Flight Report: All Nippon Airways (NH5) LAX-NRT

Date: Sep 5, 2009

Travel Class: Business

Flight Time: 10 hours 50 minutes



Check in at the Tom Bradley International Terminal was a breeze. I had booked a first class award travel ticket but only business class seats were available for this sector when I made the very last minute booking (had to go to Taipei for a funeral). I inquired with the check-in desk supervisor if she could move me up to first class if there was a seat available. Unfortunately there wasn’t. However, the apologetic supervisor blocked the business class seat next to me to make sure I have a good and uninterrupted rest during the flight. Great service from the ground staff!

Headed straight to the Star Alliance lounge (which is relatively new) after check in. While the facilities are top notch (including shower and free wireless internet access), the food choices have some room for improvement.

Boarding was carried out in a quick and orderly fashion (must be the Japanese culture). Surprisingly, no on-board drinks were handed out. It was done only after take off, followed by handing out of the menu. The menu features a Japanese set meal and several Western selections for the meal service after take off. There is also a light meal option that passengers can order up to one and a half hours before landing at Tokyo Narita airport.

Here’s the menu:

Kaiseki Course

Zensai

Simmered prawn, Golden brown scallop, Salt-grilled saury fish, Fishcake with beans, Flowery sweet vinegared turnip.

Kobachi

Braised tofu and vegetable patty in savory daikon radish soy sauce

Shusai

Braised duck breast and vegetavbles in special soy sauce

Sunomono

Octopus and surf clam salad tossed with Tosa vinegar

Steamed Rice

Miso Soup and assorted pickles

Dessert

ANA’s original parfait, mixed berries a la mode

Fresh seasonal fruit

Cheese

International Course

Starter

Pork pate Provencale withy marinated artichoke and fresh garden salad

Entrée Choice

Pan-fried beef tenderloin with onion confit and demi-glace

Sesame crusted sea bream withy herb olive sauce

Autumn vegetable quiche with creamy broccoli puree

Two kinds of bread with a choice of flavorful premium Isigny butter or extra-virgin olive oil

Dessert

ANA’s original parfait, mixed berries a la mode

Fresh seasonal fruit

Cheese

Light Meals Anytime

Light Dishes and Snacks

Bowl of hot Japanese udon noodles with kitsune garnish

Warm, homey rice ball with caramelized kombu kelp filling and miso soup

Dim-sum Chinese (two kinds of steamed chicken dumpling)

Toasted port cutlet sandwich

Cup of hot consommé soup

Petite Japanese Set

Bowl of rice topped with seasoned salmon flakes and soy-cured salmon roe

Assortment of Japanese delicacies

Fruit yogurt

Petite International Set

Classic beef stew in red wine sauce

Bread roll

Fruit yogurt

I opted for the Japanese meal set and it was delicious. For mid-flight snack, I ordered the warm, homey rice ball with miso soup and the Chinese dim-sum and they were equally delicious. Before we landed, I ordered the Petite Japanese set (yes, I was hungry) and that was delicious too. I was too busy eating to take any pictures of these meals. Sorry.

AVOD choices were comparable to other top Asian carriers. There was a good number of English, Japanese and world movies and TV programs to choose from. I watched “State of Play” starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe and the plot was riveting. It was bed time after my meal and movie and I slept for four solid hours. The seat cushion was comfortable compared to other angled lie flat seats in the airline industry.

The inflight service was not as attentive as that of Asiana Airlines or Singapore Airlines. However, it was far superior than that of the US and European carriers. I did notice that the Japanese cabin crew was much more conversational with the Japanese passengers than other passengers. Perhaps they felt more comfortable speaking their native language than English.

I also had the opportunity to check out the Premium Economy seats which consisted of two rows (2X3X2 configuration) between the Business Class and Economy Class section. The seats looked pretty comfortable and there was plenty of legroom compared to Economy class seat.

All in all this was a good flight. I would highly recommend this airline for your future travels to Japan and other Asian countries.

More pictures of the inflight cabin including the seat.