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Three Dreamliners: NH/AI/UA 787's in Economy to HND, MAA/BOM and SFO

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  • #31
    Our HND-SIN return flight was operated by JA-879A, another very new 787-9, barely 2 months old...

    Similar staggered 1-2-1 (2-4-2) J cabin as the outbound SIN-HND flight on JA-877A...



    In the next 2 pictures, you can see how the staggered window seats in J are laid out. All have direct aisle access...





    Looking at those pictures, I would tend to agree with Mlee888 that the seats are a tad narrow for relaxing, although you do get a large flat tabletop next to your seat.

    The 2-3-2 PEY cabin was next...



    The Y cabin was configured 3-3-3. This had slightly different Y seats from JA-877A (A plane just a few months older).



    The armrests were different, and the seat back design was different as well, with a different tray table design and no detailing around the screen.





    Seat pitch was still very good. The paddle shaped foot rest was also present.





    Recline was good.



    The armrests go all the way up.

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    • #32
      Full Audio-Video on Demand (AVOD).



      The screen was a touchscreen, although a controller was also provided.



      A/C power...



      There was time-based wifi.

      Again, as this was a red-eye, a snack pack was given out...



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      • #33
        Breakfast was served prior to landing. The breakfast menu...



        The tray...



        I chose the Japanese selection...









        This was a very tasty breakfast.

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        • #34
          Cabin ambience...



          We landed on schedule (In fact a few minutes early) in Changi and deplaned at around 6.20am, which was a good thing since I had a 9am Air India flight to Chennai to catch. If the sky in picture below looks a bit bright, it is because I took it was I was making my way to board AI345 to Chennai at the time, a few hours later.



          Overall impressions? This was my 2nd flight on ANA, and it reinforced my view that ANA is a very good airline. Cabin service, catering and ground facilities were top notch on both outbound and inbound sectors. And the hard product, with brand new 789's both ways, was impressive as well. And yet, I still remain a little unconvinced about the 9-abreast Y layout that is so common on Dreamliners these days. I really do not like this layout. Apart from that, the experience was top notch.
          Last edited by yflyer; 1 October 2016, 11:32 PM.

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          • #35
            We stepped off the aerobridge into T2 before 6.30am...the clock was now ticking before my Air India flight to Chennai at 9am, also departing from T2.

            I looked at my watch. So far things were on track. I would even have time to head home (I live in the Eastern part of Singapore) for a while.

            But first I needed to check in for my AI sector. I headed to the airside transit check-in desks. For whatever reason, there was no priority/J queue for AI at the air-side check-in desks, and there was a line of pax waiting to check in. No, this would take too long.

            Rather than get my boarding pass airside, I decided to clear out of immigration, collect luggage from our recently arrived ANA flight, then head out of the arrivals area, and then take the lift up to the Changi T2 landside departure area to check in.



            That approach paid off. There were no check-in queues for AI at that hour in the morning. I got my AI boarding pass, then headed home with Mrs yflyer for almost an hour, where I had the opportunity to dump my laundry, take a shower, and relax for a bit before catching a taxi to Changi T2 at 7.45am.

            I was fully prepared, in case of any delays, to dash straight from my ANA flight to Air India, however on this occasion it worked out. And even on a 2 1/2 hour transit stop (ANA scheduled arrival 6.30am, Air India scheduled departure 9am, both out of T2), it was perfectly feasible to head out of the airport and spend a bit of time at home before heading back to Changi.



            I was airside again by 8.05am, and headed to my gate. There was no plane there. The inbound AI flight was slightly delayed. It landed a few minutes later...



            Today's flight to Chennai would be operated by VT-ANU, a 1.5 year old 788, whose first flight was in February 2015. VT-ANU was in Star Alliance livery, and it looked sleek.



            I watched from the boarding area as pax deplaned, and cleaners boarded to turn the plane around for departure.

            In the event, we were only delayed for less than 15 minutes.

            A quick look around the boarding area told me that this would be a fairly lightly loaded flight. Pax today were mainly Indian or South Asian, with a small number of Chinese and caucasian passengers.

            Boarding was announced.

            This is a two-class aircraft, with a J cabin laid out 2-2-2...



            This 2-2-2 layout is conventional (Maybe some will find it old fashioned?), and this means if you are in a window seat, you will need to step over your seat mate to get to the aisle, but the seats do go fully flat, and the J cabin felt more open and airy than ANA's more modern, but denser J layout.

            The Y cabin was laid out 3-3-3...a sea of orange/red fabric seats, set against the white Dreamliner interior...



            The female Air India cabin crew were dressed in bright yellow and red saries, while the male cabin crew wore suits.







            To be continued...
            Last edited by yflyer; 2 October 2016, 10:10 AM.

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            • #36
              Thanks for sharing. What's with the plastic menu cards?
              Does the cabin crew hand it to you then collect it back after you've ordered?

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              • #37
                Originally posted by yflyer View Post


                Thanks, Mlee888!

                The ANA J config on the 787 did look to be a fairly dense configuration, even compared to BA's 787 J, which has a staggered backwards/forwards 2-3-2.

                The IFE was fine. Video and audio quality were good, although the selection was not particularly broad.
                I was unable to get a proper rest in those seats sadly, plus I also didn't think too much of the entertainment options either. NH is not bad, just better options elsewhere I found.

                Love your pictures. Looking forward to seeing more. I wasn't a fan of ANA lounges last year, this time round extremely grateful for the shower facilities.

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by 9V-JKL View Post
                  Thanks for sharing. What's with the plastic menu cards?
                  Does the cabin crew hand it to you then collect it back after you've ordered?
                  Thanks, 9V-JKL...yes the cabin crew show you the plastic laminated menu card when they come round with the cart. You have to make a snap decision as to which course you want to have...

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                  • #39
                    Originally posted by Mlee888 View Post
                    I was unable to get a proper rest in those seats sadly, plus I also didn't think too much of the entertainment options either. NH is not bad, just better options elsewhere I found.

                    Love your pictures. Looking forward to seeing more. I wasn't a fan of ANA lounges last year, this time round extremely grateful for the shower facilities.
                    Thanks, Mlee888! When comparing options to Japan, and even onward to the USA (via Japan), the obvious comparison is with JAL's 787's. I can't speak for JAL J as I have never tried it, but JAL's 787 Y, with an 8-abreast 2-4-2 layout, is outstanding, and in a different league from 9-abreast Y on ANA's 787's, or any other 9-abreast 787 operator for that matter. More on this topic at the conclusion of this TR.

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                    • #40
                      The AI cabin ambience was quite different from the ANA Dreamliners.



                      Legroom was fine...



                      The footrest had a unique design which I had never encountered before.



                      It did the job fine, and I appreciated the fact that footrests were installed. Fans of Asian-style foot reflexology/massage would also appreciate that the ribbed design would make the footrest ideal for an impromptu foot massage...

                      Recline in Y was good as well, with a pivoting cradle seat.



                      As it was sunny outside, I took the opportunity to check out the electronically dimmed windows...the novelty of these still hasn't worn off..





                      If you want to spend your time on the flight fiddling with the window settings, avoid row 37 in Y. This window seat doesn't have one...



                      Recline in the last row should be fine...



                      All Y seats have widescreen IFE with full AVOD...



                      USB charging...



                      ...and A/C power...



                      Overall, a pretty full-featured Y product, with almost all features (Except wifi) that you would expect in economy class.

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                      • #41
                        All that said, while the configuration and features in Y were comparable with other 787 operators, I was a little surprised that at least on this aircraft, just one and a half years old, the plane just felt a little old and just a little worn.



                        Perhaps it was because I had just stepped off an impossibly pristine ANA 787 which looked to be in showroom condition.

                        This AI 787 didn't feel squeaky clean...the seat covers and plastic panels had a subtle patina of greyness.

                        Not that the cabin was in poor condition. It was ok...just that it felt like a well used plane, not an almost new one.

                        This impression carried through to the restrooms on the plane as well, which also looked to be a little worn out.

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                        • #42
                          On the positive side, there were individual air vents for each seat.



                          Each seat also came with a plastic-wrapped blanket, and a small pillow.



                          The headphones provided were also the headband variety, which sounded the best of any airline headphones I have used in recent years (Even if your own BYO headphones would still sound better).



                          These headphones are streets ahead of SQ's useless earbuds, and clearer than the headphones on ANA, Emirates and other airlines.

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                          • #43
                            They played the safety video...with faceless stick figures sliding down the evacuation slides sans hand luggage, and marching off into the distance...



                            The AI safety video also featured the most chilling representation of a 787 water evacuation that I have ever seen, complete with rapidly sinking Dreamliner, rocking and swaying slowly in the water...



                            If that doesn't compel you to read and re-read the safety information card, nothing will...
                            Last edited by yflyer; 2 October 2016, 05:12 PM.

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                            • #44
                              On this morning flight, breakfast was served...



                              You had a choice of a Western style egg breakfast, or a spicy Indian breakfast.

                              I chose the Indian, which surprised the tall, distinguished looking cabin crew member who was looking after economy cabin. "Would you like the eggs? The Indian selection is quite spicy..." he asked, with some concern.

                              "Yes, I'll have the Indian breakfast, please."

                              The tray...



                              ...which, when unwrapped, revealed a very tasty selection of Indian breakfast treats...



                              A very enjoyable breakfast!



                              Later the same cabin crew member came round to ask how I liked the breakfast, and I gave him a big thumbs up!

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                              • #45
                                I explored the IFE...



                                This did not have the most attractive UI, but the main functions where there, and it was easy to use and navigate.

                                The cover of the IFE programme guide featured Shah Rukh Khan on the cover...



                                Programmes included a good selection of Hollywood hits...



                                ...and many Indian movies and programmes, in a wide range of languages that reflected the diverse nature of the different regions and cultures in India...



                                Both contemporary and classic Hindi movies were represented, including a modern one destined to be a classic: 3 Idiots -- a movie I would highly recommend watching!



                                The IFE menu...



                                Slumdog Millionaire, which some consider to be an Indian movie, is featured under Hollywood Hits (Where it rightfully belongs: as a superb Hollywood movie set in India)...





                                This is another must-watch movie, if you have not yet done so.

                                For some reason, several of movie selections were screened in 4:3 format, with black bands by the side...

                                Selections included American Sniper...



                                and The Devil Wears Prada...



                                Overall video and audio quality was good, and the system was quite responsive.
                                Last edited by yflyer; 2 October 2016, 11:09 AM.

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