Welcome to my next trip report, which will more or less be published ”live.” I’ve just kicked off this trip, and can’t wait to share the details as we go along.
Continue reading: Introduction: Twice To Tokyo
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Flying ANA F in just about 3 weeks. looking forward to this review!
Safe trip Lucky.
Looking forward to it! Especially the dichotomy between ANA's First/Biz, and Lufthansa's underwhelming hard product and Delta's... well, being Delta.
Doing ANA F (looks like the old one for now) in October from ORD. Hope they bring more new config planes online!
On the other hand I can’t quite agree with your F rankings. AF at #2? I feel that you should take into consideration availability/ease of booking for your rankings. How many people can actually access AF F when you got to be an Flying Blue elite to book it, and even then at a high cost?
For fewer miles I could fly SQ, EK (5th freedom), CX, NH etc. Ease of accessibility should definitely figure in your rankings.
@Lucky I can’t wait to follow this trip as it unfolds! I’m curious how you find/book ANA flights using Virgin miles. Can it be done on-line? (I’ve never seen any partner except Delta when searching on Virgin.) Or is it a “search for availability on United and then call” sort of deal?
Thanks!
Lucky, it's been a long time since you reviewed LH, and it has certainly fallen out of favour with you, far from the glory days when the Qsuite (then only a much-rumoured and little-known Super Business Class) did not exist. There's nothing quite like the First Class Terminal FRA.
Let's see if LH holds up, and, more importantly, if ANA can beat the Qsuite. The only thing lacking is NH's entertainment selection, but it can be Japan's Qsuite-beater otherwise.
I'm most looking forward to Endre's top 5 ranking. F only obviously, he's too sophisticated to fly J
I can save you the time on the LH A350-900. The hard product is non-competitive. The soft product is still decent. If I were flying routes that had other non-stop providers, I probably wouldn't fly Lufthansa business class. You'd certainly be better off flying either United or Delta, and American's seat is much better, but they're service may compromise them. If you're flying with a spouse or friend, Lufthansa is more tolerable since you're probably not quite as worried about sitting on top of the person next to you with no meaningful partition or divider.
I've flown 5 times to/from Tokyo on ANA Business in the last 3 years. The new seats look amazing. Everything about the airline is great, but I'm always disappointed by the food in Business. Only 2 choices of meals and the "Western" meal is not really Western beginning to end. I like Japanese food, but on the return I'm ready for a change. The one time I flew in coach I liked that meal, go figure. So, can't wait for your review.
Ranking a business class product is like ranking fruit as it depends on what is important to you as an individual. However pointing out what each airline and aircraft offer can be beneficial when deciding who to fly with. The other issue is the crew...this can make the difference between an ordinary flight and a fantastic one and often it is a crapshoot as to what mood your crew is in.
Yeah! Undoubtedly ANA’s new business class is even better than Qatar Airways Qsuites. So far best business class product in the market.
You intrigued me, I was impressed with the photos of the new first and business class ANA. Have a nice flight!
How can you tell if you are booking a flight on the new or old setup for first class or business class seats? I’d like to try the newly redone setup!