Is ANA a Good Airline?

I fly All Nippon Airways (ANA) loads, each internationally and domestically. It’s a unbelievable airline in case you’re headed to Japan, particularly from the US (whose carriers go away a fantastic deal to be desired).

On the identical time, I generally ponder whether ANA isn’t a bit overrated. Certain, it undoubtedly deserves its perennial Skytrax five-star score, notably for its premium cabins. From customized service, to restaurant-quality meals, to among the best enterprise class seats within the sky, ANA is really wonderful.

Certainly, the reply to the query “is ANA a superb airline?” is definitely, clearly sure. Nevertheless it’s not the very best airline on this planet, and today would possibly even be falling a bit behind its essential Japanese competitor. Enable me to clarify.

Why Everybody Appears to Love ANA

Is All Nippon Airways good? Judging by the way in which the airline is roofed within the press, you’d suppose the ANA was the very best airline that ever existed. From fawning journey bloggers, to glowing profiles in legacy media, to a five-star Skytrax that, whereas deserved, can be trotted out somewhat bit too typically for my tastes, the phrase on the road is that ANA is all that and a bag of chips.

What I’m wondering, cynically, is how a lot of that is actual, and the way a lot of it’s folks believing what they’re instructed. Like, I can perceive why vacationers fortunate sufficient to fly ANA first or enterprise class would sing the airline’s praises, even when solely to justify their expenditure. However I’ve flown ANA’s long-haul financial system many occasions and…properly, I’ll clarify my emotions about it in additional element right here shortly.

Essential Issues to Know About Flying ANA

Worldwide first and enterprise lessons are fabulous

 

As I’ve detailed each on this put up and my many different posts about flying within the pointy finish of an ANA airplane, ANA is simply unbelievable in enterprise or top quality. From restaurant-style eating (particularly in case you select the Japanese meal), to fancy champagne and caviar (in top quality), to one of many widest seats (and beds!) within the sky, ANA does luxurious very, very properly.

(However financial system is common, at greatest)

 

Is All Nippon Airways a superb airline? For financial system class passengers, that’s an open query. On one hand, ANA’s intercontinental plane (the 777-300ER and all 787 Dreamliners) function as much as 34″ of legroom, in addition to free meals and alcohol, plus ANA’s signature service. Alternatively, seating might be way more cramped on regionally-configured plane, and nothing about any expertise in ANA financial system is considerably higher than another airline.

ANA’s set-up at Haneda Airport is complicated

 

Prior to some years in the past, Haneda Airport had a easy idea: Terminal 1 was JAL home; Terminal 2 was ANA home; and all worldwide flights on all airways departed from Terminal 3. At the moment, ANA has moved some (although not all) of its worldwide flights to Terminal 2. This may be handy in case you’re arriving on certainly one of them and connecting domestically (or vice-versa), however complicated in any other case.

Your “ANA” flight may be operated by United

 

Assume you’re flying ANA on a near-future journey? You would possibly need to make sure that of that. ANA has a close-knit “three way partnership” relationship with United, which implies that from the enterprise aspect, transpacific flights on each airways are interchangeable. It’s not unusual for ANA to promote flights with excessive numbers (i.e. 7000+), which signifies that the flight is United-operated. United is ok in financial system, however pales compared to ANA in enterprise class.

ANA is extra helpful domestically than it’s internationally

 

Word that I didn’t say higher—I don’t suppose there’s any nation the place home flights are “higher” than worldwide ones. Nonetheless, whereas ANA has a restricted vary of locations in Europe, North America and past, it flies to just about each main metro space in Japan, and to loads of smaller cities as properly. In case your Japan itinerary contains Japanese home flights, you’ll virtually definitely fly ANA.

ANA’s Low-Value Subsidiaries

Regardless of how you are feeling about ANA, it’s undoubtedly a full-service airline. All passengers in each class will take pleasure in free meals and alcohol, free checked baggage and free seat choice. Whereas it’s true that ANA has turn out to be barely stingier over time, the very fact is that you simply obtain way more bang for you buck on ANA than you do on most different airways, and positively in contrast with US airways. Why is ANA so costly? For this reason.

The identical can’t be stated for ANA’s low-cost subsidiaries: Peach (which flies home and short-haul worldwide segments) and Air Japan, a nascent medium-to-long haul low-cost provider. Each airways nickel-and-dime their passengers for the whole lot, and have all-economy configurations that, a minimum of within the case of Peach, make passengers endure with among the least-generous legroom on this planet.

Different FAQ About ANA Airways

Is ANA the very best airline on this planet?

ANA is a unbelievable airline, notably on long-haul segments and particularly in first and enterprise class. With this being stated, I’ve a troublesome time saying that ANA is the best possible airline on this planet, even in comparison with Japan’s personal JAL, which bests it in some ways.

Is ANA a luxurious airline?

ANA is definitely a full-service airline, with its first and enterprise class cabins routinely rating among the many most luxurious on this planet. Nonetheless, I’m unsure I’d say that ANA is a “luxurious airline” on the entire. Nice service however, the expertise of flying in ANA financial system on lengthy flights is just not particularly completely different from what you’d expertise flying most different airways.

Do you get meals on ANA flights?

ANA provides meal service on all worldwide flights, with long-haul flights to North America and Europe that includes two and even three meals per flight. Against this, financial system class passengers on home ANA flights will obtain a free beverage; meals are solely accessible to these in so-called “Premium Class.”

The Backside Line

Is ANA a superb airline? Sure, and arguably a fantastic one—a wonderful one, even! However whether or not as a result of its “new” top quality pales compared to JAL’s, or as a result of something that receives relentless reward additionally deserves intense scrutiny, I someway really feel like ANA may be barely overhyped. Now, with this being stated, I don’t suppose I’ve ever had a “dangerous” flight on ANA; most of the flights I’ve taken with them have been near-perfect, notably in enterprise and top quality. They’re additionally unbelievable domestically, even in common financial system. So, when you have the possibility to fly ANA, do it! One other factor you need to do, in case you get the possibility? Rent me to plan a customized Japan itinerary!