On one of my trips to Sapporo back in December 2021, I booked a roundtrip flight with ANA using miles. Having had flown JAL’s domestic first class before but not ANA’s one, I decided to upgrade one of the flights into Premium Class for 14,000 yen (about 120 dollars).
More specifically, I upgraded the return evening flight as that would come with dinner service rather than the lighter breakfast service that would be served on the morning outbound flight I had booked.
Continue reading this review to see what the flight was like.
Check-in, Lounge & Boarding at Sapporo Airport
After spending a day at Sapporo Okadama airport photographing Hokkaido Air System’s Saab 340, I arrived back at New Chitose airport around 7:30PM, one hour before my flight’s scheduled departure time.
While all of the check-in counters and security checkpoints were deserted, I went decided to go through ANA Premium Check-in area dedicated to ANA and other Start Alliance status holders and Premium Class passengers. The entrance into this area could be found next to ANA’s international connections check-in desks, and the area included a couple of staffed counters, a check-in kiosk, and a dedicated security checkpoint.
The dedicated security checkpoint led directly to ANA Lounge’s entryway.
The lounge itself was located up an escalator from the entryway. Unlike JAL which provides access to the better of its two domestic lounges to domestic first class passengers, ANA only invites its Premium Class passengers into the simpler ANA Lounge rather than the more premium ANA Suite Lounge.
The main difference between the two lounges is the availability (or lack) of food other than packs of rice crackers.
I left the lounge around 8:10PM and headed to gate 8 which was just a few seconds away from the lounge’s exit. When I got there, boarding was already in progress and so I was settled in my seat, 1D in no time.
ANA 767-300ER Premium Class Cabin & Seat
Just like all ANA’s domestic 767s at this time, the aircraft that I was on was equipped with a total of 270 seats in two classes: economy and Premium, with the latter being ANA’s domestic first class. While Premium Class was equipped with a total of 10 recliner seats in two rows of the relatively unusual 2-1-2 layout, economy class featured 260 seats in a 2-3-2 layout.
My seat was one of the two seats in the middle of the cabin, and as such, it was exposed to the aisle from both sides. On longer flights, the resulting lack of privacy might be bothersome but on the short hop from Sapporo to Tokyo, it was not a problem.
In my seat’s left armrest were the seat controls. The seat operation was fully mechanical.
The armrest also housed a simple in-flight entertainment controller.
On the seat’s right side was a console with two small drink tables, a nice retro “do not disturb/wake me for meal” indicator, and an armrest. The armrest housed the seat’s large and sturdy tray table.
A power outlet and a USB charging port could be found on the console’s front.
Next to the seatback, there were a reading light and a small enclosed storage compartment. I didn’t use the latter, though, as it seemed quite unpractical due to its size, shape, and location.
In front of the seat, on the bulkhead in the case of the first row, was a seat pocket.
In the case of the pairs of seats on either side of the aircraft, each seat only had access to one of the small drink tables and there was a relatively large partition between the seats.
ANA Premium Class Pre-Flight Service & Departure
As soon as I took off my jacket after boarding, one of the flight attendants approached me to take it and store it. Soon after, another flight attendant came to introduce herself and ask if I needed anything. With the COVID-19 situation still ongoing, another flight attendant distributed disinfecting wipes after that.
Settling in my seat, I found a pair of slippers and a Panasonic noise-canceling headset waiting in the seat pocket in addition to the typical waste bag and safety card.
At 8:24PM, the cabin crew armed the door and we were ready to go. At that point, all 10 Premium Class seats were occupied.
We were pushed back at 8:28PM, two minutes ahead of schedule, and a safety video was played.
Less than ten minutes later, at 8:37PM, we took off.
ANA Premium Class Dinner
The seatbelt signs were switched off just four minutes after take-off. At that point, the crew started preparing meals alongside trying to solve an issue with the screens in the cabin not working.
Soon after, one of the flight attendants came to set up my table (i.e. take it out of the armrest). The meal itself was served at 8:50PM, just 13 minutes after take-off. After placing the meal tray on my table, the flight attendant went on to explain the contents of the meal and ask what I wanted to drink (I got a cup of cold green tea).
All parts of the meal other than a soup came covered. In addition to the meal itself, there was also a bottle of water, the utensils, a menu (Japanese only), and a wet scented towel on the tray. I found it especially nice that an actual towel (albeit packed in plastic) was offered rather than a disposable one.
It’s worth noting that the passenger in seat 1C who fell asleep right after take-off was not woken up for the meal.
As for the meal itself, it was excellent. Personally, I liked it more than what JAL offered in its domestic first class. That might only be because on my JAL first class flight, only pork was offered, though. Also, the fact that no choices were offered might make it a hit-or-miss for those who do not like Japanese food.
As soon as I finished the meal, one of the flight attendants came to clear the table right away. I was also asked whether I wanted any tea or coffee.
The tea that I asked for was brought in about five minutes and served in a paper cup with a lid. At that time, I was also asked whether I wanted any rice crackers or nuts – I decided to get both.
For reference, here’s the full drink menu.
Cruising Onboard an ANA 767-300ER
Since there was still quite some flight time left after I finished the meal, I decided to take out my laptop and edit the photos I took throughout the day at Okadama airport. When one of the flight attendants noticed what I was doing, she came over to chat a bit about where I took the photos and so on.
At the end of our chat, I asked if I could get a boarding certificate. This being Japan, the answer was, of course, a yes.
About 25 minutes before landing, one of the flight attendants made a pass through the cabin, offering nuts, rice crackers, and candies. Being full, I didn’t feel like having more nuts or crackers, but I got a peach candy.
Soon after, trash was collected.
ANA Domestic 767-300ER In-Flight Entertainment
As for the in-flight entertainment offered on the aircraft, live TV was played on the overhead screens and a selection of audio programs was available too. Just like most other ANA domestic aircraft, the plane was also equipped with free onboard wi-fi which, while not too fast, was more than enough for chatting and light web browsing.
More entertainment was accessible through wi-fi. In addition to the obligatory flight map, a small amount of audio and video content, four live TV channels, and some magazines were accessible through the portal.
Arrival at Tokyo Haneda Airport
Aronud 9:45PM, one of the flight attendants brought my jacket back and a couple of minutes later, the seatbelt signs were switched off. We landed at Haneda airport at 9:58PM and reached our gate at 10:05PM, five minutes ahead of schedule.
After the seatbelt signs were switched off, I took some photos of the cabin (one of the flight attendants offered to take a photo of me in the seat when she noticed I was taking photos) and got off the aircraft.
ANA 767-300ER (Domestic First) Premium Class Summary
Overall, I enjoyed the flight. The crew was friendly and the meal was tasty. While the seat wasn’t anything special, it was more than good enough for the short flight. The only reservation I have about ANA’s Premium Class is, as mentioned earlier, the fact that it only comes with access to ANA Lounge rather than the better ANA Suite Lounge.
All that said, if you are on a budget, then you are better off not upgrading the flight since the difference between economy and Premium Class is, in the grand scheme of things, negligible on a one- or two-hour hop.
