Review: ANA “The Suite” First Class (B777-300ER)

An experience like no other –  ‘The Suite’ is the new First Class product onboard some of ANA’s 777s. ‘The Suite’ is installed on 10 777s in the ANA fleet, operated on routes from Tokyo to Chicago, New York, San Francisco and London. This product is a massive step up from ANA’s older first class product.

From the moment I stepped aboard until disembarking, there was little left to be desired. Japanese hospitality, food worthy of a fine dining restaurant, and an excellent seat all made for a truly memorable experience.

Booking ANA “The Suite” First Class on the Boeing 777-300ER

First Class	Aircraft	Route	Flight Duration
All Nippon Airways NH112	Boeing 777-300ER	Tokyo – Haneda to Chicago	12 Hours 00 Minutes

I booked this ticket on Aeroplan, starting my journey in Delhi and ending in Chicago. Delhi to Haneda was in business class, and first class from Haneda to Chicago – for a total of 165,000 Aeroplan points and C$120 in fees. I remember the time when ANA was not bookable on Aeroplan, and despite the obscene amount of points needed, I decided to pull the trigger anyway. 

As always, on a ticket like this one, cost-per-point wasn’t a factor in my decision-making. Working within a fairly strict schedule, finding an award ticket that fits my travel plans matters far more to me than any points-vs-cash calculation. Not to mention, I wouldn’t be paying cash for this ticket anyway.

There is no shortage of co-branded Aeroplan cards in Canada, plus transfer partners like American Express Canada Membership Rewards, making it easy to accrue enough Aeroplan points for a redemption like this. 

The American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card is one of the cards we recommend, as it offers a high welcome bonus of up to 85,000 Aeroplan points, plus additional benefits on Air Canada flights.

Ground Experience – ANA Suite Lounge at Tokyo Haneda

After disembarking from my flight from Delhi, I had quite some time to check out the ANA Suite Lounge in Haneda.

The lounge is accessible to First Class passengers on ANA and Star Alliance airlines, ANA Million Miler program members, and Diamond Service members.

The lounge is divided into two areas: a general seating area and a buffet dining area. Showers are available and can be booked by scanning a QR code and following the prompts. 

After entry and registration, I was shown to the general seating area, given a hot towel, and asked for my drink order. Since it was still early, I opted for a black coffee. After that, I picked a few items from the mini buffet located in the seating area. One of the personal highlights for me was the stunning tarmac views this lounge affords – I spent over two hours spotting airplanes.

After that, I moved over to order some à la carte options in the dining area. I personally found the food here to be rather mediocre. There is a small buffet area available with a few items.

The à la carte dining menu was as follows:

There was also a mostly basic selection at the bar.

I ordered the chicken curry with rice and a vegan burger and found them both to be rather underwhelming.

Ample seating is available, both private and public. No real private sleeping rooms exist at this lounge, which I personally think should be a given at any lounge at this level.

Overall, the lounge has a very matter-of-fact air to it, compared to the lush opulence of lounges like Al Safwa, Qatar Airways’ first-class lounge in Doha. In my opinion, this was probably the weakest link in the whole experience.

I experienced my third-ever earthquake that morning at the lounge – 6.9 on the Richter scale. Total non-event. Shoutout to Japanese engineering for making a quake that size feel like nothing.

Cabin Arrangement

ANA’s “The Suite” First Class cabin is equipped with 8 suites, based on the JAMCO Serenity seats.

Each suite comes with a privacy door. The center suites are fitted with a partition that can be lowered.

Travelling alone, I decided to go with 2A. As a personal preference, I like being further away from the galleys if possible. The business class cabin starts right behind this seat and is separated by a bulkhead and curtain, which remains drawn for the entire flight. Apart from the occasional flight attendant moving between cabins, privacy was not an issue.

Seat

The suites are designed by Kengo Kuma and Acumen and are one of the nicest first class products currently in the sky.

The suite comes equipped with a shell seat, a personal closet, and a sliding privacy door. At 34″ wide, the seat gives a sense of sitting on a traditional tatami mat rather than a chair.

The absolute highlight of the seat is the massive IFE screen — a 43″ 4K UHD display powered by the Panasonic Next series.

The ottoman below the screen is the width of the suite and can be used by a second passenger to dine in the same suite.

The IFE remote and seat controls are located on the side panel. The controls are intuitive and allow full movement across all the necessary axes, while the roller ball at the bottom lets you slide the entire seat forward and aft.

Window blinds are controlled by individual controls on the windows or the master control located on the side of the seat.

Rectangular cubbies are scattered throughout the suite, offering storage in all shapes and sizes.

The seat also has an HDMI port, a 110V AC power supply, and USB-A ports.

The literature pocket is located on the right side of the seat.

Inside the suite shell, you’ll also find a closet section with a hanger –  great for keeping a dress shirt or jacket wrinkle-free during travel.

One clever touch: the iPad pocket along the left wall doubles as a hidden mirror — flip it open, and there’s a mirror built into the flap.

If you were curious as to what the seat looks like externally, here is the outer shell of seat 2E.

Bed

After my meal, I decided to turn in for the night – the flight attendant kindly offered to make up the bed in the empty seat beside me.

The seat reclines to a 180-degree lie-flat bed, with a total length of about 81”.

All in all, the seat is very comfortable – the extra width adds to the sense of openness, making the space feel airy and inviting. The bed, too, was spacious and comfortable, making for a good sleeping surface.

Amenity Kit

ANA takes its amenities rather seriously. All Nippon Airways has built a reputation as much on its onboard extras as its seats and service, and the amenity kits are a good example of why. 

Bakune loungewear designed by Tential was provided, and it was very comfortable and of premium quality.

There were a few additional amenities offered just after takeoff.

Tenerita’s cashmere blanket on the left and the cardigan provided for use onboard the flight.

ANA’s First Class amenity kit is the product of a collaboration with Ettinger, the British leather goods manufacturer. The kit comes in an Ettinger pouch crafted from natural cotton canvas and recycled materials, packaged in eco-friendly paper rather than plastic.

Inside, passengers find ANA’s SENSAI cosmetics line – the SENSAI UTM Lotion II (toner), SENSAI UTM Cream N, and SENSAI Total Lip Treatment – along with an Ettinger card case and an ANA original reusable bag made from recycled materials.

The kit is rounded out with everyday travel essentials: an eye mask, lip balm, a dental kit, and earplugs.

Bathroom 

The bathroom is spacious and comes with all the standard amenities.

Interestingly, ANA is one of the select few airlines that offer bidets in their First Class bathrooms.

Dining

Another highlight of the flight was the dining. The quality of the food onboard, paired with attentive service, made this by far my best experience in the sky. Food and beverage menus were provided upon boarding.

The food menu for this flight was as follows:

The beverage menu was as follows:

Shortly after boarding, the purser stopped by to introduce herself and gave me a detailed tour of the seat and its features. I began with a welcome glass of champagne, with the purser noting that the Krug would be poured once airborne.

Dinner

Meal service began with an amuse-bouche selection: ANA Nut and Chilli Pie Stick, Foie Gras Mousse, Escalivada Tart, and Mussel Chaud-froid.

The Krug Grande Cuvée was poured once we were airborne.

Since we departed from Tokyo, I chose the Japanese multi-course meal – Washoku. Opening the meal: the Sakizuke – Japanese Tiger Prawn and vegetables, along with a bonus caviar course.

Then came the Zensai – a selection of morsels: conger eel sushi, grilled sweetfish, dressed scallop, duck breast with taro stem, and dried sardines.

Before moving on to the next course, I decided to sample the sake selection onboard – a well-curated lineup featuring the Nabeshima Junmai, the Jikon Junmai, and the Nanbu Bijin, each offering a distinct character that paired beautifully with the meal.

Next came the Pike Conger soup, served with Taro Stem and Water Shield. This was one of my favorites, as the hot soup paired well with the sake.

Next was the Otsukuri, consisting of Pacific Bluefin Tuna, Cutlassfish, and Squid.

The main course was a beautifully composed spread – conger eel rolls with Japanese omelet, Wagyu beef in potato sauce, and horse mackerel with onion sauce.

Thereafter, came the rice dish: steamed rice, miso soup, and Japanese pickles.

The meal concluded with Kanmi, a delicate array of confections: agar-cut fruits, bean paste, matcha syrup, and a selection of chocolates to finish.

The food tasted phenomenal, offering a wide variety of textures on the palate and delivering a true extravaganza of flavors. What truly elevated the experience was the flight attendant, who went out of her way to explain each dish, patiently answered my questions, and made sure I never felt lost navigating the courses. 

Snack

The lights were dimmed after the dinner meal service, and I decided to get some shuteye, having been awake for quite some time. Once I woke up, the purser came by and asked if I’d be interested in a midnight snack, along with something to drink.

For my midnight snack, I opted for a rice bowl with grilled salmon.

The Hibiki 21 Year Old 100th Anniversary Edition rounded things off beautifully – floral, subtly sweet, with delicate notes of sandalwood and incense from its signature Mizunara oak aging.

This bottle is available for purchase exclusively onboard ANA and JAL First Class flights, retailing onboard at about US$330. 

Breakfast

I chose to have breakfast about an hour and a half before landing.

Breakfast was a pancetta omelet, mozzarella cheese, and tomato coulis.

Fresh fruits and yogurt were also served as part of this meal.

I wrapped up breakfast with a cup of espresso to bring me back to reality.

From the moment the purser welcomed me aboard with champagne in Tokyo, to the last sip of espresso somewhere over Wisconsin, every detail spoke to a level of craft that’s increasingly rare in the sky. This wasn’t just a meal; it was hospitality, with intricate detail in every course.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

The entertainment screen is a whopping 43” 4K UHD screen powered by the Panasonic Next series.

It offers an incredibly diverse collection of movies, TV shows, and games.

An HDMI port lets tech-savvy passengers connect their laptops and use the IFE screen as an external display. The entertainment system can be controlled entirely with the remote control, which is standard across most entertainment systems.

The Pokémon throughout the safety video were a nice touch.

Available to passengers in First Class are these Sony WH-1000XM3 Noise-Cancelling Headphones. Definitely a leader in their class, they offer excellent noise cancellation and feel comfortable.

WiFi

Wifi is free for First and Business Class customers. A coupon code is emailed a few hours prior to the flight. The internet is fast enough to get work done, but it isn’t quite in the Starlink league.

Connecting is clunky: navigate to the Wi-Fi page on the IFE, scan the QR code, then enter the coupon code on the landing page – a process that becomes even more tedious across two devices.

Conclusion

ANA’s First Class ranks among the most compelling luxury experiences in international air travel today, rivalled only by the likes of Emirates, Japan Airlines, and Air France. 

The product excels across the board, featuring an outstanding seat, exceptional dining, and a level of warmth in service that is increasingly rare. What truly sets it apart is the genuinely personal and effortless hospitality – the crew’s attentiveness felt authentic rather than scripted, a quality that has become rare amongst premium offerings on airlines.

Having said that, the ground experience can be improved considerably – the lounge felt rather meh, and the food was mediocre. 

All things considered, ANA F was an excellent product once onboard and a truly delightful way to zip across the Pacific.