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New to ANA: Leaving noe\w [dissatisfied customer]

New to ANA: Leaving noe\w [dissatisfied customer]

Old Sep 30, 2014, 4:34 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa

Several people mentioned that US airports don't necessarily honor the priority luggage tags. In fact, none of them do. But they do unload the baggage bins according to how they are loaded in the plane. So if the departure airport loads the bins properly, the priority luggage comes out first.

What UA told me is that they have an enormous problem with bags getting loaded randomly into the flight bins rather than following the priority. Again, the old flight was UA and all the same flight number so I never had a problem.
That is what the airlines like to say, it was loaded wrongly. But it is interesting that airlines that can never make it work at their home base has it perfectly working when ANA handles them in Tokyo. (not looking at UA here) The diligence of the staff off loading, seems to have a massive influence, even more so than the packing. But it is easier to blame the ones who packed, it is somebody else's problem.
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 7:29 am
  #17  
 
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Baggage carousel issues are completely random.

The one time I flew F from BKK-NRT on UA a few years ago, my bag was the very last to come out of the carousel due to being loaded incorrectly.

It happens. They're sometimes late.
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 3:51 pm
  #18  
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OP's experience might have been different if he/she continued on NRT/SFO onboard NH F!
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 7:27 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer
That is what the airlines like to say, it was loaded wrongly. But it is interesting that airlines that can never make it work at their home base has it perfectly working when ANA handles them in Tokyo. (not looking at UA here) The diligence of the staff off loading, seems to have a massive influence, even more so than the packing. But it is easier to blame the ones who packed, it is somebody else's problem.
The airlines don't unload luggage onto the belt. The airports do. And airport baggage handlers are not going to set aside bags that don't have a priority tag and only pass through ones that do. They are going to load the bags from the bins as fast as they can, first come first served. So it's entirely a matter of loading them properly into the bins at the departure airport.
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 11:42 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
The issues with ANA are not unique to ANA. But my complaints are probably due to the dramatic difference between Business Class on UA and ANA on the NRT/BKK/NRT leg. I haven't been in a Business Class with that poor quality of seat in 10 years on any other airline. The worst on other airlines is the lay flat at an angle seat. These things not only don't lay flat but the "Z" shape when fully reclined is simply painful. I got the FA to give me a couple more pillows to fill the seat out a bit but that only hepled a little.
Should have read the other posts. The deficiencies of the NH J seats on NRT<>BKK are well documented.
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Old Oct 1, 2014, 1:45 am
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by 5khours
Should have read the other posts. The deficiencies of the NH J seats on NRT<>BKK are well documented.
Damn right. The ugly step child of an otherwise amazing carrier.

Avoid NH intra Asia.
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Old Oct 1, 2014, 7:22 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
The airlines don't unload luggage onto the belt. The airports do. And airport baggage handlers are not going to set aside bags that don't have a priority tag and only pass through ones that do. They are going to load the bags from the bins as fast as they can, first come first served. So it's entirely a matter of loading them properly into the bins at the departure airport.
That depends on the airport/airlines combination. There are actually airlines that still own handling companies.

That being said, JAL and ANA can still make the first class luggage appear first, followed by the business class luggage etc. at Heathrow T3, so the airline influence does exist in some way.
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Old Oct 1, 2014, 8:09 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by ainternational
Damn right. The ugly step child of an otherwise amazing carrier.

Avoid NH intra Asia.
As I shall. Sadly, ANA is the best connection so I'm going to lose a little bit of convenience going with TG or someone else, but hopefully I'll get business class comfort.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 4:03 am
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
My last flight a couple of days ago we checked in BKK for BKK/NRT/SFO. AND couldn't process my wife's ticket because she has a green card and they don't have the ability to process a green card (in BKK). So they gave me both boarding passes in BKK but my wife only to NRT. They told her she'd have to check in again in NRT.
Originally Posted by tide
I suspect the green card issue has to do with NH-to-UA connection -in the past, I have had colleagues on green cards who used to fly on the redeye NH (now gone sadly) departing BKK-to morning NH NRT-US connections with zero issues.
I had the opportunity recently flying NH out of BKK to ask NH ground staff about green cards and difficulty of obtaining UA BPs for onward travel to the US.

This is true. According to them, when UA exited the BKK market and closed down operations, they also blocked NH from issuing BPs that require a doc check (green cards, visas etc). Previously, NH was able to issue such UA BPs while performing doc check in BKK. So, this appears to be at UA's doing.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 8:44 am
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
Not according to both UA and SFO. They take the container with the priority bags first. My bags got loaded into a regular container.

Leave it to a former baggage handler (me) to explain this .

A couple things are happening here...

1) You are right there is a priority container, assuming everything is done right, it's loaded in a position (weight and balance taken into account) whereby it's one of the first offloaded and taken immediately to the carousel.

2) If you are as late as you said, they will not hold that can off the aircraft, as it takes longer to load (possibly delaying the plane further) than it does to either have your bags miss connect or load them in the bulk load.

3) I'd venture to guess your bags were loaded in the bulk as again they don't usually hold cans off the plane for late bags unless there are LOTS of them, because loading the can, closing/tieing it off, up the loader, rotate and into the aircraft, in position, locks up, move the loader away, doors closed, doors locked all take at least 5 minutes just for that last can. So rather than get chastised by management for taking a further 5 minute delay, the plane is closed up and last bags are loaded into the bulk.

4) Let's assume they were in the bulk...now you've got a new set of issues. It may or may not work in your favor. The bulk usually contains the gate check items as well (depending on carrier, aircraft and other policies) so as those are being offloaded, sometimes bags/cargo may come out with it. Sometimes not, if I'm looking for 3 strollers as gate checks, I'm not looking at the bags. But if someone were to just offload everything that's in there, your bag may come out, get noticed as priority tagged and be sent with the priority can.


TL;dr...don't feel so slighted, it seems you may have a bit of a DYKWIA complex (imo) and while you may take this as a personal insult, the fact they held the plane for you is a minor miracle in and of itself. Even for an F pax that's a bit much if it's just the 2 of you, if it's you two +20 econ pax then it makes more sense.

You got stuck in a bit of a crappy situation but ended up getting home in one piece and with just some lost time and nothing else. Smile!

I can't speak to NRT UA rampies, but I can attest to the fact that EWR/IAH priority loading was hit or miss at best (they were CO and mid merger when I was working the flights) we would get 80% of the priority tagged bags off the top, then send them to the carousel. Meanwhile the other 20% are buried haphazardly by the original loading crew, who may just be lazy but I'm sure also had other concerns...IE: late connecting bags and they had to load something rather than stand around and take a delay to ensure those bags got loaded "correctly".
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 4:24 pm
  #26  
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The issues with ANA are not unique to ANA. But my complaints are probably due to the dramatic difference between Business Class on UA and ANA on the NRT/BKK/NRT leg. I haven't been in a Business Class with that poor quality of seat in 10 years on any other airline. The worst on other airlines is the lay flat at an angle seat. These things not only don't lay flat but the "Z" shape when fully reclined is simply painful. I got the FA to give me a couple more pillows to fill the seat out a bit but that only hepled a little.

i fly tatl most of the time, and on UA or LH. i anxious await your review of those trips. ua got flat beds a couple years ago, lh is still trying how to take the lumps out and make them flat. os has finally installed flats.

for short flights, luggage is checked on the tarmac, and dumped on the tarmac.

munich prides itself on short turn around times. luggage does not make the flight. wife loves it,cause she can then shop on LH nickel.
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Old Nov 9, 2014, 9:56 pm
  #27  
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Blown opportunity

When UA cancelled its service to BKK, a lot of fliers were forced onto ANA for NRT/BKK. ANA had a golden opportunity to impress some new customers and maybe gain some LAX or SFO /NRT flyers from UA.

Instead they continue to fly one of their oldest planes with the Barcalounger seats in business, no first and basically E- seats throughout coach. I have talked to several of my colleagues who, like myself, fly to BKK regularly and all of us have decided that ANA is pretty much a joke.

I see other people praising the US/NRT service on ANA. But ANA blew their chance to attract the UA flyers to that service. Not sure why.
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Old Nov 10, 2014, 1:26 am
  #28  
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As this appears to be another post on the same theme as the OP's earlier topic expressing his/her dissatisfaction with NH, I will merge this post into that one.

Regards,
armagebedar
ANA forum moderator
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Old Nov 10, 2014, 7:33 pm
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
When UA cancelled its service to BKK, a lot of fliers were forced onto ANA for NRT/BKK. ANA had a golden opportunity to impress some new customers and maybe gain some LAX or SFO /NRT flyers from UA.

Instead they continue to fly one of their oldest planes with the Barcalounger seats in business, no first and basically E- seats throughout coach. I have talked to several of my colleagues who, like myself, fly to BKK regularly and all of us have decided that ANA is pretty much a joke.

I see other people praising the US/NRT service on ANA. But ANA blew their chance to attract the UA flyers to that service. Not sure why.
Totally agree..... which is why I never fly NH for TYO<>BKK. Did the NRT>BKK on TG F last night. That's the way to go.

And.... there is no sign that NH is planning on improving seats on their SE Asia routes. Barcalounger is OK if you're just flying out of TYO on a day flight, but if you're doing a red-eye or connecting from a TPAC, they are awful.
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Old Nov 10, 2014, 9:40 pm
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
When UA cancelled its service to BKK, a lot of fliers were forced onto ANA for NRT/BKK. ANA had a golden opportunity to impress some new customers and maybe gain some LAX or SFO /NRT flyers from UA.

Instead they continue to fly one of their oldest planes with the Barcalounger seats in business, no first and basically E- seats throughout coach. I have talked to several of my colleagues who, like myself, fly to BKK regularly and all of us have decided that ANA is pretty much a joke.

I see other people praising the US/NRT service on ANA. But ANA blew their chance to attract the UA flyers to that service. Not sure why.
Why ? Because NH also figured out UA's F and C class are all upgraders if not NRSA ! (Note someone just started another thread about how he could be upgraded on NH's flight as a UA codeshare purchasing a low V vlass fare, with the UA metal portion already upgraded with GPU)

The paid C revenue is low on this route, and for F, how many are paid F on this route really ? If you look at the competitors on this route, DL has no F, TG basically only has 1 flight that has F, the other 2 are 788, so that is 2 class with no F. I know for a fact many F pax on TG's 380 on this route are upgraders as well, if not awards, or government official / the King's families which they get F for free anyway.

Are you a paid F or paid C pax ? If yes I wonder why wouldn't you book TG instead ? Be careful though TG may give you the seat that you want, but their service and food are really inconsistent, not to mention they can list a plane type for the flight, if the particular plane type does really operate that flight is always questionable.
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