All Nippon Airways Mileage Club - Thank You ANA!! Pt. 2

On 8/10, NH 005 from LAX to NRT was delayed almost 3 hours because its prior flight, NH 006, arrived late into LAX. I was worried because I had a 90-minute connection at NRT to take a domestic flight to ITM, NH 2179.

Although NH 2179 had already left when NH 005 arrived into NRT, the following is what ANA did:

1) Prior to arrival, CA's attended each and every passenger with a tight connection at NRT (I was in the front compartment in C, but have seen this happen in PY and Y before). They explained whether a re-route or re-booking was made. In my case, I was told that I would be taking a night flight from HND to KIX - however, they said I should seek out a ground staff with my name on a sign for the most up-to-date details.

2) After leaving the aircraft, I found the ground staff with my name. Another ground staff quickly provided me with a bus ticket from NRT to HND and 3,000 yen in an envelope to use for a bus ride from KIX to anywhere in the Kansai region.

3) After immigration, picking up my luggage, and clearing customs, I headed over to the domestic ticketing counter to confirm my HND - KIX flight. I was then asked where I was going after arriving at KIX and whether I'd prefer to take a morning flight out of HND. Since I opted for the morning flight, ANA reserved a room at the Tokyu Excel hotel attached to the ANA check-in counters at HND and provided me with a meal voucher for dinner and breakfast the next morning. Then a ground staff took me to ANA Sky Porter to send some luggages via mail.

4) After taking the bus from NRT to HND, I arrived at the Tokyu Excel. Upon check-in, the hotel concierge greeted me warmly and expressed his apologies for my missed flight with ANA (what, this isn't the hotel's fault!!!) The dinner ended up being a steak course dinner (worth 3,500 yen). The breakfast was buffet.

5) Next morning, while checking in at HND for the Kansai region, I was offered a complimentary upgrade to Premium Class and the ground staff expressed (again) their apologies for the previous evening.

THANK YOU ANA!!! You made my travels extremely comfortable, despite the delay!

I don't think any US carrier flying this route could have provided a matched level of clarity, service, and courtesy in their US-bound flight. JAL probably would not have gone the extra mile either. :D

That is a wonderful experience! I prefer ANA to JAL too.

Nice to see they appreciate their customers.

I don't think any US carrier flying this route could have provided a matched level of clarity, service, and courtesy in their US-bound flight. JAL probably would not have gone the extra mile either. :D

From your profile, you are NH*G, of course NH is going to provide extra service because you are their own high level elites. If you don't belong to their program, I wonder if this "go the extra mile" attitude would exist or not.

If you are flying US carrier with their own elite, like for example UA would still provide all the extra amenities like hotel, meals, discount voucher for future flights when one is UA*G.

I have done JL experience 4 hour delay because of weather, connecting flight misconnect at NRT, once deplane already someone holding a sign with my name, the agent actually run with me thru security to the next connecting flight, I don't even belong to their program.

I remember a few years ago, I had an NH flight PEK-NRT, and it was an 08:35 departure. Because of circumstances (some of which were under my control, but others weren't), I managed to arrive at the check-in desk at 07:55, 40 minutes before departure. This was also at the old terminal, before they had the huge, new, efficient terminal 3 at PEK. They checked me in, tagged my bags, and had someone escort me from the counter to the gate. She escorted me through the diplomatic customs/security channel (and from seeing the normal line, based on previous experience it would have been half an hour there alone), than personally escorted me to the gate to make sure i got on the flight. Even asked me if I needed to stop to pick up any duty-free items LOL. Sure enough, I picked up some cigars, went to the bathroom, and was escorted directly to the gate and straight on to the plane and made the flight, without a late departure either.

Another time about 6 months ago, I think I personally delayed the departure of an IAD-NRT flight by like 15 minutes because I was standing on the (first/business class) Jetway at the door to the plane, having to be on the phone (because for Japanese laws at least, unlike US law and others, you can't use a cellphone AT ALL inside the plane, doesn't matter if the door is opened, sitting at the gate, taxiing after an arrival, doesn't matter) and I don't think the flight attendant had the heart to tell me (who happened to be the only passenger in F), to finish up. I made a call in my seat, was sitting in row 1, and she said I had to go outside on the Jetway because of the law. So I did, was talking to my colleague about usual stuff before one goes out of the connected world for 14 hours, and doing my thing. But i do know when I hung up the same lady was standing at the door and the second i was on board she closed it behind me. :P I then looked at the time on my watch, and was like "ohhh, oops" as she helped me settle back in my seat so we all could leave.

I have more stories like this, all different, but I guess my point is that ANA has always dealt with me very very well, always going that extra mile for me without asking, and accommodating me very well. For that they have my loyalty (and my money I guess you could say), and will continue to have it for a long while. Glad to hear that they treat everyone this well.

THANKS ANA!!!

From your profile, you are NH*G, of course NH is going to provide extra service because you are their own high level elites. If you don't belong to their program, I wonder if this "go the extra mile" attitude would exist or not.

If you are flying US carrier with their own elite, like for example UA would still provide all the extra amenities like hotel, meals, discount voucher for future flights when one is UA*G.

Riiight.

My last flight as a UA *G was a CLT-ORD-NRT trip where the CLT-ORD flight caught fire and had to return to CLT. I got a crap room at the CLT Doubletree, meal vouchers which nobody would accept, and no additional compensation from UA (which also managed to lose my SWU upgrade on the ORD-NRT flight).

I have done JL experience 4 hour delay because of weather, connecting flight misconnect at NRT, once deplane already someone holding a sign with my name, the agent actually run with me thru security to the next connecting flight, I don't even belong to their program.

See? Status doesn't matter. You simply get a higher standard of service from JL or NH, whether or not you are an elite.

Yeahhh...

With US carriers, this sort of "extra-mile" service cannot be expected. You must either be at their highest-tier as many have mentioned in this forum or pursue what you want by speaking with numerous ground agents until one says something you want to hear or by calling the airline directly to have something over-ridden.

Biased, yes, just from my experience, but I'm confident there are a lot of you out there that hold my view.

With US carriers, this sort of "extra-mile" service cannot be expected. You must either be at their highest-tier as many have mentioned in this forum or pursue what you want by speaking with numerous ground agents until one says something you want to hear or by calling the airline directly to have something over-ridden.

I think it's more of a crap shoot with US carriers. You might get a great employee who really helps you out, or you might get an awful employee who makes your situation worse.

Personally, I am happier flying and accruing to NH with no status than flying and accruing to UA with *G status. I get fewer miles and can't get hammered at the lounges any more, but I also don't have to deal with lavs covered in urine, clueless res agents in India, constant maintenance delays, crowded ancient 747s, etc. etc. etc.

we are a bit premature to extol the demise of ANA.

Good for you, and yay ANA!

I love ANA's customer service, too.

I don't know how the FA's stay so cheerful and solicitous on such a long flight.

There was the time my connecting flight on NW from MSP to LAX was late, and a fellow passenger ran ahead to tell NH that I was on my way. When I arrived, with about ten minutes to spare, they directed me to the first class line for checkin and escorted me through employee security. I made it just before they closed the doors.

Even when I accidentally brought an old passport to SFO on another occasion, and couldn't take my flight to NRT, the NH check-in agents couldn't have been nicer. They tentatively booked me on the next day's flight and gave me a number to call if I couldn't have my passport expressed out in time.

As it turned out, it was impossible to send the passport on time, so I called NH's customer service number, and a pleasant young American (!) man told me that my ticket was good for 12 months after the date of purchase.

The contrast between him and the loud, brusque UA agent from the India Call Center who initially rebooked me as if she had never heard of the International Date Line was stunning.

I don't think any US carrier flying this route could have provided a matched level of clarity, service, and courtesy in their US-bound flight. JAL probably would not have gone the extra mile either. :D

You are right, in my case flying on UA last July my flight from ORD-FRA was delayed and I was on C class (D fare). So UA decided to put me automatically on LH...for my suprise the BP said F class.

Instead of so much time wasted on going NRT-bus to HND-overnight-ITM...I prefer to get to my destination on time.

BTW I don't see the point of opening threads everytime you get an UG on ANA. Imagine if we do it on UA...only this year I already scored 17 UG on UA (TAPC, TATL, IntraAsia, SouthAmerica...not counting the LH F class).

I tried to imagine any US airline behaving in this manner during a delay... then I laughed hysterically for five minutes.

Yes, the Japanese airlines have wonderful customer service. I had a friend tell me of a 5-hour delay she had on JL from ORD-NRT. She said JL gave them all vouchers for the lunch buffet at the O'Hare Hilton and even gave some passengers rooms at the Hilton to relax in. (I find that latter part hard to believe...)

I also had a work colleague complain to JL upon his arrival about luggage that had been damaged, and they handed him a brand-new, very nice suitcase right there at NRT. He wasn't even a JL elite.

I love ANA's customer service, too.

I don't know how the FA's stay so cheerful and solicitous on such a long flight.

There was the time my connecting flight on NW from MSP to LAX was late, and a fellow passenger ran ahead to tell NH that I was on my way. When I arrived, with about ten minutes to spare, they directed me to the first class line for checkin and escorted me through employee security. I made it just before they closed the doors.

Even when I accidentally brought an old passport to SFO on another occasion, and couldn't take my flight to NRT, the NH check-in agents couldn't have been nicer. They tentatively booked me on the next day's flight and gave me a number to call if I couldn't have my passport expressed out in time.

As it turned out, it was impossible to send the passport on time, so I called NH's customer service number, and a pleasant young American (!) man told me that my ticket was good for 12 months after the date of purchase.

The contrast between him and the loud, brusque UA agent from the India Call Center who initially rebooked me as if she had never heard of the International Date Line was stunning.


Hahaha... This reminds me of the early 90's when I was a kid and witnessed NW and UA flight attendants taking cig breaks. When I asked for a Coke, they tossed me a can. When I fly US carriers within the US, I love watching and/or experiencing stunningly rude behavior - it's just fun because it highlights how low some people are. :D