I flew from Tokyo to LA on Japan's largest airline. The spacious and comfortable cabin made the 10-hour ride easy.

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Fri, 04/14/2023 - 05:00

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Tech Insider

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• Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
• ANA Holdings CEO Koji Shibata told Insider the company has not been impacted by 787 delivery delays.
• I flew on ANA's Dreamliner for 10 hours from Tokyo to Los Angeles and thought it was a comfortable ride.

Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet.

Source: ANA

ANA was also the Dreamliner's launch customer, flying the plane for the first time in 2011 from Tokyo to Hong Kong. It has since grown its 787 fleet to 79 aircraft.

The widebody jet is wildly popular across the globe thanks to its flexibility and reduced fuel burn, with Boeing solidifying nearly 200 orders since December, including from United Airlines, Air India, and two Saudia Arabian carriers.

Boeing just sold hundreds of Dreamliners — now it just needs to figure out how to consistently deliver them

But, recent delivery delays of the Dreamliner have caused problems for some operators, like American Airlines, which had to cut some 2023 summer routes as a result.

American Airlines is dropping 5 international destinations from its summer 2022 schedule because it doesn't have enough planes

However, ANA Holdings CEO Koji Shibata told Insider the delays have not impacted the company, saying Boeing management is on track to deliver the jets on time.

"This year we will have two to three deliveries," he said. "But, if the deliveries are delayed, we can manage it by using another airplane. It wouldn't have an impact on the business plan at all."

As the workhorse of the ANA fleet, I've been eager to fly on the company's 787 and I recently got the chance. Here's what my 10-hour flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles was like in economy.

I started my transpacific trek at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, arriving around 6:00 p.m. for my 9:05 p.m. flight.

I checked in at a kiosk in Terminal 3 and was happy to see no lines. I easily got my boarding pass and headed to bag drop.

An agent checked my passport and ticket before tagging my luggage and sending me on my way. The entire check-in process only took about 10 minutes.

Security and passport control took about the same amount of time and I was inside the terminal within 25 minutes of arriving at Haneda.

Inside the terminal, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and killed some time watching Netflix before boarding the Boeing 787-9, which started right on time at 8:35 p.m.

I boarded in Group 3 and made my way to seat 24A — a window seat in the middle of the economy cabin. The reserved seat cost $25 on top of the airfare, which Insider paid a media rate for.

Getting settled into my seat, I was impressed with the thick cushioning and generous legroom.

According to ANA, each economy seat offers 34 inches of pitch — that's well above the standard 31-32 inches seen on competing carriers, like United Airlines and American Airlines.

Source: ANA

At 5'3", I was able to stretch my legs all the way out with plenty of room to spare.

I was also happy to see a footrest available, which is something I typically see reserved for premium economy cabins.

The added space and comfort — plus the pillow and silky blanket provided — made it much easier to sleep on the long-haul flight.

Further exploring the seat, I found the regular bells and whistles of an economy cabin, including a nine-inch seatback screen with a handheld remote…

Source: ANA

…an adjustable headrest…

…dimmable window shades…

…power ports…

…and a foldable tray table. I liked the hollow cup holder because it held my drink in place during turbulence.

I also appreciated the seatback pocket had a smaller mesh pouch for extra storage.

About 20 minutes after takeoff, the flight attendants started the inflight service. Passengers were first served a small snack mix, which actually tasted a little spicy.

Drinks came next, with things like tea, coffee, wine, soda, juice, and water available. ANA serves green tea from my favorite brand, Ito En, so that was an easy choice.

For dinner, there were two options: a chicken dish or a hamburger. I had the former, which came with vegetables, rice, salad, sushi, edamame, and macaroni.

The dessert was simple vanilla ice cream.

Surprisingly, the economy class meal came with actual silverware instead of the bamboo or plastic ware that I've seen on many other carriers.

I thought all of the food was filling and flavorful, particularly the macaroni and sushi dishes. I wish the garden salad came with more dressing though.

By the time the meal service ended, it was around 11:30 p.m. Japan time, so I was ready to sleep.

Thanks to the seat's nice recline, headrest, footrest, and spacious legroom, I was able to stretch out and get comfortable. It also helped that there was no one in the middle seat.

I slept for about three hours before waking up to work. The onboard WiFi cost me $22 and was fast and reliable.

Around three hours from landing, we were served breakfast. The options were fish or pancakes — I opted for the latter, which came with syrup-filled pancakes, potatoes, broccoli, sausage, egg, fruit, and yogurt.

I really enjoyed the pancakes — the sweet syrup inside was the perfect amount. The only thing I didn't like was the egg.

After eating, I headed to the lavatory to freshen up. The bathroom was clean, and I was thrilled to see it had a bidet. I also found a bidet on ANA's Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

We landed on time in Los Angeles about two hours later. I was off the plane and through customs in less than five minutes thanks to Global Entry.

Overall, I really enjoyed my ANA experience, especially since it offers an economy product that I can comfortably sleep in.

Moreover, the seats offer more legroom compared to competing products, and the food was really good for economy.

While Insider paid a media rate, I wouldn't hesitate to book ANA for myself and highly recommend it to travelers looking for a reliable and comfortable flight to and from Japan.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Travel

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Tags

Transportation, Travel, Features, Business Visual Features, all nippon airways, Aviation, Airlines, Boeing 787, Aircraft, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Dreamliner, ANA, tokyo haneda airport, Los Angeles Angels, Flying

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I flew from Tokyo to LA on Japan's largest airline. The spacious and comfortabl…