially, but later it was changed to 3-3-3 (9 abreast) with an extra seat on each row, thus reducing the seat width.

a hand holding a packet and a cup of coffee
a hand holding a paper cup with ice in front of a television

I dozed off a bit during the takeoff. Flight attendants came back for full meal service, and they handed out a menu card with meal pictures for passengers to choose their choice of either ginger pork or chicken.

a menu of food in containers
a tray of food on a tray
ANA Economy Meal Hong Kong to Tokyo
a hand holding a white container
The main course came in a paper container, drinks in paper cups and napkins made of green tea leaves…

Wi-Fi onboard isn't free so I didn't test the speed.

a screenshot of a credit card

We landed at Tokyo Haneda Airport on time in the evening and the terminal was very busy. I proceeded to the ANA lounge and it was crazy crowded. You can see it in my video.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the food in the lounge.

a plate of food on a table
ANA Lounge Food

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ANA B777-300/ER Tokyo Haneda - San Francisco

My next flight to San Francisco is on ANA B777-300/ER. This flight features their new Business Class Suite called “The Room” which is the widest Business Class seat out there.

Flight time from Tokyo to San Francisco was 9 hours, operated by JA793A, a 4-year-old B777-300/ER.

a seat with a pillow and a bottle of water on it
My seat 16D is a forward-facing middle seat. Note half of the seats are backward facing especially the window seats (odd number rows)
a man sitting in a chair
a man sitting in a chair
two men sitting on a bench
So wide that it can fit 2 person
a hand holding a bag of purse
Amenities such as slippers and night bag
an airplane with rows of monitors

The bed is not quite long enough for my height so I settle with a diagonal position which I can stretch fully.

ANA provided some good amenities such as latex pillow and mattress for a good sleep in Business Class.

a cushion on a couch

Since it was a red-eye flight, the food option was limited.

There was a light dish anytime menu and 2 choices (Japanese or Western) meal before arrival.

a tray of food on a table
Japanese Washoku Meal
a screenshot of an airplane landing strip
Landing at San Francisco from the onboard camera
a view of a runway from a window

Summary

ANA is an efficiently run company. I noticed boarding only took 20 minutes. The preparation of the arrival process was very swift and crew only performed cabin checks about 20 minutes before landing which maximized the time for passengers to rest. Some airlines start to prepare the cabin 45-60 minutes before landing.

I had a good 7 hours sleep in "The Room" Business Class suite. However, my ANA flight experience wasn't perfect, it was overshadowed by the lack of meal choices in Business Class and the overly crowded lounge at Haneda Airport. I was surprised that Wi-Fi is not free, even in Business Class.

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