ANA Inaugural flight NRT to SJC in Business Jan 11, 2013

[Carfield]

ANA San Jose Inaugural Trip Report 2013




Here is my first trip report in 2013, which will be an extremely detailed but exciting one, as I am able to fly the ANA inaugural flight from Tokyo Narita to San Jose. Not sure why but San Jose is always on top of my list for inaugural flights, given that I really have no familial tie to this city. One of my first international inaugural flights was the American Airlines’ short-lived service from Taipei to San Jose. Back then, San Jose’s international facility was a small temporary shack with the most basic facilities. Today San Jose has the brand new terminal A with modern facilities and two jet-bridge equipped gates for international flights (A15 & A16). This ANA flight is significant not only because of being the first scheduled 787 service to San Jose but also marks the resumption of a link between Asia and San Jose/Silicon Valley, which serves a large Asian population, who prefers an alternative airport to SFO. Hopefully 787 and its improved economics will make this route a viable one, and from the gate, I can tell there are many connecting passengers coming from Taiwan, Vietnam and of course the Mainland China, which should come as no surprise to anyone. I am little surprised that Vietnam Airlines has yet to start the SJC service. Of course attending an international inaugural flight out from Japan has always been a dream, as the Japanese took this inaugural flight very seriously and there are many activities and souvenirs available. It is actually an interesting experience for a cultural sociology student and things are similar, but done in a very Japanese ways – efficient, organized, and polite. I just wish I could speak the language so I know what is going on. However for all aviation enthusiasts, it is a lifetime experience and if there is any future Japanese airlines’ inaugural, you should take advantage of it. ANA and JAL both spend much effort and time in promote these inaugural flights, and many enthusiasts will join the occasion, and you can see their enthusiasm close up!

For those who want to see my whole album, here it is, but be warn it is a big album.
Full album link:
http://s1213.photobucket.com/albums/...gural01112013/

Here it goes and Congrats to ANA and Norman Mineta San Jose airport authority for this new flight!

January 11, 2013
NH 1076 NRT-SJC Lv1735 Arr1010 Boeing 787-8 JA813A “TOMO DACHI”

Booking
Japan to USA is not a cheap market especially for business class, so I have to be creative with my routing. I basically priced all the entry points from ANA Asian network (and I also want to use the return for my annual family trip back to Hong Kong). I settled into Vietnam, as it allows me an affordable fare of $3000USD plus an interesting return routing with a long stopover in Hong Kong with a reasonable surcharge. My final routing is SGN (Ho Chi Minh City)-NRT-SJC-NRT-HKG-HAN (Hanoi). The price is a few hundred more expensive due to the long stopover in Hong Kong and the use of Hanoi as my return point. I was given both Dragonair and Vietnam Airlines, and settle for the later because of better timing and time to add another new airline to my list. ANA website is actually quite good – not streamlined like the US airlines, but easy enough for me to navigate even those non-NH segments. The purchase process was smooth and I was able to do seat assignments on all the NH flights with the advanced 3D seat maps, and ANA alerted me to a numerous schedule and aircraft changes too. I rated ANA website as above average.

Check-in:
I actually emailed ANA customer service regarding transit at SGN. I finally decided to fly into SGN from HKG and was a bit concerned that there would be no staff to assist with the transit and I will have to wait a few hours in a rather uninspiring transit halls consist of a few chairs, two counters (VN and SATSCO), and a television. ANA wrote me quickly and told me that I could use online check in and then proceeded straight to the Rose Lounge. Of course, in reality, things worked out differently even with my printed boarding pass. First I was not able to check in all the way to San Jose, but no big deal! I could get it at Narita, which was not as easy as I thought. I arrived SGN at 6pm and headed straight to the transit area. I headed to the checkpoint manned with one staff, and he did not accept my homemade boarding pass, but thankfully he spoke enough English and asked the SATSCO girl to check me in. She was friendly enough despite little English speaking ability. She finally reprinted my boarding pass to Narita in real boarding pass stock, and gave me a lounge invitation to the Rose Lounge. No onward boarding pass was given and I presume that it was due to the long connection time. The security process was quick enough and the fellow was very friendly.

SGN to NRT:
I spent five hours at the Rose Lounge, and it was crowded most of the times, until the evening rush with Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, and Emirates’ flights left, and then there was a thirty to sixty minutes of quiet time, before the late night rush began with influx of passengers from ANA, JAL, Asiana, and Air China. There was a good selection of Vietnamese instant noodle soups, along with some rice and cold noodle dishes. There were Vietnamese spring rolls with the usual array of sandwiches and fruits. Beverage wise – there is a self-service bars with limited wines, bers, and liqueurs. There are soft drinks (but no diet sodas) and fruit juices, along with tea and coffee. I managed to find a good spot, and it had a decent wifi connection (and interestingly, there is no facebook access here, but tweeter is fine)! The flight itself was fine, and the redeye flight was fairly quick due to strong tailwind. Here is the link to the menu and wine list!

Wine List
Champagne
Champagne Jacquart Brut 2005

White
Rully “Clos de Mollepierres” 2010 Domaine Roux Pere et Fils, Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France
Cederberg Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Cederberg, South Africa

Red
Hahn Central Coast Cabernet Sauvingon 2009
Ares Crianza 2008 Dios Ares

Sake
Kozaemon Junmaiginjo Miyamanishiki

Shochu
Kawagoe
Hanamugi Moriya

Umeshu
Nankobai no Kodawari Umeshu

Light Dishes
We have light dishes available for you to enjoy anytime you like upon request.

Tuna salad croissant sandwich
Tuna salad brimming with finely chopped black olives and tomatoes inside a buttery croissant

2 kinds sushi rolls and smoked tuna and squid sushi roll
Lightly salted tuna and squid sushi rolls – a great choice for any appetite

Hot Japanese udon noodles garnished with dried sea lettuce
The seaside flavor adds a comforting aroma to the soothing flavor of Japanese broth



Cup of hot consommé soup
Experience soup that has richness and a refined flavor

Post-nap Comfort
Start your day fresh with a balanced breakfast

Japanese cuisine
Begin the dish with a wide assortment of appetizers followed by delicate, light whitefish grilled to perfection

Kuchidori
Japanese savory omelet
Prawn fishcake sandwiched with tofu
Grilled scallop teriyaki
Simmered chicken rolled with vegetable in soy based sauce

Shusai
Grilled whitefish with soy based sauce

Miso soup

Mizugashi
Fresh seasonal fruit

International cuisine
For early hours dining pleasure, a continental breakfast based on pork ham and Gouda cheese


Continental Breakfast
Pork ham and Gouda cheese
Fresh salad with French dressing (Ranch in reality)


Morning roll served with marmalade


Fresh Seasonal Fruit


Yogurt


SGN-NRT
121201-130228

There was no pre-takeoff beverage service on these regional flights, and F/As came around with newspapers, magazines, and asking passengers to fill out the breakfast order sheets. The old generation of Club ANA Asia seat is relatively unimpressive, but good enough on this short flight. It is definitely better than JAL with the five abreast seating. The flight was not full in J, and I got two seats to myself. The entertainment system was awful but I was not interested in anything but the moving map and nose camera.

Food service was also very weak, but at least no one wants to eat. After takeoff, the F/As passed out trays of orange juice, iced green tea and champagne, along with hot towels and bottled waters. Then it came around with snacks including the tuna salad croissant, assorted sushi rolls, mixed nuts and crudités. I had the sushi and also requested the hot bowl of Udon soup with sea lettuce, which was delicious.

[Carfield]

Two hours prior to arrival, breakfast started for those who requested them. I think they could have easily waited for another 30 minutes before beginning the final service. I had the Western option, which was very underwhelming with no hot entrée dish, and the cold cheese and meat platter featured two slices of cheese and two slices of ham. Fresh salad resembled two pieces of Iceberg lettuce with two slices of cucumber, a piece of lotus root, and a few cherry tomatoes. Thankfully I was not hungry at this time, and I guess ANA feels that it can get away for a “light” breakfast. I had the udon a few hours earlier and it was the right decision.

Anyway, we arrived NRT forty-five minutes early and I headed straight to the transit hotel (after discovering the transit desks were closed with no opening times). ANA should have put the hours out or place a self-check-in kiosk.

Empty transit desk in the 50s satellite terminal


I stayed at the transit hotel inside the secured area, which costs 4500 Yen (for a five hours stay). The room was small with a single shower, and bathroom was commonly shared. I nonetheless enjoyed the opportunity to nap for a few hours. I checked out at 12:20pm.

Turkish Airlines TK-JJL heading back to Istanbul


FLIO Board


I immediately checked the FLIO board, and my flight was already listed. Today’s gate was 51, which was also used for the inaugural 787 flight to Seattle a few months earlier. Luckily I was able to snap the few shots, when the plane was just being towed into the gate around 12:30pm. I guess they were not taking chances with anything going wrong with this SJC flight. The plane just did the Seattle turnaround the night before.

Here is JA813A just towed to gate 51:



TOMO DACHI logo


Still empty gate 51


Nose shot



Lounge



With the transit desk still closed at 1pm, I headed straight to the lounge and, of course, Turkish Airlines has yet to send me my Elite/Star Gold frequent flyer card, despite being qualified for more than six weeks. I honestly don’t expect anything from TK. Thankfully there is free wifi in Narita and I am able to pull out my detailed ANA electronic ticket receipt, and then the agent had no issues admitting but apologized that the concierge was not return till 3pm. It was obvious a slow time at NRT, as all the European and East Coast flights have left, and the afternoon bank would not start for a few hours. I took the full advantage in exploring the lounge and took all these photos.

Floor Plan

[Carfield]

Main seating area







Rows of seats overlooking the apron




Newspaper station



Main food station

[Carfield]

Today’s hot entrée choice – curry I believe so and fried chicken (my favorite)

[Carfield]

Beverage options






UCC Coffee – Japanese’s answer to Nespresso

[Carfield]

Noodle Bar



Corridor separating two main seating areas – well between the business stations/sake bar, and the main seating/dinging area



TV Lounge


Second Beverage station



Sake Bar

[Carfield]

Business Station


Individual business desk


Relaxation Lounge – I don’t realize that ANA has a relaxation area, with cubicles of reclining armchair and even two with message chairs towards the back.





Huge artwork on display


I finally settled in a spot facing the apron – in front of Gate 54 and 55

My lunch


Here is a bit of airplane spotting time!

EVA Air’s Hello Kitty Plane – B-16311

[Carfield]

ANA Boeing 777-200 JA710A just arrived from TPE and later towed to rest



ANA Boeing 767-300ER Winglet JA621A heading to Shanghai Pudong


ANA Boeing 777-300ER JA778A just arrived from Munich as NH 208


ANA Boeing 777-300ER JA 735A from CDG and then heading to SFO next


ANA Boeing 767-300ER JA622A from Delhi


ANA Boeing 787-8 JA814A arriving from Seattle and heading back to Seattle later
You will see it at SJC a lot too… JA813A and JA814A (and I am soon a third one is coming too) will rotate between SEA and SJC for the winter.


Celebration
Time to head back to Gate 51 and some more shot of the plane, JA813A

[Carfield]

The gate was busier than earlier, with a stage being setup and staffs getting ready





Group picture before the ceremony took place - All the dancers are men, and the women dressed in kimono just helped out during the ceremony.


The podium at Gate 51



ANA Drum



The new SJC advertisement

[Carfield]

Sake Wood Cups to commemorative the inaugural flight




The Sake Barrel – local sake to commemorate the inaugural flight


The list of guests attending the ceremony



US Embassy is sending the counselor for Commercial service, Gregory Loose, as the ambassador was actually in San Jose and flew back to Tokyo with the former Secretary of Transportation and House representative, Norman Y Mineta on the return inaugural flight, and they were doing a special promotional tour this week


The ceremony started at 4pm and here was the MC – very formal and spoke only Japanese. With the US service, I would expect at least one English speaking staff, but not surprised.


It began with a traditional Japanese dance, with men playing drums, and then flutes, and three men making movement and clapping their hands


Then they removed their hair bands and did some more dances.


Towards the end of the ceremony, the invited guests showed up and took their seats. They talked among themselves and some business cards were exchanged.

[Carfield]

I wish I could tell you who these people were, but basically there were five speeches and I could only understand one by Mr. Loose. It was interesting that two of them did not even use a card and memorized the whole speech by heart. The US counselor basically reiterated the importance of this link to the Silicon Valley and the mission of TOMO DACHI, which will be feature in a number of ANA jets, which serve the US markets. JA814A also had this logo. JA813A and JA814A are both based in Narita and served the SEA and SJC market only. It is basically an initiative after the earthquake in East Japan to celebrate the friendship of the USA and to increase trade after the disaster. It is like a private and public partnership between American and Japanese governments and corporations to help the recovery process.


Speeches



After all these speeches, here was the moment. Instead of ribbon cutting, we had the sake barrel breaking ceremony.

The guests basically all wore a special ANA Japanese style jacket and then given a ceremonial drum to break open a fresh sake barrel.




Three… Two… One…



ANA staffs pouring the sake and passing them around




The Special Sake Cup celebrating the inaugural flight

[Carfield]

One more shot of JA813A in the late afternoon sunlight


Gate 51 was getting ready for boarding


One more farewell ceremony and similar dances again


Boarding finally was called at 5:12pm. The priority was strictly reinforced with special assistance passengers, followed by ANA diamond elites and special press today. Then business class passengers, and then economy passengers! No chance for jumping queue and this should be the model for all airlines boarding, and that’s why boarding was always completed within short period of time.

The cabin is filled with these temporary signs celebrating the new inaugural flights to San Jose!



The cabin was welcoming in the blue mood lighting, which meant bad pictures without flash. It looks nice though. I will try more cabin pictures on my return flight in February, but with the amount of official literature, it is not difficult to find cabin pictures.

First business class cabin


Second business class cabin

[Carfield]

The only picture that came out well, which featured the first mini economy class cabin – the bulkhead row features tremendous amount of legroom


Giant sized windows


A gift bag was also handed out, which featured a first flight certificate, a TOMO DACHI stationary set, and a special wrapped gift, which was a very nice NRT-SJC toiletry bag.






Unlike regional flight, there was pre-takeoff beverage service, which was a choice of iced green tea or champagne served in plastic glasses – better than nothing on JAL


Door was closed at 5:27pm and we pushed back at 5:39pm. We took off from R/W34L at 5:56pm.
The routing was mostly over the Pacific Ocean tonight. There was strong tail wind, which meant a short eight hours and twenty-nine minutes flight. We started at 37,000feet before climbing to 38,000feet, and then 39,000feet after crossing the International Date Line. We finally hit the coast by crossing Greenwood Cove and then down the coast passing SF and then the big turn around to line up with R/W30, the typical used runway at SJC.

Here is the route map throughout the flight:

[Carfield]

The pilot made a few announcements today, and gave a very detailed flight report, as there were lots of enthusiasts on board today. But the flight route was pretty straightforward but he was proud of the early arrival.

Cabin:
ANA’s Boeing 787 comes with a number of domestic, regional and international configurations, and of course Seattle, San Jose, and Frankfurt all feature the new business staggered seats, with individual aisle access and a full flat seats with many usable surface. However I noticed that the giant bar area in front of Door 2 for the original 787 domestic configuration is missing. It is replaced by a smaller bar, which can be seen here! When I flew ANA years ago, they had packaged snacks, small pastries and chips out, but that had been cut. Not sure was it because of the new a la carte menu! Now there were just some random wines and a box of pralines out. Maybe the longer return flights will have more snacks stocked. I will report back and will check out the first business class cabin.

Mini business class bar – noted that there were no more packaged snacks, other than chocolates leftover from dinner!


Here were more cabin picture I attempted throughout the flight – some when daylight returned prior to arrival and after arrival!



Unfortunately, there are only two lavatories for business class passengers and this is rather unacceptable with long waits during the early rush. Considered we were not full today! Not sure if there was one in the front, but this was definitely bad planning on ANA part! The lavatory was huge and featured window and the Japanese style automatic style. It is pretty cool.

Here are pictures:






Automatic flush (you basically wave your hand in front of it) and the toilet seat will be silently closed every time you flush the toilet.



“Extra” cleaning of sensitive areas

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Seat:
The business-staggered seat is excellent and there was no issue with tiny cupboard for feet like the Swiss and SN Brussels Airlines new business class design. You get a personal side table on the side, and the new tray table was huge and movable. There are the universal power outlets with USB port (not for charging) and an IPOD/IPhone connection outlet for you to listen to music and watch photos, and videos from your own apple devices (but not IPAD). You need to ask F/A for a connection cod, and I will try it on the return when the flight is longer. The only thing is that there is no longer a legrest during normal relax position, which is a minor thing personally.

Pictures of seats and all the bells and whistles








Seat in relax position



Seat in full flat position


Seat in full flat position with the new bedding – very comfortable duvet blanket (just a tad short for me) and pillow. I love the blue color scheme with the three orange square dots!