The Details

• Flight: NH203
• Aircraft: B777-300ER
• Class: First
• Seat: 2A
• Route: Tokyo-Haneda International (HND)-Frankfurt am Main (FRA)
• Distance: 5,823miles
• Duration: 12hr 10min
• Departure: 1:42AM
• Arrival: 5:03AM

The Preflight

After spending the week in Tokyo with my family I was ready to return home to Chicago the long way via Europe. I was pretty excited for this flight as it would be my first ever first class experience internationally. It took roughly an hour to get from our AirBnb in downtown Shinjuku to Haneda Airport via the Airport Limousine Bus.

There was a dedicated First Class check-in counter. Once I get my boarding passes I was escorted to the premium passenger security checkpoint.

Security screening and customs took just 5 minutes and after another 5 minutes I arrived at the ANA Suite Lounge.

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Since it was about dinner time I headed to the a la carte dining area. It was fully staffed and had made to order food.

I was seated immediately and offered a glass of champagne.

The menus is as follows.

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I opted for the Hokkaido Scallops and Whelk with Potato salad which was phenomenal. The scallops were cooked perfectly.

There was also a buffet.

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Still feeling a bit peckish, I tried the buffet offerings which were also delicious.

There was also a large seating area with expansive views of the apron.

And also many individual cubicles.

Inside the lounge was another area of sofas.

There was also some high-top tables. I was in the lounge during the 2018 Winter Olympics and the Japanese national team was playing.

There was another dining area with a buffet. There was hot food available here.

There was also a made-to-order noodle bar.

I decided to try the famous ANA curry which was very good.

The dessert was also irresistible and topped with gold flakes.

The showers were located between the two dining areas.

I put my name on the list for the showers and was handed a buzzer.

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The showers were very nicely provisioned.

Once showered I decided to make my way to the gate. Our flight had been delayed by 30 minutes.

Our bird, JA784A, was a B777-300ER delivered to ANA in December 2012.

The Flight

ANA features eight first-class seats aboard their B777-300ERs in a 1-2-1 configuration.

Each seat is similar to a “cube” with the seat surrounded on both sides with a solid wooden panel.

The seat itself was massive, 38 inches of width and more than enough legroom.

Each suite was extremely private and I barely saw the passenger sitting across the aisle from me.

The IFE screen was massive and in front of it was a nice storage space.

Below the screen was the enormous foot well and additional floor storage space.

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There was also a small drawer.

There was also a small tray table that folded out.

There was a touch screen control pad for the seat as well.

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To the left and right of the seat were numerous concealed storage bins. One was perfect for my glasses and the other had a hook for the headphones.

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The IFE remote was in a separate compartment with a fold-able mirror.

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Each seat also had a USB port and 110V outlet.

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At each seat was a small pillow and light blanket. Thick and comfortable pajamas were also provided.

The Samsonite amenity kit was well stocked with The Ginza cosmetics, a tooth brush, socks, eye mask, and ear plugs.

The flight attendants on this flight were exceptional. I was greeted at the door and escorted to my seat. Upon sitting down I was immediately offered a glass of water.

Once situated, I was asked what I’d like to drink and I opted for a glass of Krug champagne. It was poured from the bottle at my seat.

This would be the first of many glasses of Krug on this flight…

Menus were also distributed. This specific flight to Frankfurt, NH203, leaves at 12:55 AM and thus the dining options are very limited compared to other ANA First Class flights. There was no elaborate wagyu beef or caviar service. Most passengers went straight to sleep and I was the only one to have dinner.

There was however, the full wine and beverage offerings.

Right after take-off light attendants came by and asked if I would like to have dinner and what I would like to drink. I had my second glass of Krug along with the amuse of truffle-flavored hummus, uncured duck ham, apricot and butter roll, and soft smoked scallop with orange sauce. The flavors were very interesting.

The table was then set for dinner. I was presented with a palate cleanser.

For my main course I opted for the Japanese option of grilled blackthroat seaperch. It came with steamed rice, miso soup, natto (fermented soybeans), and salted kombu help.

I also had an excellent cheese plate featuring a blue cheese from Hokkaido.

I also had some vanilla ice cream with another glass of Krug.

And finally to finish I was given a plate of petits fours.

By the end of the meal I was stuffed. Flight attendants passed out bottles of water.

As I went to the lavatory to brush my teeth and change into the pajamas flight attendants made my bed.

Both the comforter and mattress pad were excellent. However, as with most Asian airlines, the cabin temperature was kept very high. I ended up not using the comforter because I started sweating.

Throughout the flight the lavatory was kept immaculate. Each time a passenger used it, a flight attendant would go in and clean it and leave a fresh seat cover on the toilet. There was also a bidet in addition to real hand towels. Mouth wash, tooth brushes, and tooth paste were also provided.

I was incredibly tired by the time I settled into bed. I fell asleep and slept for the majority of the flight; waking up with about 90 minutes into Frankfurt. By then it was too late to order any breakfast and I just watched the airshow as we approached Frankfurt.

This flight was the first time that I was seated in an international First Class cabin. I must admit, I was a little bit timid and almost afraid to speak to the flight attendants to ask for more food or drinks. This certainly diminished the first class experience and I wish I had the chance to try more of the amazing food and alcohol selection. However, I was really grateful to experience this flight and look forward to flying ANA First Class again!