Tokyo Heatwave: SIN-HND-SIN on ANA 787-9 Dreamliner Premium Economy (NH842/843)

[yflyer]

The cabin crew served a round of drinks before lunch.

I opted for sake.



This was a nice sake (to my untrained palate)...but I was just a little disappointed that it was served in a paper cup.



The snack mix was good, though.

[yflyer]

Drink service was followed very quickly by lunch, with the PEY cabin served first, before Y. Two choices, presented on a laminated card by the cabin crew, for you to choose from...



I picked the chicken, together with a glass of white wine...



The tray, as served, along with the wine, also served in a paper cup (!). Why the paper cup, I wonder. I thought it really detracted from the meal presentation, especially considering the quality of the rest of the meal.

I took the covers off, and admired the spread before me...



Wow. This was impressive. There were effectively 3 starters: a green salad, another cold starter, and noodles. And there was metal cutlery. Excellent.

I particularly enjoyed the noodles.



The main was tasty too.



Udders ice cream was served separately.



Yum...



This was a very nice meal. I believe this was the same meal Y pax got. Wonder why ANA (And other airlines, even SQ) don't try to differentiate their PEY meals more.

[yflyer]

Cabin ambience in the small PEY cabin was good...



I took a stroll through the first section of the Y cabin to get to the restroom. Ambience there was ok too, though the 9-abreast 3-3-3 layout in Y felt just a little tight.



A pic of the restroom. For the airline geeks out there, try to spot the one difference between this 787 bathroom and those on other airlines. The answer will be revealed when I cover the return HND-SIN sector.

[yflyer]

After meal service, most folks settled into their seats to rest or watch the IFE...



I ordered a Gin & Tonic. It came with a lemon slice (Which I am always happy with, as SQ cabin crew sometimes cut corners by omitting the lemon). But again, why the paper cup?



Our route took us over Manila...



The windows were centrally dimmed, and for most of this daytime flight, the cabin was quiet and soothingly restful...



...with the partially dimmed windows giving the sky outside an otherwordly blue tint...



I took another stroll through the Y cabin to stretch my legs...



...before returning to my seat, and asking for a glass of red wine...

[yflyer]

Prior to landing, a light snack was served. This was just a red bean bun and beverage service.



On some flights to Tokyo, it was possible to see Mount Fuji out of the window, but there was too much cloud cover that day, and besides I was on the wrong side of the plane.



Finally, our descent to Haneda, with the evening sun very low on the horizon...



Views of the Tokyo Skytree as we made our final approach...



On the ground in Haneda...

[yflyer]

Overall I had a good flight. Impressions of ANA premium economy on this sector? A decent, if not class leading product.

I thought the seat was fine -- good comfort and recline, although the seat design looked a little old fashioned. Lunch was essentially Y catering, although that said, it was top notch Y catering, as good as any Y meal out there.

I didn't like the paper cups much. It felt cheap and detracted from the PEY experience. And the pre-arrival snack was forgettable too.

Cabin service was superb. Professional and courteous -- what you would expected from a Japanese airline.

Was ANA PEY better than Y? Most definitely! Perhaps for a daytime 6-7 hour flight, Y would be ok too, but PEY certainly made the flight more comfortable. And if this was a longer flight, or a red-eye (which my return sector was), then PEY, with its more comfortable seat, and greater seat recline, would definitely be preferable, and worth the price premium over Y.

Next up, Tokyo!

To be contined...