After spending a fruitful time in Japan, it's time for me to return home on All Nippon Airways onboard their Boeing 787-8 to Manila, Philippines. This was the last of four flights onboard the world's fifth-best airline and Japan's longest five-star airline.
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.
 |
| A Boeing 787-8 of ANA at Narita Airport |
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.
You can see my Manila-Sapporo (via Narita) trip report here.
Main review
From central Tokyo, we rode the Skyliner limited express train from Ueno Station to Narita International Airport (NRT). It is one of two airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area; the other is the much closer Haneda (HND). Narita Airport is divided into three terminals; our flight leaves at Terminal 1, which is also divided into the north and south wings with a central building in between. ANA operates from the south wing.
Flight information
Route map
Check-in and departure
Although ANA offers online check-in (specifically via its mobile app), we decided to forgo it and do the traditional in-counter setup. 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).
Long lines formed at the security check and immigration counters, and we had to walk far to our gate, located at Gate 46.
Boarding commenced at 5:00 pm. ANA usually boards its passengers on international flights 30 minutes before its scheduled departure. This practice of quick boarding, also employed by other Japanese carriers (and likewise in Japan as well), is done orderly and with great courtesy. Japan’s practice deviates from the worldwide practice of boarding around forty-five minutes to one hour before departure, with the gate being closed around fifteen to twenty minutes before.
JA808A, a 2012-built Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, performed this flight. From 2012 to 2019, this 240-seater plane had a special “787” sticker superimposed on the Triton blue livery, unlike the first two (JA801A and JA802A), which had a special 787 livery to commemorate its entry to its first airline.
 |
| Seated at 27K for this flight! |
 |
| Mount Fuji on the horizon |
Our pushback and takeoff were delayed due to taxiway congestion. During takeoff, I was able to see Mount Fuji as the plane turned southwest from its southeast takeoff heading.
Onboard service
 |
| The 3-3-3 abreast economy layout on ANA's 787-8. |
 |
| Dinner: Chicken Teriyaki over Steamed Rice |
More than an hour later, the crew began the dinner service. I chose Chicken Teriyaki over Steamed Rice versus the Demi-glace Beef Hamburger Steak with Eight Grain Rice. During the flight, I watched the 2017 live-action remake of the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast.
Arrival
After almost four hours, we started our descent to Manila. We landed at 9:08 pm. We then disembarked at Terminal 3 after having a picture with the flight attendants with my self-made papercraft. Due to privacy policies of the airline during international flights, I can't post them here.
 |
| The 787 stayed on the ground for the next twelve hours before it returned to Narita the next morning. |
It took us less than 15 minutes to pass immigration, customs, claim our bags, and make it out to the arrivals hall.
Verdict
Timing and frequency
All Nippon Airways flies twice daily to Manila, which is evenly split between one daily flight each to Haneda and Narita. The airline usually flies from Narita to Manila before dusk and arrives in the late evening, and then its crew and the plane stay on the ground for an overnight layover before returning to Narita the next morning. On the other hand, it flies out of Haneda in the morning, does a short layover in Manila for around 1.5 hours, then arrives back in Tokyo in the evening.
Overall service
First impressions lead to good memories. I am very glad to fly with ANA for the first time, as they offer exceptional service to passengers. They are the world's fifth-best airline and among the eleven airlines rated by Skytrax with five stars. I'm looking forward flying with them again soon.
Points for improvement
Apart from the inflight Wi-Fi that needs to be improved on the domestic flight and the expensive prices of it on international flights, I have nothing to suggest for improvements for this trip at least for now.
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 - 8.5/10
- Seat - 9.5/10
- Meals - 9.7/10
- Crew - 10/10
- Price (around an average of 16,500 pesos/pax) - 9.5/10
Overall, ETJ rates this round-trip journey a 9.4 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