Review: All Nippon First Class
I was at Tokyo’s Narita airport, traveling home from a business trip to Malaysia. My flight was due to start boarding in a few minutes and I was rushing to my gate after having just finished grabbing a few last duty free items, a variety pack of mochi and a bowl of extremely tasty melon gelatin cups (if you are going to get anything from Narita, get these!) When I got to the gate, I saw it… the dreaded sign with my name on it. Oh no, I thought. They overbooked and I was getting bumped out of my wonderful business class seat. I immediately started to dread spending the next 11 hours in economy. Not that economy is always bad. I spent eight hours in economy from Tokyo to Singapore and it was a treat. But I wasn’t thinking about all of my great economy experiences, I was thinking about the worst times. As I walked to the gate agent stand I start picturing sitting between arguing children with someone kicking my seat back and resting their bare feet on my armrest.
I got to the desk and gave the agent my name. “I apologize sir…” Oh no, it’s happening! “we overbooked our business class cabin on todays flight” I knew it! “If it is ok with you, we had to put you in a middle row seat in first class.” Middle row even! The next eleven hours in first class…. WAIT WHAT?! Did she just apologize for upgrading me to first class? I literally had to ask the gate agent to repeat herself. Before I knew it, I had a new ticket in hand and was being whisked away down the jetway to my own private room in the sky. Not just a room, this was All Nippon’s newest first class product, “The Suite”.
The Suite isn’t quite as large as Singapore Airlines first class on their Airbus a380s or the Emirates suite on their Boeing 777s, but compared to most seats in the sky ANA’s “The Suite” is palatial. The first thing I noticed upon stepping on board and making that coveted left turn to first class was the look. It is not as flashy as some of the other airline offerings. It isn’t covered in shiny gold plating or wrapped in leather. Instead, I would call it subdued elegance. You are surrounded by dark wood accents and plush fabric. It feels premium without being in your face. There are only eight suites on the plane, configured in 2 rows of 4. The seat itself is gigantic at 38 inches wide. When converted to a bed, you get 76 inches of length to stretch out, room for all but the tallest of passengers. And while some lie flat seats leave you to squeeze your feet into a small cubby when sleeping, here you get the full 38 inch width to toss and turn to your hearts desire. To make things just a little more private, the compartment has a door that slides closed and mostly blocks the view from the aisle. The door is only about four feet tall though, so passers by and flight attendants can still look down into your compartment. It may not be truly private, but it accomplishes its goal of feeling private.
I have flown on All Nippon many times and no matter the class, the service is always amazing. But the Suites take that experience to the next level. There are two flight attendants dedicated to the suites passengers. On this flight, there were five people including me in the first class cabin. It was almost like having my own personal attendant on the plane. I rarely had to hit the call button, as the flight attendants were very observant and knew just when to drop by to offer a drink or the next course for dinner. Immediately upon finding my seat, my flight attendant introduced herself and offered me a glass of Krug Grand Cuvee champaign. She then walked me through all of the features and controls of the seat and IFE (entertainment system) and gave me a card with a code for free WiFi during the flight.
I quickly got settled in. Having only eight people in the first class cabin there is plenty of overhead storage room. There is also a large compartment at your feet that can accept smaller carry ons, bookbags, and handbags. This is common for business and first class seats, but I usually don’t like using the space as it takes up valuable legroom to rest my feet. In the Suites though, that is not an issue. With 76 inches of pitch, I actually had to get out of my seat to reach my bag. Aside from that, there was the usual scattering of Cubby spaces, cell phone holders, pop out mirrors, and reading lights. One thing that American passengers will appreciate, there were adjustable overhead air vents! If you have been on many flights with non-US carriers, you know that having your own adjustable air vent isn’t that common outside of America. This was the first time I had seen adjustable vents on an ANA plane. It might not seem like much, but sometimes having the little bit of air blowing on you can be all the difference in a hot plane.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot announced that we would be experiencing some turbulence early in the flight and that meal service would be delayed until we got to more stable air. That announcement apparently did not pertain to first class though, as my flight attendant arrived only moments later to walk me through the dinner menu and take my order. I could choose from the international menu or the traditional Japanese menu. You are free to mix and match different courses between menus. I figured being in first class on a Japanese airline, I have to take that opportunity to sample some Japanese fine dining. Unfortunately, that meant that I accidently passed on the caviar course. That was ok though, because there was SO MUCH FOOD!
I started my meal with a glass of white wine from burgundy and a glass of what may be the most delicious and refreshing drink on earth, Aromatic Kabosu. Ever since my first time flying on All Nippon, I have dreamed about this delectable treat. Aromatic Kabosu is All Nippon’s signature drink. Kabosu is a type of citrus fruit that is grown in the Oita prefecture of Japan. It has a tart and slightly bitter taste, and is often used in Japanese cuisine as a seasoning or garnish. The Aromatic Kabosu drink served by ANA is a simple mixture of Kabosu juice, honey, and sparkling water. There is no bitterness, instead It is a refreshing, lightly sweet, tangy, mildly citrus flavor. The flight attendants often promote it as “Japanese Lemonade” but that description doesn’t do the drink justice. Aromatic Kabosu lacks the intense acidity of most lemonade and it is not overly sugary. It has the perfect mix of subtle sweet and sour that makes you want to keep asking for more. And I did, again and again. I’m surprised the flight attendant didn’t just leave the carton with me. If you get to experience one thing on All Nippon, this is it.
Kabosu in hand, I was ready for dinner. Rather than a few big dishes, the meal was plate after plate of bite sized morsels. Each one was a burst of unique flavor. The first course to arrive was the Amuse, which consisted of a cup of ANA’s signature bread sticks, a pickled quale egg with gizzard confit, Marinated Red Sea Bream and Eggplant Mille-feuille, and smoked duck, mushroom duxelle, and Japanese leek roll. The Amuse course is usually a single bite of something decadent, so to be greeted with a selection of treats was quite a way to start the meal. The quail egg and duck were particularly delicious. The “Signature” bread sticks on the other hand, are the same ones I have had in business class before. They are fairly bland an typically are best as an accompaniment for cheese or some type of spread. They did not fit particularly well with their accompanying selections.
Next up was the Sakizuke and Zensai courses. These came out together, which makes sense. Sakizuke and Zensai are both Japanese words for appetizers. Zensai’s literal translation is “before the meal”. The Sakizuke on this flight was a single Japanese tiger prawn with vegetables and a sesame cream sauce. I could have eaten half a dozen of these. The Zensai was a selection of bite sized delicacies starting with jellied tomato and uncured pork ham, scallop mousse and zucchini, deep fried young sweetfish with pickled vegetables in sake lees tartar sauce, deep fried fishcake and miso-pickled tofu wrapped in rice paper, and a conger eel and cucumber sushi roll. There were some interesting textures here that may be a turn off to western palates. Particularly the jellied tomato and scallop mousse. Oddly, thanks to one of our favorite Columbus restaurants, this was not my first experience with scallop mousse. Every bite was as delicious as the last.
After the starter came the first optional dish, the Owan course. The Owan course is named after the type of bowl it is served in. In this particular Owan bowl was a delicate piece of grilled pike conger in a light broth with somen noodles, a silky wheat noodle that looks similar to spaghetti. The subtle flavor and warm flaky fish contrasted nicely with the previous dish, which was served cold. You may also notice at this point that I have a full glass of Kabosu in every picture. You might think that I wasn’t drinking much considering the praise I was heaping on it earlier, but you would be wrong. With every entrée, the flight attendant would bring a fresh glass of that tantalizing nectar.
The Owan was followed by the Shusai or main course, which featured grilled kamo eggplant with miso paste and grilled eel with soy based sauce. Accompanying the main dish was the Kobachi course consisting of dressed jellyfish and white gourd in vinegar sauce, as well as steamed rice, miso soup, and a selection of Japanese pickles. The eggplant and eel were delicious, but by the time I got to the jellyfish and gourd I was stuffed. Strange textures and flavors on an overfull stomach is a dangerous combination, so I just tried a small bite of those dishes. They were… interesting. I am sure I would have appreciated them more on an empty stomach.
At this point I couldn’t look at another jellied this or pickled that, but I can’t say no to dessert. The Kanmi course was a dainty Yuzu Mousse topped with the tiniest piece of edible gold foil. Together with a warm cup of green tea, it was the perfect finish to an adventurous meal.
After dinner, I kicked back and watched the 2022 remake of Dune on the giant 43 inch IFE screen. The screen was literally the width of the compartment, and from only a few feet away, it felt like I was in a movie theater. The experience was further improved by a pair of top of the line Sony wireless noise cancelling headphones. These weren’t the cheap disposable headphones that are handed out from a trash bag or even the special edition airline branded headphones with the proprietary two pronged plug that you usually see in business class. These were the same $350 headphones that you can pick up at your local Best Buy. Despite coming with Bluetooth headphones, you still have to connect to the IFE with a cord, which is a little less convenient but the sound is amazing. If you plan to use your own headphones, be warned that the placement of the headphone jack combined with the large space to move around in means that your head is often pretty far from where the headphones plug in and devices with shorter cords may not reach the normal sitting position. The cord on my Bose Quiet Comfort 45 headphones was just long enough that I could wear them in a normal sitting position, but any amount of movement resulted in them being ripped off my head.
About an hour into my movie, I decided it was time to get comfy. All Nippon supplies all of the first class and business class passengers with a nice pair of thin cotton sweat pants and and a long sleeve t-shirt to sleep in. First class also gets a nice zip up sweater in case you get a little cold. I grabbed my PJs and headed for the lavatory to get changed. My flight attendant noticed I was heading to change and asked me if I would like her to get my bed ready. I told her that sounded great and headed in to get dressed for bed. When I got back, my seat was folded flat and a thick mattress pad was laid on top, followed by sheets and a nice warm comforter. It was all topped off with a nice large pillow. I crawled in and was blown away. I have slept on many flights in various lie flat seats, and it always feels like a chair converted into a makeshift bed. Not here, this was truly a bed in the sky, and it was amazing.
I fully intended to watch the rest of my movie. I tilted the seat up slightly so I could get a better view of the massive screen and watched another…. minute or so. The next thing I knew, there were credits rolling and at some point my flight attendant had come by and tucked me in. I thought about getting up and walking around, but the bed was so comfy. So, I took off my headphones, laid the bed flat, and had the best sleep I have ever had at 40,000 feet. When I woke up, there was only about two hours left before landing. It was only a few minutes before my flight attendant noticed I was awake, and she came by to ask if I would like a pre-arrival snack. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get some authentic ramen. It wouldn’t be an All Nippon flight without a delicious bowl of Ippudo rich tasting miso “Daichi” ramen. Its truly the best ramen in the sky and rivals much of what you can get on the ground. This isn’t the 49 cent package of ramen you had in college to fend off starvation. It is a rich and hearty broth with loads of vegetables and nice firm noodles. Along with the bowl of ramen, I ordered a cheese plate that came with a selection of four cheeses, some dried fruit and nuts, and a few pieces of bread.
After my meal, I decided it was time to change back into my normal clothes and freshen up, so I made my way back to the lavatory. When I got back to my seat, my flight attendant had already packed up and stowed my bedding. She came by with one more glass of Kabosu and thanked me for flying with All Nippon.
This was such a great experience and one I was totally not expecting. I am a huge fan of All Nippon’s business class and fly them every change I get. But now, having experienced the amazing first class, I am going to be jealous every time I step on an All Nippon plane and make that right turn to my seat. As great as the business class product is, I now know what extraordinary experience is in store for those few people that turned left.
