TRAVEL | All Nippon Airways (“ANA”) operates two flights a day between Sydney and Tokyo (Haneda). The Boeing 787-9 (“787”) is currently used on the route, and travellers can choose between Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class. I flew Economy Class. The average flight time on this route is 9 hours and 35 minutes.
Check In
Check in very straight forward. You can check in online, or using ANA’s app. You can enter in all relevant passport and visa information before your flight, and receive an online boarding pass. If you’re using the app, there’s up-to-date notifications about gate changes, flight delays, and the like, and you can use the boarding pass on the app at the gate.
Unfortunately, if you have luggage to check in, there aren’t any bag drop stations, so you’ll have to line up at the traditional staffed check in counters. Do keep this in mind when planning how long before your flight you need to get to the airport.
Loyalty
ANA’s loyalty program is ANA Mileage Club, which is free to join. ANA are also part of the Star Alliance, which offers the option of points transfers and certain reciprocal privileges. Additionally, ANA have reciprocal partner arrangements with Virgin Australia. I booked my flight using Velocity Frequent Flyer points.
ANA do not have a lounge at Sydney airport, however ANA Mileage Club, and other Star Alliance members can, depending on status and flight class, access the Air New Zealand Lounge.
Luggage
Checked luggage is included with all ANA Economy tickets when flying international. You can check-in one bag up to 23kg (50lb), and a carry-on bag no longer than 115cm (45in) up to 10kg (22lb). You can also carry on a small item that can fit under your seat.
Service
I couldn’t fault the service on the flight from Sydney to Tokyo. Staff were polite, professional, and always happy to help if I needed anything.
Cabin
The ANA Economy cabin on the 787 that flies from Sydney to Tokyo features 215 seats, in a 3-3-3 layout. Colour wise it’s blue, white, and grey – in line with ANA’s branding. The cabin is very clean.
Seat
The cushioned fabric seat has dimensions of about 86cm x 44cm (34in x 17in). Like most airlines that have gone for a 3-3-3 layout on the 787, the seats are a bit narrow, but the 86cm pitch is bigger than most, which means a decent amount of leg room. Best in class for this cabin, in fact. I was lucky enough to score an exit row seat, so leg room very good for me.
Like any economy seat, it doesn’t recline that far back. It does, however, have built-in lumbar support, and an adjustable head rest. There’s also a small plastic footrest.
Each seat has a USB-A port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and AC power outlet. On the back of the seat there’s dual mesh pockets for magazines and other belongings. There’s no in flight magazine.
Entertainment
The back of each ANA Economy seat has a screen which gives you access to the ANA SKY CHANNEL entertainment system. It’s a perfectly acceptable screen, but an older style one that does feel dated compared to some of the competition. On it you’ll find an assortment of new release and classic Hollywood and Japanese movies, TV shows, sports and music shows, a wide variety of music channels, and audiobooks. Content rotates regularly to ensure that the content remains fresh and current.
Provided headphones are the standard disposable over the ear, foam covered type that are typical in most full fare Economy cabins. For me it’s my trusty SONY WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling headphones, plugged into the 3.5mm audio jack.
Food
Meals are included with all ANA Economy tickets. The flight that I was on departed just after midday, so it was lunch shortly after take-off, and a snack closer to landing.
Staff come past with a menu card, giving you the choice between two meals. On this flight it was either simmered deep fried chicken and vegetables with rice, or braised beef goulash with potatoes. I opted for the former, the more Japanese version of the two. It was fine, the chicken was a bit dry and there wasn’t anything to elevate the rice. There was a decent amount of food served, though, and the three side salads, plus cheese and crackers, and ice-cream were decent enough.
To drink, it’s a selection of Australian wine, Japanese beer, and spirits. There’s also water, juice, soft drink, coffee and tea. I appreciated the option of multiple different full strength and full sized Japanese lagers like Sapporo and Kirin.
The later snack consisted of a roast chicken and honey mustard sandwich, soy crisps, and seasonal fresh fruit. All perfectly acceptable.
If you’re ever hungry outside of meal time you can just ask one of the flight attendants and they’ll bring you a snack or a drink. Think water, cheese, and crackers, and muffins.
Amenities
On the seat when you first board is a think blanket. There is no amenities kit.
Wi-Fi is available on this flight. I didn’t use it, but by all accounts it’s good for basic web browsing, checking e-mails, and sending and receiving messages. Just don’t expect to do anything too intensive like streaming. Pricing is USD$6.95 for 30min, USD$16.95 for 3 hours, or USD$21.95 for the full flight.
Verdict
I enjoyed my flight from Sydney to Tokyo on ANA. While the entertainment system is a bit dated in operation, and the food isn’t anything to write home about, these aren’t really things that matter to me. I bring my own iPad loaded with things that I want to watch and games to play, and like to keep myself relatively hungry so that I can hit the ground running with some great food at my destination.
The seat is comfortable, the extra leg room, appreciated, and service top notch. I’d have no hesitation flying ANA to and from Tokyo in the future.