After having a fun time in Hokkaido, it’s time to hop on the world’s second-busiest flight route to Tokyo Haneda. Does All Nippon Airways still satisfy our trip even while flying domestic? Come with me and explore something that I rarely hop on: widebody DOMESTIC flights overseas.
Notes:
- This is a personal blog on our travel experience and is neither promoted nor endorsed by ANA.
- Exchange rates between currencies are as of May 2026: USD1 = PHP 61 and 159 JPY.
Since 2023, ANA has held promotional sales called "Hello Blue Sale", where discounted base fares of USD 200 plus FREE domestic flights are up for grabs. Depending on the sale and travel period, there are blackout dates for such; examples are select dates during the prescribed travel period (somewhere in between August or September, etc.), the Christmas and winter season (second half of December), and etc., which are not covered by the discounts.
Our Japan itinerary this year called for a visit to Hokkaido, followed by a trip to Tokyo. We chose ANA due to its affordability and booking flexibility. By booking on one itinerary instead of multiple itineraries, plus the perks of free inter-island domestic flights, we managed to reduce our expenses that would otherwise go to another expensive domestic itinerary instead of souvenirs and tax-free groceries.
Main review: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
New Chitose Airport is located 50 kilometers away from Sapporo. You can take a train, and you’ll be there within 40 minutes. A one-way trip costs 1,230 yen. The main disadvantage, however, is that you would need to hold on to your baggage for the rest of the trip, since you would ride on a typical commuter subway train. The fourth car of each train offers reserved seating and a baggage rack which can be bought at a higher price.
The airport’s terminal layout consists of a semi-circular domestic terminal and a small international terminal on the other side of it, right where a military base sits. The train station is located underneath the domestic terminal; both terminals are connected via an elevated pedestrian bridge.
Flight information
Check-in and pre-departure
Although ANA offers online check-in (specifically via its mobile app), we decided to forgo it and do the traditional in-counter setup. We tried using ANA’s self-check-in kiosks, but efforts failed after the machine did not detect our reservation code. This is the only thing I am disappointed with this five-star airline. We were forced to line up the traditional way instead: at staffed counters. Each passenger is entitled to two free checked bags weighing 23 kg each and a combined allowance of 10 kg for carry-on baggage (one cabin bag and one personal item).
After checking in amidst long lines, we went up to see an airplane picturesque model made of flowers. We then went to the observation deck, where almost all planes we spotted were going to Tokyo–Haneda. There were two Japan Airlines Airbus A350-941s and an ANA Boeing 777-200ER, all of which were flying to Tokyo. I also saw a Boeing 787-9 of ANA which was pushing back for Osaka–Itami. I was not able to see the other airliners at the observation deck; the others not going to Tokyo are a Boeing 737-800 and an Airbus A321 of ANA, and a Boeing 767 of Air Do, a Sapporo-based airline with ties to ANA.
There was a short snag though, as one of our bags were caught off guard due to us bringing a total of three power banks, of which the third one was for our pocket Wi-Fi (the other two are for personal use).
Boarding and take-off
I'm impressed how they did this so fast. Boarding commenced 15 MINUTES before the departure time, and I am impressed on how this was finished really quickly. This was the fastest boarding process ever. I thought at first that they would board 30 minutes before at all flights (both domestic and international), but it turned out to be faster this time around.
Little did I know that JA742A, a 2012-built Boeing 777-281ER that I spotted landing beside ecstatic elementary pupils at the deck, was the plane that would perform our flight. This aircraft is only one of eight B777-200ERs that exclusively serve domestic flights. Initially configured with 405 seats (21 business and 384 economy), it was reconfigured in April 2024 with 392 seats (28 business, 364 seats). In the latter’s configuration, business seats are configured 2–3–2 (7 abreast) and economy seats are at 3–4–3 (10 abreast). It has a pitch of 31 inches and a seat width of 17 inches. 10-abreast seating is common on airlines that want to add as more seats (and by extension, revenue) as possible on their international flights; Philippine Airlines, for example, uses the 10-abreast seating on their newer Airbus A350-1000s on an airframe that normally can accommodate only nine seats across (without physical changes to the airframe, Airbus’ New Production Standard [NPS] widens the cabin by a few inches, allowing for more seats).
I noticed that the Panasonic in-flight entertainment (IFE) seat monitor has a more modern look than older 787s. Personally, I like this more than what we used on international flights. Like in flights with personalized seat monitors, headphones were also provided.
 |
| With a 79-centimeter legroom, ANA's 777s are passenger-friendly! |
Pushback started at 12:01 pm. The taxi was relatively quick; we took off ten minutes later.
Onboard service
 |
| Some of the 777's seats are empty... |
 |
| Apple juice |
The only refreshments you can find on domestic flights are just cabin crew serving drinks. I chose their apple juice to keep us refreshed while on the go. Meanwhile, airport security back in Sapporo allowed us to bring our food that we bought at Lawson, which we ate inside the plane.
Wi-Fi is free; unlike the previous flight, it worked fine this time around.
I also noticed that the lavatory door handles are unique, you can open it with your arm or elbow.
The surprise that you've been looking for...SOUVENIRS!
Remember the 787 papercraft that I featured in the last trip report? I brought it out again for this flight and guess what: I was given yet another set of souvenirs.
 |
| Postcards and a short letter from the crew of flight NH 60! |
Misaki, a lady attendant in charge of the trolley, had her eyes rolled on my papercraft and got intrigued. She talked to us a bit. She then went to her colleagues. When Misaki returned to us, we went to the aft galley, where we talked more about my model. Another crew member, Tatsu, came to the scene. When the crew alert alarm system sounded off, we briefly returned to our seats after telling them that I intended to have a picture with them after landing.
 |
| My picture with Misaki and Tatsu. Taken with permission. |
A few minutes later, however, they returned to us again, this time, with a small letter and two 787 postcards on hand. Tatsu and Misaki, along with me and my mom, went to the rear galley for yet another talk on my model. We suddenly turned this to a fun talk about Japan and our trip.
Landing and arrival
 |
| Haneda Terminal 2 arrivals area |
Everything happened so quickly. We soon started our descent to Tokyo as we flew over western Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo Bay before finally landing at Haneda Airport at 1:25 pm. ANA operates its domestic flights (and some of its international flights) at Terminal 2. Japan Airlines operates its counterpart local flights at Terminal 1, while most international flights originate at Terminal 3, where I went for a planespotting session and to visit the Edo Market.
Verdict
Timing and frequency
ANA flies this route 16 times out of a total of 60 daily flights. Its primary competitors are Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines, and Air Do. 2024 saw 9.0 million passengers fly on this route; 2025 saw 12 million passengers.
Taking a noon-time flight to Haneda was ideal than taking a late-afternoon flight to Narita; as explained earlier, CTS–HND has far more flights than the single-daily CTS–NRT service. Moreover, it gave us more opportunities to explore newer “attractions”, given our long familiarity with NRT as our very first port of entry to Japan in 2023.
Overall service
I have nothing to say but the crew did an exceptional job in making this flight memorable to us. From the Philippines, thank you so much to ANA for such a wonderful trip!
Positive indicators
- VERY friendly cabin crew
- On-time departure and arrival
- Convenient Wi-Fi
Points for improvement
- Some windows on the 777 need to be cleaned (our window is quite dirty)
- Improve the self-check-in system (our reservation code can't be detected)
Ratings
I rate each aspect of the flight in a scale of 1 to 10.
- Check-in - 9.0/10
- In-flight entertainment - 9.8/10
- Punctuality - 9.8/10
- Seat - 9.5/10
- Meals - 9.1/10
- Crew - 10/10
- Price (entire itinerary of 2 discounted international+2 free domestic flights, around an average of 16,500 pesos/pax) - 9.5/10
Overall, ETJ rates this round-trip journey a 9.5 out of 10 points.
Watch my trip report here:
For more updates, visit my blog site and subscribe to my YouTube channel, Enzo's Travel Journals!
Comments
Post a Comment