Introduction | Ana Business Class 787-8

I had a business trip scheduled from Seattle to Singapore, and decided to try out ANA’s business class flights from SEA to HND and then to SIN as the final destination. While ANA’s 787-8 business class hard product is slightly dated against is newest design, aka the Room, the experience offers fantastic comfort, inspired food and refined staff touches which make you feel welcomed.

Seating Layout | ANA Business Class 787-8

This business class layout is a previous generation old compared to the latest iteration from ANA. Nevertheless, the seats are still quite comfortable and great for sleeping in. The seats alternate from row to row between 1-2-1 and 1-1-1 configurations: the window seats alternate between being closer to the window and closer to the aisle while the middle seats alternate between two seats right next to their respective aisles in the odd-numbered rows, and a single “throne” seat in the even-numbered rows.

In my opinion, no ANA 787-8 Business Class seat offers more privacy than those found in rows A, K respectively. These 787 seats are against the window, with the tray area toward the aisle. From a seated position, you’d hardly see another soul in flight, unless you tried. Couples or colleagues who wish to speak or collaborate should stick to the middle section of the plane, in seats D, F or E, G respectively. These seats are close, but not “too close”. I was fortune to grab window seats from both sides (A & K) and had no problem with privacy during my flight to and from Tokyo to Seattle.

The entertainment screen is great, though not as high-def as its newer siblings, the 787-9 and the 777s. The selection of movies and TV shows on ANA’s older IFE systems really is pretty average, with only about 50 titles of each to choose from; the airline has, however, significantly added to this selection with the updated hardware on their new and refurbished Boeing 777s.

If we could pick on ANA in one area however, it would be the lack of selection across back to back flights. You can only watch a handful of great movies a handful of times. Bed mode is quite comfortable and thankfully, the foot cubbies are large. Like – no complaints, fully toss and turn in your sleep with ease – large. As to the softer side of things, ANA’s business class duvet and pillow sets are substantial but not overbearing.

The duvet manages the correct balance between warm and comforting, but not so warm that you wake up in a metal (or in this case composite) tube with the hot sweats. A touch I found particularly useful, is that ANA offers aromatherapy “cards” which offer a variety of scents designed to help you sleep and relax. You’d be amazed how effective they are. I was able to grab a second pillow and my flight sleep incredibly comfortable.

If there was one minor annoyance - for some reason, there seems to be a lack of storage space. Besides the area underneath your footwell, that’s pretty much it. Compared to say China Airlines, Singapore Airlines and even Japan Airline’s business class, this is a negative for those that want to place some stuff with them during their flight.

Food & Beverage | ANA Business Class 787-8

A few flight attendants stopped by to welcome me to the flight, and one of them offered me a welcome beverage. While champagne was on offer, I was feeling very sleepy ahead of this flight and planned to maximize my rest onboard as much as possible, so I wasn’t really in the mood for a glass of bubbly. I simply went with a glass of orange juice instead. I could drink my champagne’s worth at the ANA business class lounge at Haneda Airport.

I’ve attached the menu from the flight below:

A quick amuse bouche began the meal process and was delicious. Up next, The entire meal – appetizer, main course, dessert, and all – was fantastic. Accordingly, there was no real separation between the different courses of the meal, and I picked my way around the plate sampling every dish at the same time.

The Zensai (selection of small bites) was both beautiful and delicious - the Japanese omelet along with the Chicken & Green Onion roll was fantastic. In addition, the Kobachi and Otsukuri (sashimi) made the meal so much more better. Lastly, the shusai (main course) featured a simmered mackerel ginger sauce that made it a worthy pairing with the rice. Overall, it was a delicious meal!

During the flight, I also got to try the famed IPPUDO ramen, which was a plant-based type. Man, this was so good and I wished I could have another one. It’s that good. The Rice Bowl with Ginger-Fried Pork was also great and made for a great snack during the meal. 2 hour before arrival, we were served another meal, aka Washoku, and featured grilled amberjack fish along with some tasty tidbits. While good, the fish was a bit too overcooked in my opinion.

The staff as always were friendly and generous, though I’d wish they were more proactive with collecting trash or checking up on travelers. This was vastly different compared to the JAL business class flight attendants.

Amenities | ANA Business Class 787-8

ANA’s amenity kit is produced in collaboration with Globe-Trotter, a British luxury luggage brand, and while the leather material feels pleasant to the touch, I thought the aesthetics of the kit left a few things to be desired, since the items were okay in my opinion. Amenities were standard.

The amenity kit contents were also pretty run-of-the-mill, consisting of an eye mask, earplugs, dental kit, and a trio of Sekkisei MYV skincare amenities. The flight attendant was kind enough to give me another one to gift for my wife, which I happily obliged.

Conclusion | ANA Business Class 787-8

Given that the flight was operated on an older-generation business class, it’s not as competitive against its counterpart, but the price is great. While the hard product has a few competitive highlights, it’s competitive advantage quickly decreases against Japan Airlines Apex Suites, United Polaris and other comparable transpacific flights. However, once all the ANA business class flights have been retrofitted to the famed “The Room” business class, it will give these flights a massive advantage.

In terms of overall service, it’s still a great business class flight to take. Food was great and the seat itself is still very comfortable. It’s a great recommendation if the fares are priced competitively.