So, the day finally arrived for us to make the return journey to Japan, a country I've wanted to visit since I was 16 and am now fortunate to have visited twice.
As many of you will know, I was one of a number of v-flyers who were affected by the closure of the NRT route, and by sticking to my guns since we were booked on M to G miles upgrades, VS reprotected us onto an ANA codeshare in J at no extra cost to us. It took some sorting out though, but once it had happened for one pax it set a precedent that the FC customer service staff couldn't argue with.
As mentioned in an earlier post, we made our way to LHR by train from Lincolnshire and I thought I'd been Honey Lambed, but only time will tell. We use a railcard and it was due to expire before our return leg so I went online to renew, but obviously won't have the valid card with me, and it turns out that an email and proof of renewal cannot replace the card and so we might end up being penalised either by having to buy new full fare tickets or a fine. Virgin Trains East Coast said I should see what happens on the day and if we have to buy new tickets we can claim a refund. However, on the outbound journey we were not asked for the card, so you never know!
Anyway, journey good, arrived into KGX and took an Uber across town to Paddington for the overpriced but super quick Heathrow Express and arrived at LHR T2 just before 14:30, for a 19:35 flight. First impressions of T2 were good, it's light and well designed, I really liked it. We'd completed online checkin (SEQ1 yay!), and when we arrived there was an ANA desk open. Then a new process for us, to scan passport and print luggage tag and tag our own bags before bag drop. anyway, all done no problem, and off we went headed for T2B and the United Lounge.
I tried to spend money in Duty Free but just couldn't, nothing I wanted or needed. I stayed away from Harrods lest I go mad and actually buy that handmade Montblanc watch I've been craving for! So off we went to the lounge, a walk of about 10-15 mins, and we arrived a 15:00, greeted by the friendly staff and got settled in. It's a really nice lounge, and I did the obligatory "waving from the lounge post" to v-flyer, and we got settled in for the afternoon. It was very quiet and therefore a calm relaxing space. I had a couple of glasses of champoo and a margarita, and plenty to eat from the well stocked buffet, and read for a couple of hours.
No announcements in the lounge and the boards said gate would be posted at 18:25, but it wasn't, and I kept checking. Eventually about 18:45 we were paged to the desk and took a call from the ANA ground crew. My hubby's selected seat was broken and they called to tell us he was being moved and was offered a couple of choices. Nice touch I thought. Anyway, the nice lady said we were boarding at gate 46, right opposite the lounge, starting at 19:05, so off we trotted.
First class, business and Diamond elites were called for boarding first and off we went, and warmly greeted onto the 77W, into seats 7F & 8K. I didn't take any photos of the cabin but I will on my return. I was really impressed with the business staggered layout.
So, to impressions of the seat and the flight service.
First, I really liked the seat, there's so much space as you have a side table and in front of you beneath the 17" touch screen you have your pullout dining table and beneath that a shelf to rest your feet, where the bedding is also stowed. This forms your bed when you transfer to lie flat mode. Beneath that there is stowage for hand luggage, and under the seat space for shoes. The overhead bin was huge and I had one all to myself, as did most pax from what I could see. There was plenty of room to spread out, compared to the UCS and the herringbone configuration where you have little storage space, an awkward little drink shelf over your shoulder, an armrest with a small stowage area underneath and the small ottoman. So there was a lot to like.
What I didn't like was that each pax was really isolated, and not that we do, but in this configuration 2 pax couldn't dine together. At times it felt a bit claustrophobic. But not too much, and on balance, I really did like the seat and the space to spread my sh*t!
On boarding I accepted an OJ (no rolling of eyes please) because I was feeling jaded after my session in the lounge. Pushback was about 19:35 and we were in the air a few minutes later. Then I accepted a glass of champoo, because I'm a v-flyer after all!
I got settled, the seatbelt signs went off, and never came back on until we were making our descent several hours later.
CC were friendly, attentive and service was generally good. Although they swept through the cabin frequently on what was essentially a night flight, with several pax still awake, they didn't do any drinks runs after dinner, and there was no call button that I could find. Whilst they gave a good inflight service, and were very professional, they were also a bit distant, and lacked the personality that VS CC have in bucket loads. There was little interaction unless they were getting you something and that fun, sassy element was missing. But, on balance, they were very good, but not great - I enjoy a bit of friendly banter.
So, to dinner. The food was excellent, I think the best I've had at 35,000 feet. There was a choice of Japanese or International menu. The International had the usual beef steak, chicken, pasta type choice. I think hubby had the steak which he said was good. I on the other hand, having done my homework and seen what the Japanese offering was before we left, opted for this choice. It was basically a 7 course menu, and it was really delicious and beautifully presented, as only the Japanese know how. I took some photos (forgive the blue hue, it was from the cabin lighting).
We started with an amuse bouche, which was a little vol au vent with chicken curry, smoked salmon, and a courgette and pancetta thingy. All very nice.
Next were three cold courses which included simmered duck in a soy based sauce, simmered beef with a salad and a sesame dressing and then simmered vinegared octopus and some other morsels. All very tasty and fresh.
Main course was fried Sea Bream with a thick ponzu sauce, with rice, pickles and miso soup as course 6 and then a choice of a rhubarb tart or a very decadent chocolate mousse tart (which I had) for dessert. It was all delicious and all looked appealing with its excellent presentation.
After dinner I settled down to watch a movie, read a little, then converted the seat to bed and tried to get some sleep. I didn't, but managed to catnap for a couple of hours. On waking I had a bowl of the most delicious pork broth ramen with some sake. Honestly, the broth was stunning and packed a real umami and garlic punch! About an hour later they started breakfast service (Japanese option again for me), and it wasn't long afterwards that we started our descent into HND.
We arrived on time and were off the plane quickly and off to immigration and security, ole Ted bags and went to meet our waiting chauffeur in the arrivals area.
All in all it was an excellent flight, great food, great seat, good service. There are some differences from VS obviously, and I think if the CC had a bit more personality about them the differences would certainly be fewer. I would definitely fly ANA in J again though. Interestingly, my hubby expressed a preference over VS for it completely. Each to their own I suppose.
Thanks for reading. Photos of the cabin will be added later.
As many of you will know, I was one of a number of v-flyers who were affected by the closure of the NRT route, and by sticking to my guns since we were booked on M to G miles upgrades, VS reprotected us onto an ANA codeshare in J at no extra cost to us. It took some sorting out though, but once it had happened for one pax it set a precedent that the FC customer service staff couldn't argue with.
As mentioned in an earlier post, we made our way to LHR by train from Lincolnshire and I thought I'd been Honey Lambed, but only time will tell. We use a railcard and it was due to expire before our return leg so I went online to renew, but obviously won't have the valid card with me, and it turns out that an email and proof of renewal cannot replace the card and so we might end up being penalised either by having to buy new full fare tickets or a fine. Virgin Trains East Coast said I should see what happens on the day and if we have to buy new tickets we can claim a refund. However, on the outbound journey we were not asked for the card, so you never know!
Anyway, journey good, arrived into KGX and took an Uber across town to Paddington for the overpriced but super quick Heathrow Express and arrived at LHR T2 just before 14:30, for a 19:35 flight. First impressions of T2 were good, it's light and well designed, I really liked it. We'd completed online checkin (SEQ1 yay!), and when we arrived there was an ANA desk open. Then a new process for us, to scan passport and print luggage tag and tag our own bags before bag drop. anyway, all done no problem, and off we went headed for T2B and the United Lounge.
I tried to spend money in Duty Free but just couldn't, nothing I wanted or needed. I stayed away from Harrods lest I go mad and actually buy that handmade Montblanc watch I've been craving for! So off we went to the lounge, a walk of about 10-15 mins, and we arrived a 15:00, greeted by the friendly staff and got settled in. It's a really nice lounge, and I did the obligatory "waving from the lounge post" to v-flyer, and we got settled in for the afternoon. It was very quiet and therefore a calm relaxing space. I had a couple of glasses of champoo and a margarita, and plenty to eat from the well stocked buffet, and read for a couple of hours.
No announcements in the lounge and the boards said gate would be posted at 18:25, but it wasn't, and I kept checking. Eventually about 18:45 we were paged to the desk and took a call from the ANA ground crew. My hubby's selected seat was broken and they called to tell us he was being moved and was offered a couple of choices. Nice touch I thought. Anyway, the nice lady said we were boarding at gate 46, right opposite the lounge, starting at 19:05, so off we trotted.
First class, business and Diamond elites were called for boarding first and off we went, and warmly greeted onto the 77W, into seats 7F & 8K. I didn't take any photos of the cabin but I will on my return. I was really impressed with the business staggered layout.
So, to impressions of the seat and the flight service.
First, I really liked the seat, there's so much space as you have a side table and in front of you beneath the 17" touch screen you have your pullout dining table and beneath that a shelf to rest your feet, where the bedding is also stowed. This forms your bed when you transfer to lie flat mode. Beneath that there is stowage for hand luggage, and under the seat space for shoes. The overhead bin was huge and I had one all to myself, as did most pax from what I could see. There was plenty of room to spread out, compared to the UCS and the herringbone configuration where you have little storage space, an awkward little drink shelf over your shoulder, an armrest with a small stowage area underneath and the small ottoman. So there was a lot to like.
What I didn't like was that each pax was really isolated, and not that we do, but in this configuration 2 pax couldn't dine together. At times it felt a bit claustrophobic. But not too much, and on balance, I really did like the seat and the space to spread my sh*t!
On boarding I accepted an OJ (no rolling of eyes please) because I was feeling jaded after my session in the lounge. Pushback was about 19:35 and we were in the air a few minutes later. Then I accepted a glass of champoo, because I'm a v-flyer after all!
I got settled, the seatbelt signs went off, and never came back on until we were making our descent several hours later.
CC were friendly, attentive and service was generally good. Although they swept through the cabin frequently on what was essentially a night flight, with several pax still awake, they didn't do any drinks runs after dinner, and there was no call button that I could find. Whilst they gave a good inflight service, and were very professional, they were also a bit distant, and lacked the personality that VS CC have in bucket loads. There was little interaction unless they were getting you something and that fun, sassy element was missing. But, on balance, they were very good, but not great - I enjoy a bit of friendly banter.
So, to dinner. The food was excellent, I think the best I've had at 35,000 feet. There was a choice of Japanese or International menu. The International had the usual beef steak, chicken, pasta type choice. I think hubby had the steak which he said was good. I on the other hand, having done my homework and seen what the Japanese offering was before we left, opted for this choice. It was basically a 7 course menu, and it was really delicious and beautifully presented, as only the Japanese know how. I took some photos (forgive the blue hue, it was from the cabin lighting).
We started with an amuse bouche, which was a little vol au vent with chicken curry, smoked salmon, and a courgette and pancetta thingy. All very nice.
Next were three cold courses which included simmered duck in a soy based sauce, simmered beef with a salad and a sesame dressing and then simmered vinegared octopus and some other morsels. All very tasty and fresh.
Main course was fried Sea Bream with a thick ponzu sauce, with rice, pickles and miso soup as course 6 and then a choice of a rhubarb tart or a very decadent chocolate mousse tart (which I had) for dessert. It was all delicious and all looked appealing with its excellent presentation.
After dinner I settled down to watch a movie, read a little, then converted the seat to bed and tried to get some sleep. I didn't, but managed to catnap for a couple of hours. On waking I had a bowl of the most delicious pork broth ramen with some sake. Honestly, the broth was stunning and packed a real umami and garlic punch! About an hour later they started breakfast service (Japanese option again for me), and it wasn't long afterwards that we started our descent into HND.
We arrived on time and were off the plane quickly and off to immigration and security, ole Ted bags and went to meet our waiting chauffeur in the arrivals area.
All in all it was an excellent flight, great food, great seat, good service. There are some differences from VS obviously, and I think if the CC had a bit more personality about them the differences would certainly be fewer. I would definitely fly ANA in J again though. Interestingly, my hubby expressed a preference over VS for it completely. Each to their own I suppose.
Thanks for reading. Photos of the cabin will be added later.
At the end of the jetway TURN LEFT and... champagne, champagne for everyone