ANA All Nippon Airways Passenger Reviews and ANA Customer Trip Reports

ANA review - by S Evans

2 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

SFO-NRT-SFO. Business 777. I found my first flight on ANA to be reasonably comfortable. AVOD choices were as bland and limited as the food. ANA should listen to this site and do some better competitive analysis. I found that FAs seemed to bow and cater to their Japanese frequent flyers. The sweater they offer is tiny, as are the portions of food they serve. To get a snack, I walked into the economy section and took some Pringles they had available. I got chided for walking in my (Virgin) foot covers that look like socks. FA told me I could cut my feet on broken glass! My response was that their slippers are about a size 8. On the return, I wanted to bring a colleague with me who was flying on UAL into the ANA lounge (which itself is nothing special). "Impossible" I was told. Very embarassing and had to apologize to my friend. I ate at McDonalds with him instead to prepare myself for the bland service on the return flight. ANA business is quite average.

ANA review - by E Kano

30 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Honolulu to Narita, Dec 26th, Business Class, 767 aircraft. The seats were comfortable and completely automated. However, they were not the sleeper seats used on ANA's biz class flights to the US Mainland or to Europe. If you're concerned about seat comfort, be careful to check their website and not fly on the one day of the week they use the old aircraft with the 2-2-2 seating and the old seats which are only a step-up from economy. Those seats are not nearly as comfortable as the 2-1-2 seating they offer most days of the week. As for the service, it was excellent. All of the FAs working the biz class cabin were proficient in English and extremely pleasant. Furthermore, they were very attentive and if they weren't actually out in the cabin, they responded to the call button immediately. There was a choice of a Western or Japanese meal; I chose the Japanese meal and it was beautifully presented, delicious and filling. The pre-landing meal was a vegetable lasagne which again was very tasty. The only drawback to this flight is that there were three couples with small children or infants. While two of them kept their children in check, there was one couple sitting two rows behind me who allowed their children to continually squawk, screech and make all kinds of noises throughout the flight. This really marred an otherwise excellent flight. I used to fly JAL on this route, but have used ANA twice in a row and will continue to use ANA as the smaller 767 aircraft is more comfortable than the 747s used by JAL. Furthermore, I have found ANA`s website much more user friendly than JAL`s for online reservations and getting information about flights, seating availability, etc.

ANA review - by C Wu

27 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Singapore-Tokyo-Sapporo return. Aged Boeing 767 for the long haul flight but cabin clean. Light snack served at midnight (small pastry and drink). Two hours before arrival, light warm breakfast was served. Cabin crews friendly with a smile and highly professional. The negative point is not much legroom in the seat even for a small guy like me. Domestic flight from Sapporo to Narita by Airbus 320, only drink was served on board. Passengers brought along their breakfast to eat on board the plane. Again, cabin clean and service of high standard. The ground crews at the ANA counter in Sapporo were helpful. Coming back from Narita to Singapore, we had a choice of sliced pork with seasoned rice or seafood with saffron rice for lunch. Again, the portion is small and sensible. Ice cream served later. The movie can be paused and resumed at anytime. You don't miss anything in between nor waited for the movie to finish and restart again. An airline which is customer-oriented.

ANA review - by K Ojha

19 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

KIX-GUM on B767-300ER. Osaka to Guam with ANA expecting a level of service on par with some of the better Asian carriers. I had just travelled from YVR to KIX with Air Canada which was OK. After transiting for 6 hours in Osaka, I was looking forward to a decent flight with good meals on ANA. The aircraft was an old, chartered config 767, with no PTV and a horrible seat pitch. Meal was non- existent and compromised a sandwich, small carton of orange juice and 4 grapes for a 4 hour flight! Flight departed and arrived on time into Guam but service was very disappointing.

ANA review - by Michael Jones

12 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JFK-NRT Economy class. Food fairly good, service very good. Inflight entertainment quite good with a selection of about 15 movies, al of which were in English or with English subtitles. There were also 15 other channels with sports etc. The seating was really uncomfortable. I can't believe the seat pitch is 32" as stated on this site. I think 30" is probably more like it. The plane was a 777-300. Economy has a 3-3-3 configuration. By far the worst seat to be in is the D column - and I was in 31D. Every single seat in D has the AVOD box underneath which takes up 75% of the space. I could just about jam one foot down the side. So I basically had a small foot well and even when I was sat right back in my seat my knees were touching the seat in front. For a 14 hour flight it was extremely uncomfortable. This was the first long haul economy class I have taken for about five years so I may have been expecting a little too much.

ANA review - by Mary McCombie

6 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

ANA has a fatal flaw in First Class: it's oriented toward men. I was the only fe offered fit a shorter male physique but was uncomfortable on this tall female. The personal amenities did not include a single moisturizer nor any grooming products (facial wash, comb) that most women use (and men, for that matter). My other gripe was the onboard entertainment offered very little in English, so in addition to being a second-class citizen in First, I was bored. The food was very good, service polite (though not warm - cultural difference, I suspect), and the cabin bland but comfortable. However, I will never take ANA again when there are so many other airlines who treat women like important passengers.

ANA review - by Paul Geibel

7 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

FRA-NRT return in Business Class. Like many others reported, the good things are the cardigan, blanket with feet pocket, and staff, which is friendly and attentive on other Japanes airlines also. In-seat power for Laptop without special equipment required also a plus. Food was disappointing to say the least. I compare this on the basis of dozens of flights to Asia on AF, KL primarily. Most prominent colour in the food was grey. Nice examples was a strange vegetarian giant mushroom with grey colour, chewing gum texture and barbecue taste. Choose to stay hungry. IFE was junk. Picture quality hurting the eye.

ANA review - by Gregory Rump

7 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

HND KIX/ITM NRT. Bought the ticket at NRT after arriving from Europe. Tickets seem to be cheaper in Japan than when buying them abroad (unless you buy a pass, but then you have to go through a travel agent). Very friendly staff at NRT airport, who apologized they had no earlier flight from NRT and told me it is better to transfer to HND (tranfering between airports in Tokyo is a disaster though, but not worse than in Paris or London if transfering between two airports, maybe better even). Service overall very good and friendly for the short one hour flights. Airport facilities on domestic flights difficult for foreigners. Boarding announcements only in Japanese, check-in machines only speak Japanese also (not very convenient if you cannot read it). Language skills on board could be better, but then when compared to BA domestic, or AF domestic, it is not really worse either. Staff very friendly and they try hard. Expected a bit better from a Japanese airline. But after flying Finnair on the long haul to Japan, having to deal with the minor imperfections of ANA was easy and pleasant. Overall pleasant and efficient experience, for the same price as the train. Would fly with them again.

ANA review - by Jim Reid

2 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

ICN-NRT on an entirely Y class flight. Not a spare seat around but FAs did really well in getting everybody served quickly and pleasantly. Reasonable meal all things considered. Not much room but no problem for a 2 hr flight.

ANA review - by P Laury

15 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

NRT-SFO Business 777 Club ANA. ANA clearly keeps track of who is flying on a free (UAL mileage) ticket. A flight attendant asked me if "I could do a favor" and take the western meal instead of the Japanese one since they had run out. I had actually asked for the western meal choice so it was a non-issue (did they forget what I ordered?). This flight seemed to be disorganized. I fly to Japan on United's business class and I thought ANA food would be better. It was mostly inedible tiny portions. I would recommend eating before you get on the flight. The breakfast was supposed to be a poached egg, but was poached perhaps ten hours earlier. I agree with the previous comment that ANA is designed for Japanese. I was one of just a couple non-Japanese in business class. They offer a cabin sweater that is two sizes too small for me (I wear a large). Their foot rests are too high to be of any use (I am 6' tall). The seat was dirty with hair on it flying both directions. The window was greasy on both flights, with hair stuck on. The "bar corner" on this return flight was practically empty - it is not a bar. I was really looking forward to flying on ANA. They did get me to my destinations efficiently, but I would not consider them to be any better than UAL.

ANA review - by Kristian Laursen

6 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

NRT-HKG Economy. Seats cramped. Flight on time, the entertainment system was reasonable with japanese films and some news channels, but nothing above standard. It is obvious that ANA is for Japanese only. A very annoying thing was the placement of the remote control in the seat, it was in the side of the chair and had some sort of a hole in the chair to get hold of it and if you didn't want to use it, you hand could not rest there.

ANA review - by Joseph Riordan

3 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

IAD-NRT-ORD on 777-300 Economy class. Insufficient seat pitch for anyone 5 ft 10 in and average weight. The seats were much too cramped for a flight this long. Entertainment system takes up even more room. The foot rests help. Cabin staff very good. Food service very good. Cockpit video and inflight entertainment are pluses.

ANA review - by Michael Kiepert

14 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LAX-NRT in First, NRT-PVG in Business. Very quick check in at LAX and hassle free luggage security check. The temporary First Class Lounge used by all carriers is actually the nicest I have been in at TBIT. Very airy, nice views comfortable seating but very limited snack selection and plastic cups! The 777-300 offered the new First Class seats, very comfortable indeed. The welcome was very nice and, as noted before, apparently systematically no pre-takeoff drinks. I opted for the Japanese meal which I found to be excellent. If you like Sake, there is an abundant choice, but I preferred to stick to Krug Champagne. A good afternoon nap followed. Before landing, another small meal was offered. The flight attendants, all female, offered a very attentive service throughout the flight. Landing was on time, immigration lines light and the priority baggage worked as well. The free phone rental was another treat. Check-in on the next day for Shanghai took somewhat longer as a trainee was doing it under the supervision of an experienced agent. Due to my arrival in First Class, I was allowed to use the nice and cozy First Class lounge. Boarding was organized and on time. Dinner and drinks followed, again choosing the Japanese meal which was very good. The only negative was that all drinks were served in the small bottles, whereas I prefer wine from regular sized bottles. Again, very attentive and friendly service by an all female cabin crew. Ontime arrival and the luggage was on the belt as I passed immigration. This was my first trip with ANA and I look forward to using their services again. Definitely on par with Singapore and Cathay and, in my opinion, a cut above Thai.

ANA review - by J Larkin

17 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Tokyo to Singapore Boeing 767 Business Class. This was definitely a step down from the Chicago to Tokyo service. Now we are back to plastic knifes, while we had metal ones for the Chicago flight. The seats are definitely not as comfortable as those on the 777. Food was good, but not as imaginative as that on the Chicago leg.

ANA review - by S May

28 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Buisiness Class 777-300ER NRT-SFO. Flying with my wife, our first experience of ANA. Overall excellent service. Attentive FA's, excellent food and wine selection. New club ANA seats comfortable ( esp in sleeping mode) and cabin tidy and clean. Only 2 minor downsides - no pre departure drinks offered and cabin very warm throughout trip.

ANA review - by K Krisanakamol

25 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK-NRT. ANA used 777-200 half of cabin were divided into First and Business class. Another half was for Economy this makes space for Economy very tight (around 160 seats in Economy ) so the seats were very cramp especially when seat in front of me reclined. It was worse than JAL (I have thought ANA offer better legroom). Crew were smiling but not attentive. IFE on my whole side did not work well, could watch only few repeated Movies. THAI really offer a better service, seat comfort and better food.

ANA review - by M Liu

25 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Economy on a 777 PVG-NRT-LAX and then SFO-NRT-PVG. Had the same issue both ways on all 4 legs of the trip: the seats were too shallow. Even with the excellent service, clean and spacious cabin and restrooms, the on-demand movie and video games which seemed to help pass the time much more quickly, I'm pretty sure I would not fly them again. I'm 5'8" and could not get comfortable with the shallow seats. I felt half my thigh was hanging off the seats. The only way to get my thighs comfortably on the seats was if I sat perfectly straight, into my seat back. And with the awkward metal leg rests and entertainment systems underneath the seats, there wasn't much leg room there either! Who can sit with knees and hips at 90 degrees for 10 hours? (By the way, when I sat so straight/tall, my head was above the head rest!) So all in all, if you're not a tall person, I'd strongly recommend the airline, but if you're tall, consider flying another class or another airline altogether.

ANA review - by Christopher Slater-Walker

24 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

ANA Input London-Tokyo return Business Class. Flight from LHR-NRT barely half full, although the return leg was almost completely full. The cabin is spacious and nicely furnished, with attentive, but not over-attentive service, and a fine selection of food and drink, with a range of light snacks available outside the main meals. The seat converts into a angled lie-flat seatalthough this is not horizontal, and it may be difficult for some people to get comfortable. Entertainment is perhaps not quite up to the standard of some other airlines, but there are a number of fairly recent big-name films available, together with a selection of different music channels. Check-in at both Heathrow and Narita was as smooth as could be; however, immigration queues at both airports can be quite long. My bags were there waiting for me as soon as I got to the carousel, both in London and Tokyo.

ANA - by Masaki Oda
1 April 2007

NRT-SIN on Economy. A full flight and the cabin was cramped - ANA flies a dated B767-300. The cabin was clean and well maintained but not as impressive as other careers on the same route. The food was excellent for Economy class and flight attendants were good. The only major complaint was the way ANA handles Star Alliance Gold customers of other airlines. I have UA*G but was not allow to use priority security lane in NRT even though I fly on ANA. While ANA silver card holders can go through the priority lane when they fly on other star alliance careers.

ANA - by Larry Taylor
24 March 2007

IAD-NRT-IAD. This was my 4th consecutive trip on ANA over the past 4 months and I’ve traveled in all three classes, First, Business and Coach. Without exception, this is the best airline flying to Japan from the states. I purchased my ticket on the ANA Website and while it is a bit busy and cumbersome, it is acceptable. Check in at the airport was quick and efficient, both at IAD and NRT. FAs were very polite, professional and wonderful to deal with. I was traveling coach this trip and even being at the back of the plane, the service was far beyond what one would expect. FAs were attentive and patrolled the isles every few minutes. Food was better that most American Domestic carrier’s Business and First Class meals and portions were more than adequate. In-Flight AVOD was good, but since I travel every month to Japan, I noticed that movies tend not to change every month. Seat was comfortable, but a bit cramped. But then again, I am over 6 feet and only a business or first class seat fits my frame. The major complaint I have about the seating on ANA’s 777-300 was the video boxes under certain seats. If you are stuck in one of these seats, you have no leg room. All things considered on this trip, ANA delivered superior customer service and meal quality. I will always choose ANA whenever possible when flying to Japan.

ANA - by Leu Ziva
26 February 2007

My wife and I just completed a NRT-ORD segment (Tokyo to Chicago) in First class and I must say that was the best flight we have taken. The service is faultless and FAs smiling, checking on the passengers, and basically getting you whatever you want from an extensive a la carte menu. The seats are superb - not only lie flat, but very wide and one can actually roll from side to side! Nice, big pillows and a silky blanket too. They give you a set of pyjamas with a pair of trousers and a kimono-type jacket that is very comfy and unique. Caviar, fresh whole crab (pre-cracked and with little windows cut into the legs so you don't have to do too much work to get to it!). 3 desserts. Huge drinks menu with 5 kinds of western tea and several Japanese teas. The round-trip price is high (approx. $15,000 each), but you are spoiled beyond belief. Very nice if you're on an expense account. Will always look to ANA over the others whenever feasible.