Review: ANA Old Business Class Boeing 777-300ER (SFO-HND)

SFO-HND

NH 107

Depart: 12:20AM

Arrive: 4:50AM

Duration: 11 hours 30 minutes

Seat: 19C

I was on my 5th trip to Japan, but first in autumn near the end of November. The decision for the trip was sort of last-minute, but last-minute is often advantageous when it comes to finding saver award spaces, and I was able to book the highly-competitive ANA business class.

ANA Old Business Class Boeing 777- Booking

I booked a one-way ticket using 110k United miles. Originally, I intended to use it for a United Polaris flight with IN fare class that costs the same in points as a United partner saver award space.

IN fare is a United saver award space that’s generally only available to United status holders and United co-branded credit card holders which makes it an alternative approach for award flights to/from Japan=US because of how highly competitive those routes are.

I happened to luck out and found availability for ANA before it was sent to alerts to award space search tools like Seats.Aero. United was one of quicker methods in booking this very competitive space with online booking. Unfortunately at the time, ANA didn’t fly the Boeing 777 with “The Room”, or the new business class. But, at least the old business class is still a lie-flat and is a product I haven’t tried before.

ANA Old Business Class Boeing 777- Check-in

I got to SFO at around 10pm and briefly checked out United Polaris lounge after check-in. But, the lounge closes at 11pm so I hopped into United Club that closes at midnight. Boarding process then comes shortly and I only waited around 15 minutes at the gate.

ANA Old Business Class Boeing 777- Flight Experience

The flight was over 11 hours long, and was nice and smooth. Since it was past midnight, services were limited, and meal service happened for pre-arrival. I fell asleep comfortably for most of the flight until the meal service.

Seats

The seat configuration for the old business class is 1-2-1. The 1-2-1 seat configuration at least gives an option for solo travelers to not have to sit next to strangers.

There’s 68 seats total in business class cabin, so just 1 more row compared to the newer “The Room” with total of 21-count vs. 20.

Even-numbered seats for the singular ones have the seats right next to the window, making them feel more private with the table serving as partition from the aisle.

The last-minute nature of my booking didn’t leave me with much option so I chose 19C, an odd-numbered seat with the seat being right next to the aisle.

The seats somewhat resemble half of office cubicles, and it’s probably the sterile nature of the colors of white and blue that made me thought of that. Clean-looking pillow, amenity kit, blanket, and water bottle were already set in place when I arrived to my seat.

The side table has ample space to store your belongings, with more empty space in front of the table to put your small bag on the ground. Reading light is placed next to the seat and seat controls for when you are in lie-flat mode under the “C” label.

Other than the surface, there’s a small compartment to stow small things to prevent them from dropping to the floor during takeoff or landing.

Underneath the table and to the side of the armrest is where the remote for the screen and general seat controls are.

The amenity bag is from Ettinger. Compared to the amenity from ANA first class, the one in business class is flatter and only consisted of toothbrush and paste, AVEDA body lotion and lip balm, and a foldable reusable bag. You also won’t find premium skincare products like you’d get in first class.

As usual, the amenity kit bag changes color depending on the season you take the flight on.

The screen in front of the seat is quite small with heavy metals surrounding it. I quite liked the industrial look of it all. To the left of the screen is a coat hanger, which I used for my hoodie since the cabin gets warm. Something to expect from an Asian carrier.

The leg space was wide with square end, and I prefer it over angled footwell because there’s more space to move around your feet in while lying down.

Below the screen are where the power plugs are with universal power outlet, USB-A, and an old-school rounded iPod connector that I’ve never seen before!

Overall, the seat itself was fine. It’s not the fanciest, but it is still a lie-flat, which by default, already much better than economy.

Entertainment

The entertainment section has selections of recently-released movies, popular Hollywood movies, and anime. Because I was asleep for most of this redeye flight, I didn’t watch any.

ANA Business class passengers get to enjoy free in-flight wi-fi, but I found it inconsistent during my flight. It’s how things are sometimes with airplane wi-fi.

Food

For the pre-arrival meal around 1 hour before landing, I ordered the Japanese menu.

To start, the amuse bouche came first with duck canape and a small bowl of marinated mushrooms. Cold and to the point.

Then, the main courses arrived with small plates consisting of fish, meat, and veggies that all came at once.

• Top left plate consists of tamago (egg), roast beef, squid, mushroom, and cherry tomato.
• To the right of the top left plate is the kobachi- mix of spinach,mushroom, and fish roe.
• Below the kobachi- Japanese pickles and miso soup
• The largest plate has steamed rice and grilled salmon

The steamed rice packaging reminded me of the one from a JAL Domestic First Class I flew years ago. Neatly packed into three rolls.

Overall taste were fine, and I’d give them a 6-7. It was a convenient breakfast as many restaurants in Japan don’t open until later in the day with the exception of some fast casual chains.

While I didn’t order food most of the flight, you could order light dishes anytime from the menu below. If I’d choose, I’d get the ramen. You can’t go wrong with ramen in the sky. Though my past ANA flights have always served plant-based ramen rather than tonkotsu (pork-based).

ANA Old Business Class Boeing 777- Lavatory

The lavatory is quite standard, but for Japanese airlines, bidet and footrest are available that already makes it better than what most airlines have.

The business class lavatory comes with toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouth wash so you don’t have to use the ones from your amenity kit.

Conclusion

ANA’s old business class in the Boeing 777 is still a serviceable product despite the age. While it’s not the most modern, a lie-flat seat is still very much appreciated.

It’s especially true now that flights to Japan has been very competitive in recent years. A “beggar can’t be chooser” type of situation within award booking so to speak if you’re not willing to go out of your way to reposition to another major airport.