Feb 12, 2015

The ANA Flight Experience

Any time flight hour times climb into the double digits, I feel an extra bit of dread and anxiety. You might not know it, but flying still makes me unreasonably nervous, no matter how many flights I've taken. A frequent flyer I once chatted with said she looked forward to flying and it actually became fun once she was at a status level where she was almost always upgraded. I never knew that feeling. Over the past year, I've gotten a little more "indulgent" with my flying behavior, paying a bit extra here and there for slightly more leg room or for earlier boarding in economy. So flying to Tokyo in business class with ANA was a rather novel experience for me (please don't take the following to be a review of any kind as I'm certainly not qualified for that!).




Everything about it made me pretty giddy. ANA's attention to detail is apparent throughout the experience. Even something as simple as a bathroom sink with an automatic faucet had me wondering why all airplane bathrooms don't have this. ANA has even created an app to help anxious travelers (like myself) distract themselves during take-off (usually the most anxious moment during a flight). It's a soothing game that's easy enough to get lost in. I was a little skeptical at first but the next thing I knew I was trying to beat my high score and we were off in the air.

There's a good amount of privacy for each passenger, thanks to the staggered seating arrangement. I was in a middle aisle seat on the way there and a glorious window seat on the way back. Behind a little compartment under the media player, there are power outlets and USB chargers in every seat. I loved having a roomy side table for everything I wanted easy access to. The flight attendants could not have been more friendly or attentive.





During the flight, the galley area is stocked with newspapers/magazines, snacks, water, and toiletries such as face and hand cream (such a lifesaver) and toothbrushes. A bowl of Ippudo ramen (!!), along with a number of other snacks, is available as you wish throughout the flight. (Not that I was hungry to begin with after snacking on all the onigiri options in the ANA lounge.) For proper meals, there's a choice between a Japanese menu and an International menu, though I'm sure if you wanted to cobble bits from each one, you could easily do so. ANA really prides itself on its in-flight food and beverage menu and rightfully so -- it was the first time I can actually remember enjoying airplane food.

I could have had a nice nap in the fully lay-flat seats and add-on seat padding, but I was too engrossed in my books. (Side note: it's been a while since I've been this taken by a book – Dept. of Speculation had me in tears by page 13. I still keep the book near me and keep returning to certain phrases. Highly recommend for a read that will linger with you. On the way back I finally read Gone Girl to see what the fuss was all about.) I also appreciated that ANA didn't make their cabin a refrigerator like many airlines do. I was comfortable throughout and the light quilt was perfect. If the flight had been another six hours, I would have said 'bring it on.'




Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with ANA - All Nippon Airways. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of ANA.

11 comments :

  1. Saw some photos on your instagram! They are awesome:P

    Shall We Sasa

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  2. Beautiful shots! Now if only I could afford to fly first class :D

    www.itsallbee.com

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  3. I think this is the first time I've looked through a set of photos taken in an airplane and thought "nice light!" through all of them rather than grimacing over seat cover patterns or something similar. I'm sure that's more to do with your photography skills than anything, but in any case, fantastic shots. I also enjoyed reading about all the attention to detail on board!

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  4. These are lovely photos and it sounded like a great experience! Thank you for sharing your experience :)

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  5. One of my favourite aspects of flying with ANA (and other Asian airlines) are the beautiful flight attendants. They even change clothes between meal services to set the mood!

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  6. Those food look amazing, best food plane i've seen for sure!

    Sophia // sophiebysophia.blogspot.com

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  7. Wow, now that's a business class! The food looks so good!
    Very cool that they have an app for people who don't like flying.

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  8. Who makes a plane look sexy....you do! Nice job. =)

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  9. Looks amazing and so comfortable.

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  10. Wow, these are such gorgeous photos! I am really impressed with the Sony a7R!

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  11. GF is a 3 cabin chief purser for ANA and she says it best. we were blown away by a recent JAL flight from Boston to Tokyo in business and she said.. we (ANA) is a Japanese company that tries to be western. JAL is a japanese airline that is proud to be Japanese. interesting way of thinking. the inflight crew are so messed around my mgmt (their union rep is the manager..go figure) that they get a small compliment and they are elated. So thanks for the mention. I shared this with her. too bad no one in mgmt cares to share in the accolades the inflight and ground staff do for the company.

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