ANA First Class Lounge at Tokyo-Narita Evaluation – NerdWallet

The ANA Suite Lounge at Tokyo-Narita is a snug place to chill out earlier than your first-class flight on All Nippon Airways. Like many premium lounges, it presents made-to-order meals objects, bathe suites, relaxation pods and workspaces.

The visitor listing right here is unique: You need to be flying first-class on a Star Alliance airline or maintain the best tier of ANA elite standing. (Enterprise class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members have entry to the common ANA Lounge, which is positioned simply subsequent door.)

Nevertheless, the lounge lacked the wow issue that one would possibly anticipate from the ANA first-class flying expertise or a firstclass lounge. I felt like I used to be visiting a enterprise class lounge as an alternative. Some airways like Air France, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific make investments closely within the first-class lounge expertise, offering issues like tarmac transfers from the lounge, sit-down eating with waiter service and beautiful design. You received’t get these issues on the ANA Suite Lounge.

Right here’s a have a look at the ANA first-class lounge (and total first-class floor expertise) at Tokyo-Narita airport throughout my go to in September 2024.

The primary class expertise at Tokyo-Narita begins even earlier than you set foot within the lounge.

While you arrive on the airport, head straight to the ANA Suite Test-in, an unique space reserved for first-class flyers and ANA’s personal top-tier elites.

Right here, you’ll discover a big room with a number of counters, the place an agent will make it easier to test in and test your baggage. The agent I interacted with was extraordinarily well mannered and useful, confirming numerous particulars of my flight, similar to my seat quantity and meal choice.

One of the best perk, although, is a non-public safety checkpoint to breeze via safety.

The ANA first-class lounge is positioned close to gate 51 in Satellite tv for pc No. 5 of Terminal 1, which is the place Star Alliance flights depart from at Tokyo-Narita. To get to the lounge, flip left after passing immigration exit management and maintain going straight till you see indicators for airline lounges and an escalator taking you upstairs.

To the left is the ANA Lounge entrance, which can be utilized by Star Alliance enterprise class clients and passengers with Star Alliance Gold standing. Head proper for the doorway to the much-more unique ANA Suite Lounge, out there to first-class flyers and top-tier elites with ANA Diamond standing.

The lounge is open from 7 a.m. till the departure of the ultimate ANA Group-operated flight of the day.

The ANA first-class lounge is kind of spacious, contemplating its strict necessities for admission. Once I arrived round 2 p.m., it was pretty empty, though it had began to replenish by the point I left to board round 4:30 p.m.

While you first enter the lounge, you’ll go via an extended hall that leads you to the buffet and noodle bar in your left and a big seating space in your proper.

There are extra seating choices additional down, starting from bar-style seating to armchairs and loungers.

It’s a really open format with little privateness — a giant distinction from ANA’s first-class seat, which has sliding privateness doorways. Some seating areas have dividers, however they’re separated by see-through strips of material.

Considered one of my favourite issues concerning the house: big home windows that span a complete facet of the lounge, providing you with nice views of the runways.

It was a dreary day, however I used to be in a position to spot two of ANA’s three Airbus A380s with the “Flying Honu” livery. These plane fly solely between Tokyo-Narita and Honolulu and sport a stunning turtle design (honu is the Hawaiian phrase for sea turtle).

Off the massive seating space by the doorway, a hall results in a enterprise middle with 4 cubicles, which guests can use as quiet work areas.

A few of the enterprise facilities embody headphones, a printer and even a calculator. I didn’t take a look at out how straightforward it was to connect with the supplied monitor, however the lounge is well-staffed, so I’m certain somebody would have been in a position to help if wanted.

Once more, there’s not loads of privateness in right here, which may very well be a difficulty if you want to take calls, however you might additionally pop into a close-by telephone sales space.

Throughout from the enterprise middle, there’s a rest space with three relaxation pods. Two of them have therapeutic massage chairs, whereas the third has an everyday lounge chair.

I don’t see therapeutic massage chairs in lounges too usually, so I needed to give it a strive. In the event you give it a strive, bear in mind to take off your watch or bracelets. The compression in your wrists might be fairly intense.

There’s additionally a smoking room out there.

There are two main methods to get meals on the ANA Suite Lounge: the buffet and the made-to-order noodle bar.

One main con of this lounge: There’s no devoted sit-down restaurant. It is a staple of most first-class lounges, so the absence right here is disappointing. ANA might undoubtedly enhance right here, particularly as top-tier enterprise class lounges are elevating their meals choices (such because the sushi bar on the Delta One lounge at LAX).

The buffet is easy however skippable, for my part, contemplating the opposite meals choices out there. Choices embody a salad bar, finger meals, fruit and dessert, in addition to inari and rice balls.

With that stated, don’t skip the chocolate part within the buffet space. Attempt one of many individually wrapped goodies from ANA Findelish, a model launched by ANA’s personal catering service.

In the event you’re seeking to chow down, head straight to the noodle bar the place you may get made-to-order Japanese and Western dishes. (The digital ordering service requires SMS textual content messaging, an possibility not included on my eSIM plan. You’ll be able to, nevertheless, nonetheless try the menu on-line.) In the event you order on the window, they’ll offer you a buzzer to let when your meals is prepared.

Japanese dishes embody ramen noodles, soba noodles, udon noodles, sushi and numerous curries with hen, vegetarian and halal hen choices. The Western menu presents dishes like burgers (meat and plant-based), carbonara pasta, and mac and cheese.

I wasn’t fairly prepared to go away Japan, so I went with the sushi set, the hen curry and a bowl of ramen. All of it was pleasurable, however the standout was the flavorful hen curry.

For dessert, I had a mini tub of Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream. Whereas the web menu lists strawberry, vanilla and cookies and cream, they solely had strawberry and vanilla whereas I used to be there.

There are many drink choices on the ANA Suite Lounge, together with teas, a espresso machine and a soda machine that additionally dispenses orange juice and chilly inexperienced tea, a pleasant shock.

Alcoholic drinks are additionally self-serve, together with beer on faucet, wine, champagne, sake and whiskey. Whereas there was a wide variety, 5 choices have been out of inventory throughout my go to.

I opted to skip the alcohol within the lounge, since I knew the good things was coming as soon as I bought onboard.

For first-class flights to the U.S., ANA serves Krug Grande Cuvee for champagne within the air and Hibiki 17 for whiskey. (On flights to New York-JFK, ANA caters Hibiki 21.)

A visit to a firstclass lounge is just not full with out having a shower to clean up earlier than your long-haul flight.

The bathe amenities are simply outdoors the lounge entrance and accessible from the principle foyer, the place you first checked in. There are 10 bathe rooms out there, that are shared with the ANA enterprise class lounge, so when you’re seeking to bathe at a busy time, you might have to attend.

You’ll be able to request a bathe room at a digital kiosk instantly previous the lounge’s lengthy hall on the entrance. Once more, there’s a digital alert system that requires using SMS textual content messages to let when the bathe room is prepared, though you possibly can decide out.

Fortunately, there was a bathe suite prepared after I requested it. If there wasn’t, I in all probability would have wanted to go to the bathe reception to choose up a buzzer. In the event you’re undecided what to do, ask one of many lounge workers to help you.

The bathe room was properly stocked with facilities, together with slippers, dental equipment, comb, Dyson hair dryer and Sekkisei skincare merchandise. There was additionally a clock, which I had by no means seen earlier than in a lounge bathe however discovered fairly useful.

As you would possibly anticipate after spending a while in Japan, the service on the ANA Suite Lounge was top-notch. Everybody was pleasant and useful, and lounge workers would provide a slight bow every time I walked by them.

Despite the fact that there was no sit-down eating service, the lounge brokers have been consistently strolling round to be sure that meals objects have been being cleared promptly.

I loved spending time on the ANA first-class lounge, though it did not exude the identical degree of luxurious as some opponents. The meals was good, the bathe was refreshing and the workers have been well mannered and pleasant. For vacationers in search of a spot to chill out and seize a chunk to eat earlier than their flight, this lounge will definitely test all of the bins.

In the event you’re flying ANA first-class from Tokyo-Narita, this lounge is certainly your best choice. Nevertheless, save your expectations for when you’re within the air, the place ANA first-class really shines.