For the return portion of our winter trip to Tokyo & Niseko, I flew All Nippon Airways’ Boeing 737-800 Premium Class on the 1hr30min flight from Sapporo (CTS) to Tokyo Narita (NRT). Premium Class is ANA’s forward-most cabin on domestic flights, and offers quite the pleasant experience.
Continue reading: Review: ANA Premium Class Boeing 737 (CTS-NRT)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I will also fly to Hokkaido next month and really wanted to book ANA as I’m collecting M&M. But it was impossible to book, as JAL J consistently cost 50% - 70% less than ANA Premium Economy.. Is JAL that much worse than ANA?
@ neogucky -- I'm not sure it's necessarily worth the premium, but they're very different experiences. Class J is economy with a better seat, while Premium Class is business class, with lounge access, an inflight meal, an extensive drink service, etc. If you have oneworld status, then maybe it's worth saving the money and going for Class J. But yeah, it's definitely a different experience.
Wait @Lucky couldn’t this be because of booking on the US site vs Japan as you uncovered?
And yes these seats are super comfortable I almost passed out NRT-ITM.
It is just always astounding how Japanese airlines and people are able to board even a full domestic-density 777 in 20 minutes with politeness and efficiency, compared to the 50 minutes that a United etc. requires in the US, and even then barely makes it on time.
It's worth mentioning ANA is able to offer Premium Class on a much wider set of routes than JAL because of the two class system of Premium Class/Economy, meaning most mainline narrowbodies and all widebodies have Premium Class. Where as JAL as only Class J (extra space seating) and Economy Class on its narrowbodies. First Class is only offered on widebody routes domestically.
In general, ANA tends to be stronger than JAL domestically speaking, where ANA has higher frequency and gauge outside of Tokyo specific routes.
In a head to head comparison at NRT, ANA offers Premium Class on all routes domestically, but JAL only does Class J in a 2-3 config on its domestic 737s.
I have flown domestically in Japan on numerous occasions and it always blew my mind that JAL could board a completely full DC-10 (dating myself) HND-KIX in 10 minutes, or NGO-NRT full 767 in 10 minutes. Funny, I have always had remote stands at NRT but always jetways back to SFO.
LOL, 15 minutes to board a 737. Only in Japan. Meanwhile over here in the US we’re collectively wasting hundreds of hours a day because we can’t get out of our own way, XD
A domestic 777 in Japan usually also boards in 15 minutes.
The absurd size and number of carry on luggage brought aboard in the US has a lot to do with it.
The 737 fleet also comes with a newer generation of seats, that are more comfortable than these. The 737s are operated by ANA Wings.
They have some very nice sake options, but their sparkling wines are terrible.
@Ben Passengers in the premium cabin of Chinese carriers are also offered slippers on short haul flights. With Korean Air, I was not offered slippers on short haul flights. I guess it really just depends.
ANA sucks for domestic flights, especially in their so called 'Premium' class. JAL is much superior.
Not only in Japan. I experience quick boarding in Singapore and Indonesia all the time.
No, plenty of people have carry-ons.
The key is that they have multiple lines for scanning boarding passes. On US narrowbodies, you only have one. In Japan, they staff their gates far more, so they can manage to have multiple scan their boarding passes at a time.
In addition, they implement efficient boarding groups, where they board back to front. Assuming no status members, class J would actually board last on JAL narrowbodies.
That's just not true. On narrowbody routes like this JAL doesn't offer an experience comparable to ANA's Premium Class.
JAL only has 2-3 Class J, which is just extra space economy seating. For that reason alone, ANA's Premium Class is superior on footprint because JAL wouldn't even be an option.