Transit Blog
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Well stepping back through the departure doors at Sydney was a little foreign in this post-covid world. Having the opportunity to fly Business Class was also something that I hadn’t done in nearly 8 years (and then it was an upgrade). I thought I would try and cover the experience, both outward & inward legs and the different elements that went to making it such a memorable one. One thing I will miss is not having Tracy with me for the trip. I know that it isn’t really here bag and I am eternally grateful that she is supportive of these adventures. So much to see and do, it is still a bit surreal that the day finally arrived after waiting so long.
All The Elements
The Lounges
One of the real pluses of travelling Business is the access to a lounge before and during a flight. The ability to spend a few hours in comfort while having a choice of food and/or drink is invaluable when travelling 28 hours. I found the lounges so much better during the early morning flights when compared to the later flights. Haneda at 5.30am is a totally different beast to Haneda at 6.30pm. The amount of people made the latter time impossible to have a shower, which in itself is another definite bonus. Another bonus is not having to fight for space in the holding areas near the gates. While you are never going to get your money back in goods and services, the lounge is definitely a thumbs up experience and one worth repeating.
Business Class Seating
The first thing you notice when comparing the 787 to the 777 was the difference in the style of seating as well as the space. Having said that, both provided levels of comfort which fully justified the price, which was extremely reasonable (and cheap) when compared to other airlines. The 787 was a little narrower in the seating area but provided a better “mattress” which actually made sleeping quite comfortable. Being able to experience a relatively restful sleep was something new for me. Economy does not allow for a person over 190cm’s to feel fully rested at the end of a long-haul flight. Being able to lay down and watch a football match in bed, which I did between Sydney & Tokyo, was a treat and something I could never do in cattle class. If this was the only plane I would take to and from Europe, I would have been a very happy camper.
The 777 was a different configuration and whole different story altogether. This is the part of the trip where I was introduced to “the room”. As you can see by the picture, this was a step up from anything I have seen in a business class seat on any plane I have travelled on. You literally have the width of nearly two seats and the screen size is huge. Along with that, you have storage facilities, doors that isolate you from the rest of the section (if you so wish) and a double blind on the windows. When planning the trip originally, I had read about this and it was partially the reason I chose the route that I ended up taking. Was it worth it? Absolutely is the only answer I can come up with. The only slight criticism that I had is that the mattress could have been a little thicker. Match the relative comfort of the 787 and you would have something that would be hard to top.
The View
While I can’t fully put this bit down to Business Class, it was nice to have a window seat without someone fawning all over me. Most of the memorable views came on the leg between Tokyo and London, partially because of the route and also because of the time of the flight.
The Route
I’m not sure if this is the normal route or it was because of the situation in the Ukraine or Russia , but we flew up along the Russian coast, across the Bering Sea and Greenland to London. A bucket list moment was getting to see the aurora borealis from the comfort of my seat for the first time. It was something I’ve always wanted to see and one that I can tick off the list. Another was a stunning view of Greenland and the subsequent sunshine that illuminated the horizon. On the way home, the biggest issue was snow in Frankfurt. Both legs were night flights and with the seat allocation, it was difficult to achieve the same range of images that I achieved on the earlier flight.
The Food
The food and service were one of the highlights of flying up the front of the plane. I have always felt well looked after on ANA but this time it was next level. My food selections centred on the Japanese options, and I must say I chose wisely. The only time i veered slightly off the Japanese track was breakfast on the second last leg from Frankfurt to Tokyo (it was still really nice). The portion sizes were more than enough and the food itself was extremely tasty. In my opinion, the last thing a person needs to feel is bloated on a long-haul flight and apart from a snack (it was Ippudo ramen), I didn’t need anything else. The white table cloth, different courses, silver service were all elements which made this part of the trip so much better.
