ANA NH5, LAX-NRT, Premium Economy

I love to fly ANA when I go to Asia. This time my final destination was Hong Kong for a much needed vacation and to see my grandmother. It was also a great chance to see NL again! This time I would be traveling with my sister and coworker.

Luckily I managed to secure a premium economy seat for my LAX-NRT flight. It was a product that I have never tried before so I was pretty excited. Plus you get to sit right next to those GE90s AND see the great big wings.

Flight: NH5
Route: LAX - NRT
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Aircraft Registration: JA736A

ANA Check In at LAX TBIT

Thanks to my Star Alliance Gold status I got to check in at the Star Gold counter which happened to double as the first class check in counter. I had just come off of flying NH in first class last time so it was a bit of a difference in the level of ANA service but still superb service.

After check-in we went to the Star Alliance business class lounge for some breakfast. 

It did get a little bit busy and I was bothered by a group of loud people but these sort of things just happen at the airport. 

Star Alliance Business Class Lounge food spread

Since it was a nice day I went out to the outdoor lounge and watched some airplanes. (Duh.) I am so happy to see the LAN 787s back at LAX. It is still my favorite Dreamliner livery. Virgin Atlantic comes in a very very close second.

View of T3 from Star Alliance outdoor lounge

Finally a boarding announcement was made and we gathered up our stuff and went to our gate. The NH staff at LAX is amazing at organizing people. Somehow they can get hundreds of people organized in to their proper lines prior to boarding so that once it does start, it is super quick and efficient. More on that later...

JA783A at your service! 

We got to board with the business class passengers to our premium economy seats in row 18. My seat was 18A. There was a pillow, blanket, and pair of slippers in the magazine pocket already waiting in the seat when I got there.

Seat 18A, Premium Economy

Notice that the seat is a bit wider with more legroom than standard economy. You get a bigger armrest in between seats so you don't have to fight for armrest space unless your seatmate has arms as big as legs. You also have your own reading light, and leg rest. My favorite feature has to be the leg rest. It just makes the flight a lot more comfortable.

PY Seat Controls, Recline and Leg Rest

ANA Premium Economy drink platform

I found the little pullout tray for the drinks really funny because it was so small. But it made a lot more sense after takeoff.

Flight attendants came by, gave a quick greeting, and gave us no brand noise canceling headphones. Yet another feature of premium economy which I really liked. Unfortunately they weren't that comfortable for long term wear. 

Noise canceling headphones for PY

Another great feature of premium economy is the mid-flight snack and the business class desserts. Yes, business class desserts. 

Snack menu and feature pamphlet 

Row 18 has got to be one of the best rows in premium economy as it is the bulkhead seat. On the seatmap at seatguru.com it shows that you are sitting right next to a lavatory. However it is the business class lavatory so there's actually a curtain that will separate you from the lavatory traffic. I was able to stand up and stretch a lot throughout the flight. Plus you get a really awesome view. Before you think you can't see anything else there is another window just forward that lets you see ahead of the wing.

Window at 18A

In a short 20 minutes we were suddenly pushing back and listening to the sounds of the safety video. How ANA manages to board a 777 in 20 minutes is beyond me but I think it has to do with how well organized they get everyone to be prior to boarding.

Interestingly we were getting an airport ops escort to the runway today. Later on I found out that the captain was unfamiliar with LAX and had wanted step-by-step taxi instructions from the tower. With LAX being as busy as it is, they typically hand out ground movements in its entirety in one get go. 

LAX Airport Ops Escort

We were led to Runway 24L and took off in short order. So long LAX!

Simultaneous takeoff from LAX with Delta 737

After the seatbelt signs were turned off the flight attendants started with service. Sitting in premium economy you are served first ahead of the rest of the economy class cabin. We got drinks and the senbei.

Post takeoff snack

And now the little drink platform makes a lot more sense. I ordered the aromatic kabosu drink which is really refreshing. If you ever fly ANA, be sure to try it out. 

After a while it was time for our first meal service. ANA has some incredibly delicious fish dishes. I always go for the Japanese dishes when I'm flying them. I would like to make a point to try one of their Western dishes the next time I fly them though. Dessert followed the meal with ice cream. Apparently there are more flavors than just vanilla but I didn't see any.

Economy class meal service

Ice cream dessert

ANA Air show

A while after meal service the cabin was dimmed. Since NH5 departs from LAX midday I found it really hard to sleep. Plus I wasn't drinking this time like I was when I was sitting up front. So I entertained myself by watching LINE cartoons.

LINE cartoon

I decided it was time to have some of the business class desserts with my friend. I actually didn't find them that good.

Business class dessert pudding

Business class dessert cheesecake

I definitely wasn't going to sleep at that point so I stood up and stretched in the galley area and walked around.

Galley snack area

I watched a movie and fell asleep since it was so boring. I can't even remember the title of it. I woke up feeling snacky so I tried out the midflight snack of ramen.

Premium economy midflight ramen snack

This was actually really good. It wasn't as good as the one I've had before but it did the trick. I had it with cold green tea which hit the spot. I watched an episode of Miss Pilot with my meal. I was really starting to feel like I was in Japan!

Miss Pilot

As we approached Japan the sun was beginning to set.

A view of the wing

We also got served our second meal. It's a good thing that being in premium economy you are served first. I won't forget those times I was sitting in the back with my stomach growling as I smelled the food. 

Pre-Arrival Meal

SN's pre-arrival meal

My ears were getting really tired of wearing the headphones. They worked well but they just plain hurt after a while. At that point I just turned on the air show and closed my eyes a bit.

Approaching NRT

This time I didn't have very many pictures to take since night was fast approaching. I was also the only one in my entire party that knew how to navigate NRT.

Approaching NRT.

I know what goes on beyond that curtain...

Overall I consider the ANA premium economy product really solid. It's a great step up from economy which has recently converted to 3-4-3 configuration. Plus you get some extra amenities. If you can spend a bit more premium economy is great for a transpacific flight.