The more that I fly ANA (All Nippon Airways), the more that I realize that the class of service and the aircraft type doesn’t really matter all that much. It’s always going to be great.
The following is a full review of my recent ANA 787-8 economy class flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo (Haneda).
Guess what? It was great.
NH105
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Tokyo, Japan (HND)
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Aircraft: 787-8
Registration: JA828A
Duration: 11 hours 47 minutes
Seat: 29G (Economy)
My full review of ANA 787-8 economy from Los Angeles to Tokyo / Haneda
Because my ultimate destination was Hiroshima, the best option for making connections out of Haneda was to take the midnight flight out of LAX. Longtime readers of this blog know that late night flights and SANspotter mix like oil and water, but I did what I had to do. Because ANA (and that “always great” thing).
Arrival at LAX
The best way to enjoy ANA long-haul economy class? Connect to it via an inferior product. In my case, it was United Express Embraer 175 economy from San Diego. That’s about as inferior as it gets IMHO.
I arrived about 2 1/2 hours to spare. Most of that time was eaten up by a leisurely walk from Terminal 8 to Terminal B, followed by a quick stop for food.
This flight to Haneda was going to be departing out of the West gates of Terminal B – which required even more walking once I finished my meal. I’ve never had to work so hard for a flight on ANA in all my life.
The boarding process
They got the boarding process underway at 11:55 PM, which was exactly 20 minutes behind schedule. The culprit? Rain and fog. At least I think that’s what it was. This aircraft arrived from Tokyo 6 hours earlier, so it certainly wasn’t because of tardiness.
Seat overview
FYI: the economy class seats on the 787-8 are not as fancy as the ones you saw in my ANA 777-300ER economy review. Those aircraft feature ANA’s newest interior. The long haul 787s do not. At least not yet.
No amenity kits are included (of course), but you’ll get a pair of decently comfortable headphones and a really comfortable blanket. The pillows are a’ight.
It’s a very dated looking economy class product in my opinion. That said, legroom is fantastic for long haul economy, so I don’t even care what it looks like.
The departure
They got us pushed off the gate at 12:25 AM, and from there it was a fairly speedy taxi all the way out to runway 25R. It was a little foggy and rainy though. Rare form for LAX.
In flight entertainment
Quite possibly the most dated part of these seats is the integrated entertainment system. Sure, the video screens are plenty big enough. The problem is that resolution (and performance) is very “10 years ago.”
It’s also worth noting that the catalog of content is somewhat lacking by current standards. If it’s the latest Hollywood blockbusters are what you demand, ANA is not your airline.
The first meal service
As with any late night departure on ANA, the first meal service consisted of a simple snack box (and a drink). It’s not much, but I completely understand why they do it. I didn’t see anybody around me eat everything in the box. As a matter of fact, many didn’t eat anything at all.
Seat (and cabin) comfort
These economy seats aren’t the best for sleeping in, but I’ll tell you what: they’re not that bad if you can score an empty seat next to you. With enough wiggle room, it’s not all that hard to get comfortable.
One of the things that helped to make this so comfortable with the fact that they kept the cabin temperature relatively high. It wasn’t too uncomfortably hot though – I wasn’t sweating buckets or anything.
I ended up sleeping about 2 1/2 hours in total. It wasn’t very good sleep. My neck hurt for days afterwards. But it was deep enough to dream some really weird sh*t, so I guess it counts.
The lavatory
Not only were the seats showing their age, the lavatories were as well. Everything was clean and tidy of course, but the yellowing plastic (and mystery stains) were a pretty good indication that these aircraft are due for an overhaul.
The second meal service
Finally! Real food! We were presented with two choices for the pre-landing meal service. Both looked good, and I would’ve been happy with either. Just know that whatever you choose, it’s standard economy class fare. It’s hardly gourmet. But it is tasty.
The descent (and landing) into Haneda Airport
It was still pitch black outside as we began the descent into Haneda. Everyone was still dead asleep, and the cabin was eerily quiet. My assumption is that nobody cared that we were 17 minutes behind schedule. I sure as heck didn’t.
Pros and cons
As I said at the top of this review, flying ANA is always going to be a great experience. It doesn’t matter that the interiors of these 787-8s are getting somewhat dated. Everything else makes it worth the price IMHO.
Pros
- Legroom is “premium economy” good.
- Everything is spotless and clean (which is surprising giving the age of these interiors).
- The blankets are some of the best in the business IMHO.
Cons
- The first meal service is extremely limited on flights that depart late at night.
- Did I mention the dated looking interior yet?
- In flight entertainment is just OK. It’s not terrible, but don’t expect the latest and greatest content.
You should try Korean Air’s brand new a350 delivered today! HL8598 is the registration!
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/11579225
looks very stunning in the blue livery!
Whoa – I completely forgot that they had A350s on the way. Heck yeah I’m gonna try it. Hopefully sometime this year.
Aeroflot is indeed available in parts of Asia. How do I know? I saw an Aeroflot 777-300ER at Shanghai/Pudong on December 24th (Beijing time) taxiing while on an China Eastern Airlines A359.
I had an excellent flight on China Eastern, by the way. Just a bit of holiday travel to see friends and family.
Aeroflot sightings are rare these days. I came so close to flying with them before the pandemic, and I’m kicking myself now for not taking that opportunity while I had it.
Glad your China Eastern flight went well!
Scott, thanks for doing this review. My little brother may be flying to Japan on vacation in the next year, and this will be extremely helpful for him. We sometimes watch the videos of your reviews together and critique the food and the flight experience. For some reason Delta is his airline of choice, but he would not be averse to flying JAL or some other carrier to Tokyo. That being said, I’m not sure I would choose ANA based on the food choice. The meals you were served just look awful, like something you’d get at a hole-in-the-wall Asian takeout place in LA.
I’d be interested to see you fly to Asia from Europe, or vice-versa, on a carrier like British Airways, or Turkish, or Emirates. Pity you can’t fly Aeroflot these days!
You’re very welcome! I’d definitely recommend JAL or ANA over Delta. Keep in mind that food options are only limited on flights that depart late at night. There will be better (more substantial) choices on flights that depart during the day. The quality of food will be pretty much the same on all airlines IMHO.
Yeah, I’ve never flown between Asia and Europe. It’s something I’d like to try at least once though!