At the end of 2019, ANA introduced a new type of Premium Class (domestic first class) seat on some of its flights within Japan. The seat can be found on some of its Boeing 777-200ER and 787-9 aircraft, primarily operating on major routes like Tokyo – Sapporo and Tokyo – Okinawa.
Last November, I finally had a chance to try the new seat when I flew from Naha to Tokyo on one of the airline’s refurbished 777-200ERs. Continue reading to see what the flight which was part of my ANA mileage run was like.
Check-in, Lounge & Boarding at Naha Airport
After arriving from Osaka on an ANA 787-8, I went landside to have some tacos – my meal of choice when I have a quick layover in Naha. I left the foodcourt just past 5:30PM and headed airside. I went through ANA’s premium security check (with just two people ahead of me it was a breeze) which led me directly to the airport’s ANA Lounge.
The ANA Lounge at Naha airport was more or less the same as any other domestic ANA Lounge – nothing to write home about. I reviewed it in detail here.
An announcement that boarding for my flight would start soon was made at 6:40PM and so, I left the lounge shortly after that.
Boarding group 1 (ANA Diamond status holders) was invited to board at 6:46PM. A minute or two after that, group 2 which included Premium Class passengers was invited to board and so I headed down the jetway.
ANA 777-200ER (722) Premium Class Cabin & Seat
The 777-200ERs that ANA uses on domestic flight come in two configurations:
- 772: This configuration is equipped with 405 seats including 21 in Premium Class. The Premium Class seats used in this configuration are ANA’s standard ones that can also be found on the 767-300ER and most 737-800s for example.
- 722: At just 392 seats including 28 in Premium Class, this newer configuration is less dense and more premium-heavy. They also feature ANA’s latest domestic first class seats. In addition to the 722, these seats can also be found on some of the airline’s 787-9s.
As already mentioned, my flight was operated by one of the 722s equipped with the new seats.
The Premium Class cabin took up just over half of the space between the first two pairs of doors. Its 28 seats were spread across four 2-3-2 rows. While this means there were middle seats, that’s understandable considering that the airplane is rarely seen on flights longer than 2 hours.
Separating the seats that were next to each other were fixed partitions. These were fairly low and so they didn’t provide much privacy but they served well to protect one’s arm space. There were also small “shields” on either side of the large headrest.
On a separate note, I liked the overall look of the graphite color seats with some faux wood touches.
My seat was 4G – a middle-section aisle seat in the last row.
The left-side headrest “shield” was equipped with a pop-up reading light. At the tip of the console separating my seat from my neighbor’s was a small drink table clearly divided into two parts. The tray table was stored in the left-side armrest too.
Additionally, the side of the console was home to seat controls, an IFE controller, a small storage space, an audio port, a universal power outlet, and a USB Type-A charging port. Unlike ANA’s older Premium Class seats which feature mechanical recline, the new seats are electronically operated.
On the right side of the seat was just a simple armrest.
The seatback in front was equipped with a double seat pocket, a coathook, and a high-resolution 15.6-inch touchscreen.
ANA Premium Class Pre-Flight Service & Departure
Upon boarding, a pair of slippers and headphones were waiting in the seat pocket.
Not long after I settled into my seat, one of the flight attendants came to introduce herself and to say that I should let the crew know if I needed anything.
About ten minutes later, the crew went around the cabin handing out disinfecting wipes.
The doors were closed shortly after 7PM. At that point, all 28 seats in Premium Class were taken and economy class looked close to full too.
Soon after, the flight crew made a welcome announcement, mentioning that we were expecting a two-hour flight time and that it was 20 degrees Celsius and clear in Tokyo. The announcement was followed by a safety video played on the IFE screens.
We were pushed back with a 12-minute delay at 7:17PM and took off another 15 minutes later.
While still on the ground, I started watching Top Gun: Maverick. A number of other passengers did so too. Some watched Buzz Lightyear. I will talk more about the IFE system further down.
ANA Premium Class Naha – Tokyo Dinner
About five minutes after take-off, an announcement was made saying that seat reclining and tray tables could be used at that point. With that, I reclined my seat into a comfortable cradle position. I quite liked the new Premium Class seat, probably more than the international business class seat that I had on my 787-8 flight from Osaka to Naha.
Another seven minutes later, the seatbelt signs were switched off.
I continued watching Top Gun and did some light work until the meal was served. While the tray table on this aircraft was smaller than on the 787-8 on my previous flight, it still fit my laptop nicely.
The meal service started about 30 minutes after take-off and took about five minutes to reach me since I was in the last row.
Like on all other ANA Premium Class flights, there were no meal choices. Instead, everyone was served the same tray which included a box with a number of small Japanese dishes, a bowl of saury rice, miso soup, and a plate of fried noodles.
The meal was the nicest one I had in ANA’s Premium Class so far. There was a nice variety of items on the tray all of which were good. I especially enjoyed the gingery fried noodles. With the bowl of rice and a plate of noodles, the dinner was very filling too.
To go with the meal, I had a cup of Perrier sparkling water and a cup of consomme soup.
The tray was cleared relatively quickly – about five minutes after I finished eating.
ANA 777-200ER (722) In-Flight Entertainment System & Wi-Fi
Unlike ANA’s 777-200ERs with the older cabin configuration, all the seats in the new configuration – both economy class and Premium Class – are equipped with personal screens. As mentioned earlier, the one in Premium Class was large and high-resolution making it a pleasure to watch Top Gun.
In terms of content, there was a selection of a few movies, both Western and Japanese. There were also some TV shows (including Demon Slayer which ANA partners with) and four live TV channels (CNNj, GAORA SPORTS, Nippon TV News 24, and Space Shower Tv).
About 50 audio albums and digital versions of ANA’s in-flight magazines were available too.
Lastly, there was, of course, an in-flight map.
Overall, while the content selection wasn’t as extensive as on ANA’s international flights and some other airlines, it was still considerably better than what ANA used to offer just a few years ago. It was also more than enough for the type of routes the aircraft serves.
Especially so considering that the aircraft was also equipped with free in-flight wi-fi like most other domestic aircraft operated by ANA.
Cruising Onboard an ANA 777-200ER to Tokyo
For the rest of the flight, I got some work done.
Just after 9PM, one of the flight attendants came to clear an empty glass that I had on my tray table. She also asked if I wanted anything else to drink, so I decided to get another cup of Perrier. As we were about to start our descent, I was served the drink in a plastic cup with a lid and a straw.
Around the same time, the crew went around the cabin with snack baskets. Rice crackers and candies were available.
Arriving at Haneda Airport
The seatbelt signs were switched back on at 9:13PM, and another 15 minutes later – at 9:28PM – we landed at Haneda airport’s runway 34R.
From there, it was just a short taxi to gate 61 where we came to a full stop at 9:32PM – seven minutes behind schedule and exactly two hours after taking off from Naha airport.
ANA 777-200ER (722) Premium Class Summary
While generally, I do no think it’s worth paying the premium for Premium Class on Japanese domestic flights, in this case, it made sense to me because it was part of a mileage run and netted me the necessary status points.
All in all, though, the flight was very enjoyable – the meal was plentiful and tasty, the crew was professional and attentive, and the seat was comfortable. Being able to watch Top Gun on the crisp IFE screen was a nice bonus on top of all that.
