Airline Profile: All Nippon Airways (ANA)
The Facts:
| Founded | 1952 |
| Alliance | Star Alliance |
| Hubs | Tokyo Haneda Tokyo Narita Osaka Kansai Osaka Itami |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| Fleet Count | Around 229 |
| Skytrax Rating | 5 (out of 5) |
| Subsidiaries | ANA Wings (regional) Air Japan Vanilla Air (low cost) |
| Travel Classes | Short Haul: Economy Class Premium Class (business) Long Haul: Economy Class Premium Economy Business Class First Class (777-300ER Only) |
| Frequent Flyer Program | ANA Mileage Club |
| Website | https://www.ana.co.jp/en/us/ |
| Type of Airline | Full Service Carrier |
| Competitors | Japan Airlines |
Analysis:
6 Things You Need To Know About All Nippon Airways
- Fleet: All Nippon Airways (ANA) operates a fleet of mostly wide-body aircraft, used both internationally and domestically, along with some narrow-body aircraft, used mostly on domestic routes, though sometimes also to low-yield international destinations. Because of high domestic demand within Japan (such as from Tokyo to Sapporo), both ANA and Japan Airlines often use wide-body jets on domestic routes. However, ANA (and JAL) generally do not mix their international and domestic fleets of wide-body (and narrow-body) jets, as they have different cabin classes (they for the most part have different seats in business and economy on international flights as opposed to domestic flights), though rarely, you’ll find an international ANA 777-300ER flying on a domestic flight. ANA, however, does also use a vast fleet of narrow-body aircraft on domestic routes. All of ANA’s 777-300s (non-ERs), 777-200s, 777-200ERs, 767-300s (non-ERs), 737-800s, A321s (non-neos), and A320s (non-neos) operate domestically, while some 737-700s, 787-8s, 787-9s, and 767-300ERs are configured in a domestic configuration. Additionally, ANA’s international fleet consists of all three variants of the 787 (the -8, the -9, and the -10), being one of only three airlines to have all of them, in addition to their flagship 777-300ER, their A380s, solely used to fly to Hawaii, the 767-300ER, A320neos, A321neos, along with some 737-700s. In addition to their current fleet, ANA has 20 777-9Xs on order, along with 15 Mitsubishi MRJ M90s, 20 737 MAXs (we’ll see if those ever get delivered), and more A321neos, used on shorter international flights.
- Their Unique A380s: ANA only recently took delivery of all three of their A380s, making them the newest and last A380 operator, and their A380s are unique, in a couple of ways. Now, it’s madness to order just three A380s from a single airline, and they actually didn’t order the planes. Japan’s Skymark Airlines had actually ordered six A380s in years prior, and, in a quite confusing saga, in an effort to take over some of Skymark’s assets, Airbus required ANA to take over orders of three A380s in order to get their backing in the takeover of some of Skymark’s assets, which, at the time, was bankrupt, in competition with Delta for them. So only last year, ANA took delivery of their first of three A380s, all of which are now in their fleet. ANA decided to use their A380s for only one mission, which is for flights from Tokyo to Hawaii (pre-pandemic both of their daily flights from Narita, though I think they will use their third, which only recently was delivered, for their one flight from Haneda), which makes at least some sense, given the large amounts of Japanese tourists who normally visit Hawaii. All three of ANA’s A380s are also in (different) special turtle-themed liveries. Who knows how ANA will use their A380s post-pandemic, though I do think that it’s likely that they’ll use their A380s exclusively to Hawaii when they resume service, given how much they marketed their A380 as the plane that they’ll exclusively use for Hawaii.
- Hubs: ANA’s two main hubs are Tokyo Narita Airport and Tokyo Haneda Airport. Just for some context, for years, Narita was the only international airport in Tokyo after 1978, when international flights moved away from Haneda. From 1978 to 2010, only a couple of regional international flights operate from Haneda. However, in 2010, a new international terminal (now known as Terminal 3) at Haneda opened, prompting airlines such as ANA and JAL to move some international flights to Haneda, as it’s much closer to Tokyo than Narita is, making it much more convenient. Since then, international operations have grown at Haneda, and airlines have moved away from Narita in favor of Haneda, due to its greater convenience, while low-cost carriers have flocked to Narita in recent years. Consequently, ANA has moved most of its international flights to Haneda, and while some still do operate out of Narita (due to space limitations at Haneda), the proportion of international flights at Narita operated by ANA has been decreasing in the last decade. Prior to 2010, Haneda had also been the primary domestic airport for Tokyo (which is also true for ANA), due to its proximity to the city, and it still is, with barely any domestic flights operating out of Narita. ANA also operates smaller hubs at other airports throughout Japan, including a domestic hub at Osaka Itami Airport and a small regional international hub at Osaka Kansai Airport, along with having large domestic operations at pretty much every major Japanese airport.
- Subsidiaries: All Nippon Airways has three full subsidiary airlines, two of which operate under the ANA brand. Firstly, ANA Wings, which shares a livery with ANA, is their regional subsidiary, being similar United Express or Delta Connection in that it operates regional jets on regional routes to smaller airports, which sometimes cannot handle or don’t need the capacity of a 737 or A320. ANA Wings currently only operates the Bombardier Q400, though it previously operated the 737-500 and the Q300, and it has several MRJ M90s on order. Secondly, Air Japan operates many of ANA’s aircraft (including some 767s and 787s), all of which are in the ANA livery. Air Japan aircraft are nearly indistinguishable from ANA planes (though there is Air Japan branding before the back door of the plane) and there is no difference in service, though I believe (I may be mistaken) that Air Japan exists for labour contract agreement reasons. Lastly, ANA’s low-cost carrier branch is called Peach, which somewhat recently merged with Vanilla Air, and operates within Japan, along with having select regional international operations. ANA also has significant stake in Japanese regional airline Air Do.
- Route Network: ANA, being Japan’s largest airline, has extremely vast domestic and international networks. Just so that you can get an idea as to the scale of ANA’s domestic network, during normal times, ANA would operate almost 30 nonstop flights a day between Tokyo (Haneda and Narita) and Osaka (Itami and Kansai), with over half of all flights being operated by 777s and 787s, which are in among the most high density configuration out of all airlines. ANA also operates a similar number of flights a day from Tokyo to other cities in Japan, such as Sapporo and Fukuoka. While the distance between cities in Japan isn’t nearly as great as it is in the US and while ANA actually doesn’t operate as many route combinations as say, a major US airline would, the frequency which ANA (the same goes for Japan Airlines) operates those routes is unparalleled. ANA also has an extremely vast international network, operating to nine destinations (some from Narita and some from Haneda) in the US, including to Washington Dulles, New York JFK, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, San Jose, and Honolulu. ANA also has a reasonably sized regional international network within Eastern Asia, flying from Tokyo to destinations such as Shanghai, Bangkok, and Singapore. ANA additionally operates long-haul flights intercontinentally to Australia, India (though I guess that isn’t really intercontinental), Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Sweden, and Turkey.
- Frequent Flyer Program: ANA’s frequent flyer program is called ANA Mileage Club. Perhaps the easiest way to earn ANA miles is by transferring Amex points to ANA Mileage Club at a 1:1 rate, which is their only major transfer partner, besides Marriott. Being a part of Star Alliance, one can earn and redeem miles with any Star Alliance Airlines. ANA Mileage Club has some really good redemption rates, such as 75,000 miles in business in the low season from the US to Japan, or 88,000 miles round-trip in business class from the US to Europe and South America, or requiring only 5,000 miles for intra-Japan flights in economy class. There are three tiers of status in ANA Mileage Club, which include Silver (which translates to Star Alliance Silver status), Platinum, and Diamond (both of which translate to Star Alliance Gold). To earn Bronze status, you need to earn 30,000 Premium Points (calculator linked here), 15,000 of which need to be earned on ANA, while Platinum requires 50,000 Premium Points, 25,000 of which must be earned flying ANA, while Diamond requires 100,000 miles, 50,000 of which must be earned flying ANA.
Travel Classes:
Domestic Economy
Domestically, economy class is in a 3-3 configuration on all 737s, A320 series aircraft, a 2-3-2 configuration on all 767s, a 3-3-3- configuration on all 787s, and a 3-4-3 configuration onboard all 777s. While ANA doesn’t have personal on-demand entertainment on any domestic aircraft, besides select 787-8s, 777-200s, and A321neos, most ANA domestic aircraft are equipped with free wifi and personal device entertainment, where you can stream tv shows and movies. ANA has many different (similar) economy class seats on its domestic fleet, however, the best ones are on their recently retrofitted 777-200s and their new A321neos, both of which have personal on-demand entertainment, power ports, and USB ports, while other domestic aircraft (some 737-800s and most A321s) do also have USB ports. While most drinks are available free of charge, domestically, to my knowledge, there is no meal service on domestic flights in economy.
Domestic Business (Labeled as Premium Class)
On domestic flights, ANA labels its business class cabin as Premium Class. Unlike JAL, which has two premium cabins on its domestic flights (First Class, being very luxurious, and Class J, being a premium-economy-esque cabin), ANA only has one, which I’d say is roughly in between JAL’s two cabins. Like in economy class, wifi and personal device entertainment
Except on (rare) flights operated by long-haul aircraft, all Premium Class seats on domestic flights are recliners, of which there are seven variants, though most are quite similar to each other:
- The most popular Premium Class seat is available on some of ANA’s domestic 777-200s, 787-8s, 767-300s, 737-800s, along with all of their domestic 777-300s and 787-9s. This particular seat model (pictured below) is quite unique, in that no other airline operates it; the seats have quite generous recline, have a privacy divider in between the seats, have leg rests, have power outlets and USB ports, though they do not have personal on-demand entertainment. In addition, they are in a 2-2 configuration on all 737s, a 2-1-2 configuration on all 767s, a 2-2-2 configuration on all 787s, and a 2-3-2 configuration on all 777s.
- ANA recently introduced a new Premium Class product on-board select 777-200s. The new seats seem to be quite modern, in addition to having leg rests, generous recline, storage, a reading light, and a privacy divider. Unlike most of ANA’s other domestic seats, these seats have personal on-demand entertainment, along with power outlets and USB ports. I believe that these seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration.
- On all of ANA’s A321neos and some 737-800s, ANA has equipped the same seats as on their international A320neos, which are some of your more traditional recliner seats, though they also have much recline, a leg rest, along with personal on-demand entertainment, power outlets, and USB ports. These seats are also in a 2-2 configuration.
- ANA has similar seats in Premium Class on their non-neo A321s as on their A321neos, though the main difference is that these specific seats don’t have personal on-demand entertainment and look slightly older (though they do have power ports and USB ports).
- Some of ANA’s domestic 787-8s have the same deep-reclining seats as their regional 787-8s and 767-300ERs have, with a greater description below.
- ANA’s domestic 737-700s and 767-300s have the same recliner seats (though they don’t seem to have much recline and the leg rest doesn’t go out very far). as ANA’s international 737-700s have (because they are used on both domestic and international flights), though they are listed as two different seats on ANA’s website, as the seats on their 767-300s don’t have power ports and USB ports, unlike their 737-700s.
International Economy
On wide-body aircraft and all Airbus A320neos, All Nippon Airways features personal televisions at every seat in economy class (note, the only plane which ANA flies internationally without personal televisions is the Boeing 737-700). Economy class is in a 3-3 configuration on all A320neos and 737-700s, a 2-3-2 configuration on all 767s, a 3-3-3 configuration on all 787s, a 3-4-3 configuration on retrofitted 777-300ERs and A380s, and interestingly is in a rare 2-4-3 configuration on non-retrofitted 777-300ERs. On most wide-body aircraft, economy class seats are equipped with footrests at every seat, which is not equipped in economy class on many airlines. ANA does have a few different (albeit similar) types of economy class seats, though all, besides those on the 737-700, have in-flight entertainment screens (with the ones on their new 777s and 787-10s being the largest on the market!).
I believe that WiFi is available on all ANA international flights in economy class (for purchase), besides flights operated by 737-700s and some 787-8s, with streaming entertainment being complimentary. Warm meals also are available on all international flights, and, speaking from experience, should be slightly better than those served by US airlines. In terms of amenities, passengers traveling in international economy class do receive blankets and pillows on all flights.
On flights to Hawaii operated by their A380s, ANA has a special sub-class, which they brand as ANA COUCHii and is similar to Air New Zealand’s SkyCouch product. In the rear section of the ANA A380 economy class cabin, all seats (in blocks of three and four) have leg rests which can fold 180 degrees upward, meaning that the seats can be used as a bed or couch by families, couples, etc. These seats are available only for a surcharge, and extra bedding is provided to make the seat more comfortable.
Premium Economy:
Premium economy on All Nippon Airways is available on all 777-300ERs, 787-10s, and A380s, as well as on most internationally configured 787-8s and all internationally configured 787-9s. There are two premium economy seats available on ANA aircraft, one being the older variant featured on their 787-8s, 787-9s, and non-retrofitted 777-300ERs, and the new version being featured on all of their 787-10s, A380s, and retrofitted 777-300ERs. I wouldn’t necessarily call either seat better than the other, as both are pretty standard, as far as premium economy seats can go, with leg rests, foot rests, more seat width, and more seat recline. However, I do prefer the grey finishings of the newer seat, and it also is more high tech.
Premium economy passengers on ANA get lounge access (to business class lounges), which is a feature which few premium economy products receive in the world. Premium economy passengers also receive the same meals as in economy, with additional options such as soup or mini-udon noodles. In terms of amenities, premium economy passengers receive a pillow, a blanket, slippers, toothbrushes, an eye mask, ear plugs, and tissues.
International Business Class:
ANA business class is available on all international flights and is generally regarded as one of the world’s best business class products. Regarding amenities, on long-haul flights (to North America, Europe, and Oceania), passengers receive an amenity kit, multiple pillows, a comforter, a mattress pad, noise cancelling headphones, and pajamas. On medium haul flights (to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, etc.), only a pillow, comforter, smaller amenity kit, and pjs are available, whereas on short-haul routes (to Korea, China, etc.), only a pillow and economy-class-esque blanket is are available. On all international flights in business class, (I believe) both international and Japanese meals are available.
Passengers traveling in business class additionally have access to ANA lounges, along with Star Alliance partner lounges; ANA’s Business Class Lounges are located at many airports which they serve in Japan, along with a special lounge in Honolulu, in which passengers can board directly from the lounge. Their lounges do offer full meal options, though they haven’t gotten fantastic reviews, in terms of seating and other amenities. Passengers of course also get priority check-in, boarding, and airport security, and they are also allocated two 32kg (70lbs) bags per flight).
The following seats are available in ANA’s international business class:
- Recliner (737-700, A320neo): ANA has two types of recliner seats on international aircraft, one featured on their 737-700s, used on both domestic and international flights, and another on their A320neo series, of which only the A320neo (not the A321neo) is used on international flights. Both seats are in a 2-2 configuration and have leg rests, along with foot rests. However, the recliner seats on their A320neos are vastly superior to the seats on their 737s, as they have much more recline, have privacy dividers between seats, have personal on-demand entertainment (737s do not), and just generally are a lot more modern.
- Business Cradle (787-8, 767-300ER): Back in the early 2010s, ANA introduced a new regional business class seat (generally) to be used on many flights up to 7 hours long, and was introduced onto many of their 767-300s, along with some of their 787-8s. For my fellow airline cabin geeks, I believe that this seat is a modified version of the Zodiac Majesty seat. They are in a 2-2-2 configuration on their 787s and are in a 2-1-2 configuration on their 767s. The seats aren’t even angle-flat and most definitely aren’t fully flat, so I’d probably qualify them as recliner seats, though they do have a lot of recline, in addition to having leg rests. The seats also have entertainment screens and also have privacy dividers in between seats. Back in the pre-COVID era, ANA would generally use their 767s and 787-8s (some of their 787-8s have fully flat seats) on shorter routes, such as to Beijing or Manila, where the seats would be perfectly acceptable though ANA would sporadically use their 787-8s on longer routes, such as to Vancouver, in which the seats would be quite sub-par, especially compared to ANA’s latter two and much superior seats. I don’t think that ANA has used their business cradle equipped 787s on long-haul routes for a couple of years, though it’s possible that they will in the future, in which case I would definitely avoid them, given that you would not be getting your full money/miles worth.
- Business Staggered (777-300ER, 787-8, 787-9, 787-10, A380): ANA technically has two slightly different versions of their Business Staggered seat, one found on their long-haul configured of their 787-8s and 787-9s, as well as their older 777-300ERs, with the other found on all of their 787-10s and A380s. For reference, ANA’s Business Staggered is actually just their version of the Zodiac/Safran Skylounge, which is also found on Emirates’ A380s. On ANA’s 777-300ERs and 787-9s, the seats are in a 1-2-1 staggered configuration, while on the 787-8, it is in a slightly more spacious alternating 1-1-1 and 1-2-1 configuration, though, notably, their 787-8s still have the same version of the seat as their 787-9s and 777s do. However, ANA’s 787-10s and A380s have a slightly newer version of the seat, also in a 1-2-1 staggered configuration, though on those aircraft, the seats have grey finishings (instead of blue) to match the color pallet of their new first class and business class seat on their 777-300ERs (The Room), the seats in the middle are in a ‘honeymoon’ configuration (where two seats are extremely close together in the middle section, which is not the case on their 777s, 787-8s, and 787-9s), and the technology and IFE seems to be somewhat newer. I’d personally say that the seats are really sold, as far as long-haul business class seats go, as they do have all aisle access, significant privacy, and personal space, though what’s possibly even more impressive is that they’re not even ANA’s best business class seat…
- The Room: In 2019, ANA shocked the world by introducing a new business class seat, by introducing what is quite probably the world’s best business class seat. On their new 777-300ERs, right now (or at least pre-pandemic), only flown to New York, London, and Frankfurt, ANA’s latest business class seat, is available. The seats are (also) in a 1-2-1 configuration and have fully private doors, a distinguishing feature of an amazing business class seat in this day and age. The seats alternate between facing forwards and backwards, are without a doubt the widest business class seats on the market, giving them a tremendous amount of personal space which is unparalleled by any other airline and making them look more like a first class seat than a business class seat. Additionally, seats also have among (possibly the) largest personal entertainment screens on the market. Overall, based on images and raving reviews of the product, I’d probably say that ANA’s The Room product is the best business class seat in the world, though, unfortunately, I don’t think that ANA is in any rush now with COVID to retrofit the rest of their 777-300ERs with the product, given that their product on those aircraft in business class also is excellent. For those wondering, the seat model is also known as the Zodiac/Safran Fusio, which actually had been on the market for years before ANA introduced it.
First Class:
First class on All Nippon Airways is available on all of ANA’s 777-300ERs and A380s. ANA’s oldest first class seat, available on their non-retrofitted 777-300ERs, is labeled as ANA First Square. The seats are in a 1-2-1 configuration and are known to be quite poorly designed, largely as they don’t have closing doors and are in a “cubicle,” preventing one from talking to your neighbor (if seated in the middle section) or from looking out the window, in addition to having sub-par storage.
Meanwhile, ANA’s seats on their retrofitted 777-300ERs and on their A380s are quite similar to one another, both having fully closing doors and (also) being in a 1-2-1 configuration. Both fixed some of the problems in ANA’s prior generation first class seat, such as having more storage or being able to talk to your neighbor or look outside the window with ease. Both also have the same sleek grey color scheme, although the 777-300ER does have a larger entertainment screen than the A380, being the largest on the market, having a 43 inch 4K screen.
Their new first class seat (which I would suggest to book over their older seat) on the 777 is available on the same aircraft which have ANA’s new “The Room” business class seat, which are only (normally) available on flights to New York JFK, Frankfurt, and London Heathrow, while their A380 first class seat is only available on flights to Honolulu.
Passengers traveling in ANA first class also have access to ANA’s Suite Lounges, located at Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport, Osaka Kansai Airport, and Honolulu Airport. The lounges are known to be slightly better than ANA’s normal business class lounges, having high quality food, including live cooking stations. On-board, in terms of amenities, passengers can also expect a mattress pad, comforter, blanket, two pillows, pajamas, along with a plentiful amenity kit. ANA’s first class dining is also known to be quite good, which includes both Japanese and western meal options.
Have you ever flown on All Nippon Airways? Share about your experience below in the comments section!
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