Being one of its largest domestic hubs, it is no wonder that ANA operates both an ANA Lounge and an ANA Suite Lounge at Osaka Itami airport.
While I have yet to visit the latter, during my ANA Super Flyers mileage run, I had a chance to spend time in the former. Continue reading this review to see what the ANA Lounge at Itami airport was like.
Location, Opening Hours & Access
Like other ANA Lounges, the one at Itami airport is located airside, after security.
While it can be reached through regular security by turning right once inside the gate area, there is also a premium security check that leads directly to an area where an escalator into the lounge can be found. Passengers holding ANA Platinum, Diamond, or Super Flyers status can use the premium security check.
The lounge is open every day from 6AM until the last ANA departure of the day.
Just like all of the other ANA Lounges, it can be accessed for free by the following groups:
- ANA Platinum, Diamond, and Super Flyers status holders including one companion (additional companions can be brought in for 2,000 miles or 2 upgrade points per companion)
- ANA Million Miler Lounge Access Card holders including one companion (additional companions can be brought in for 2,000 miles per companion)
- Premium Class passengers
- Star Alliance Gold members
ANA’s lower-tier Bronze status holders can pay 1,000 miles or 2 upgrade points to enter the lounge (with additional 2 upgrade points required per companion). Like with ANA Lounges at other large airports such as Haneda and Fukuoka, it is also possible to pay in cash to enter the lounge. The entrance fee is 3,000 yen (~25 USD) and has to be paid at the reception in cash.
That said, as you will see below, there are not many situations – if any – in which the 3,000 yen is worth paying.
Lounge Tour
At the top of the escalator leading to the lounge was a reception desk which was shared between the ANA Lounge and the better ANA Suite Lounge which can be accessed by ANA’s top-tier status holders. While the former was to the right of the reception, the latter was to its left.
Next to the reception desk, there was also a nice model of an ANA 767-300ER in a Star Wars livery. The actual aircraft was repainted into ANA’s regular livery and then retired.
Just past the entrance, there was a hallway leading to the main part of the lounge.
On the hallway’s left side were some luggage lockers. There were also two check-in machines that passengers could use to change their seats, get a receipt for their flight, etc.
Lastly, there was a small business center with a printer/copier and a counter. Along the counter were half a dozen or so office chairs.
On the right side of the hallway was another hallway – one leading to the lounge’s restrooms. There was also a flight information screen – in fact, there were multiple in all areas of the lounge allowing passengers to see their flight status easily.
Along the hallway to the restrooms were three or four phone booths and a smoking room.
The phone booths are a staple in Japanese lounges and are something that I really appreciate. They allow passengers to get whatever business they need to do done on the phone while also saving other passengers from having to listen to other people’s phone calls.
The booths in this particular lounge were each equipped with a pair of power outlets and a counter which was unfortunately too narrow to hold a laptop.
The restrooms themselves were, as is the norm in Japan, nice and clean.
The main area of the lounge was one large room with plenty of seating of all types.
First, there were a couple of rows of dark well-padded benches. The benches run from the windows all the way to the walkway that led down to the end of the lounge.
Between each of the seats was a small console that one could place drinks and other smaller items on.
Each seat also came with a power outlet and a USB charging port. In fact, that was true of all the seats in the lounge, not just of those in this section.
Past the above area were a few rows of counters – those had chairs fixed to the ground.
From this area all the way to the very back of the lounge there was also a counter along the lounge’s windows. The seats along this counter offered excellent views of some of the airport’s gates as well as of aircraft movements on the taxiways and runways.
Across from the counters, along the lounge’s inner wall was a refreshments area.
In addition to a counter with refreshments (more about that in the next section), there were also a couple of communal tables. Some nice fans (uchiwa) were displayed in the middle of the communal tables.
Separating the refreshments area from the area with counters was a row of trash cans and magazine racks.
Lastly, at the very back of the lounge there were some sofa-like light brown benches. Those were ideal for groups of two or three people as they lacked partitions between the individual seats.
There were also rows of sofa chairs separated from each other with privacy partitions. Each of the chairs came with a small round coffee table.
Food and Drinks
As with all other ANA Lounges – and unlike the ANA Suite Lounges – there was no food to speak of in the lounge other than packs of rice crackers and some candies.
In terms of drinks, there was a dispenser with soda and some other soft drinks like green tea and orange juice. There were also separate dispensers for aojiru and water.
Additionally, there were pitchers with milk and tomato juice in a refrigerator.
Hot drinks included a selection of coffee from three coffee machines and a selection of teas.
Alcoholic drinks included automatic beer dispensers that Japanese lounges are well-known for. Four different brands were available – Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo, and Suntory. There was also a Suntory highball dispenser.
Lastly, there were three bottles of liquor including shochu and whisky.
ANA Lounge Osaka Itami Summary
All in all, just like all other domestic lounges in Japan, the ANA Lounge at Osaka Itami airport was nothing to write home about. While it offered a decent amount of seating, an alright selection of drinks, and some aircraft views, that was about it. It was still a fine place to get some work done in while waiting for my flight.
That said, I cannot imagine a situation where I would actually pay to enter the lounge – whether in miles or cash. The only time I can imagine that being anywhere near worth it is for those who need a place to get some work done before their flight – maybe even handle a phone call or two in one of the lounges booths – and then want to have a couple of drinks.
1 thought on “Review: ANA Lounge at Osaka Itami Airport”
Review is spot on.
First time I’ve ever been into a business/*Gold lounge with no food at all…and also no wine.
So unless you want to get totally hammered before your flight I’m not quite sure what the point of it is at all. I wouldn’t pay to use it that’s the sure.
Ho hum.