Earlier in the year, I flew JAL First Class from San Francisco to Tokyo (Haneda) and I was very impressed with their service. I was excited to fly another Japanese airline to compare my First Class experience with JAL.
First Class Lounge
I originally had a 3-hour layover but traffic congestion at Beijing International Airport prevented my flight from taking off on time. Once I landed in Tokyo (Haneda), I found myself with only 30 mins to spare before boarding my flight. Luckily, the ANA First Class lounge was located next to my boarding gate. I decided to quickly check it out and see what it had to offer. The lounge attendant offered me a dinner menu to order something from the kitchen when I sat down at my table however since I was short on time, I kindly declined and got a few small bites.
Seat Controls
Amenity Kit
The ANA First Class amenity kit was from Samsonite. It was bigger than most amenity kits I’ve received in First or Business Class. It featured ear plugs, eye mask, tissue, toothbrush, and The Ginza products (Shiseido’s top line). In addition to the amenity kit, the flight attendant offered extra amenities as well. I decided to pick another toothbrush along with a lip balm, an ANA pen and I got offered free Wi-Fi code for my flight.
Meal Service
The 21 year Hibiki bottle with my appetizer was the highlight of my meal service. I was able to fill up my glass as much as I wanted. Although I had the option to fill up my glass as much I wanted to, I only did it once. Sadly, the flight attendant took the bottle away when she brought my dinner. I went with the Japanese Menu Set for my dinner. For dessert, I had two scoops of Vanilla Bean ice cream and Iced Coffee. Each was very delicious and I was impressed with the quality.
Final Thoughts
Overall, ANA First Class lived up to my expectations. I did encounter some Wi-Fi issues but I found out it was my phone’s browser which was causing the issue for connectivity. Since I flew a redeye flight, I didn’t get to experience more of a 5-course meal on board. The ANA First Class Suites provided excellent privacy and the flight attendants were friendly and courteous.
