Airline: ANA
Flight number: NH879
Aircraft: Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner
Route: Haneda (Tokyo) to Sydney
Seating: Business Class
Flight time: 9 hours, 20 minutes
Skytrax airline star rating: 5 stars
Reviewer: Rob McFarland
The cabin
The 48 business seats are in a staggered 1 x 2 x 1 configuration so everyone has an aisle seat and some privacy.
Checking in
Check-in is smooth and painless with gracious, smiling staff. 9/10
Which lounge did you visit on departure
ANA’s lounge at Haneda Airport is spacious with plenty of seating and a wide range of food and drink options. 7/10
Alcohol
Last year ANA upgraded its wine selection and we are offered Henriot’s Brut Souverain Champagne before take off and a choice of two whites and two reds during meals. There’s a chardonnay from Bogle Vineyards in California, a sauvignon blanc from Castelo de Medina in Spain, a 2011 Bordeaux from Chateau de Lugagnac and – my favourite – a delicious cabernet sauvignon from 14 Hands Winery in Washington, USA. There’s also a good selection of premium spirits, sake, shochu and even a plum wine.
Meals
Due to the late scheduled departure time of this flight (10:10pm), there’s no formal dinner service, just a selection of snacks. Options include vegetable soup, steamed Wagyu buns, mixed nuts and a cheese plate. After sampling the pork cutlet sandwich, which is underwhelming, I’d recommend eating in the lounge beforehand. Breakfast is better – fruit followed by a tasty omelette with sausage and potatoes. 6/10
Space
The seats are well-designed and pod-style with plenty of storage, converting to a fully-flat 189-centimetre-long bed. Even with the supplied mattress, I found the bed on the firm side but it was comfortable enough for a few hours’ sleep. The Dreamliner’s quieter cabin makes sleep a much easier proposition and the increased humidity is claimed to reduce jetlag. The seat width is 49 centimetres, increasing to 64 centimetres when converted into a bed.
Amenities kit
Basic L’Occitane amenities kit with toothbrush, eye mask, lip balm, hand cream and ear plugs.
Pyjamas or not
No pyjamas but slippers are provided.
Entertainment
Entertainment is delivered via an 18-inch (46-centimetre) touch-sensitive screen. There are 351 programs in total but many are in Japanese and only a handful of the 32 movies classified as New Release genuinely are. There’s a reasonable selection of music channels and documentaries, plus three live news and sports channels, but oddly no Western comedies. There is also a multi-adapter power socket, a USB and iPod port and WiFi packages starting at US$6.95 for 30 minutes.
Quality of headphones
Comfortable Sony noise-cancelling headphones are provided but the quieter cabin on the Dreamliner means there’s very little background noise to block out. 8/10
Bathroom
Spotless, spacious bathrooms complete with a window should you wish to admire the view. 9/10
Baggage
Business class passengers can take two bags up to 32 kilograms each, plus one carry-on item up to 10 kilograms. A third bag of up to 32 kilograms can be checked in for US$100.
Loyalty program
ANA Mileage Club. Passengers can also earn points towards other Star Alliance membership programs.
Gripes
The seatbelt sign is left on for extended periods so the bathrooms are off-limits even though there’s no discernible turbulence. Also, the number and frequency of announcements are excessive for an overnight flight.
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