I was absolutely thrilled when I managed to include a flight in All Nippon Airways (ANA) First Class.
12 hours and 35 minutes between Tokyo and Munich.
Ever since I tried ANA First four years ago I have considered it to be one of the finest first class experiences available. I have tried quite a few other airlines since, even in first, but I would still rank ANA First at the very top.
Perhaps not every part of the ANA first class experience will win an award, there are definitely better lounges, better seats and cabins, and better inflight entertainment systems available on other airlines.
But overall I was amazed when I got off the aircraft, amazed by the sky-high standard they try to maintain in every part of the inflight experience, and the wonderful and really genuine crew who made the flight nothing but a pure pleasure.
Now it was time to once again board a flight in ANA First, and I could not wait...
Check-in at Narita
I caught the 9 am shuttle bus from the Mercure hotel back to the airport.
In the hotel lobby I met a full British Airways crew who were going to fly back to London on a Boeing 747 two hours later, although they had their own shuttle to get to the airport.
Lots of cigarettes were consumed, 15 hours would have to pass before they would get their next ones...
The ride back to Narita airport was quick due to light traffic, we made it to the terminal in just about 10 minutes.
Before entering the airport premises there was a road check and all passengers in the minibus (i.e. me and a French man) had to show their passports to a very friendly officer.
Once again Japan demonstrates itself as a forefront example showing that it is actually possible to be nice, friendly and respectful, even if you have a serious and important job. Like a security officer at an international airport...
The South Wing of terminal 1 was rather crowded with lots of international departures to Europe, the US and other parts of Asia before noon.
The South Wing is almost entirely dedicated to Star Alliance and the check-in area is divided by class of travel rather than by airline.
The first class check-in area for all Star Alliance carriers is located in check-in islands A and B.
I was rather amazed to find as many as four dedicated ANA first class check-in desks open in the first class check-in area.
The risk of having to wait even 10 seconds when checking in for an ANA first class flight is virtually non-existent.
As I approached the check-in area I was met already at the entrance by a check-in agent who greeted me and asked me if I was flying ANA F or had an ANA Diamond card.
Confirming I was flying ANA F to Europe the same day she immediately asked me to follow her to an empty desk where we started the check-in process.
The whole check-in process was absolutely flawless. It was friendly, attentive, pro-active and thorough. Nothing whatsoever was left to chance!
We went through the whole itinerary, to what airport I wanted my luggage checked, seat assignments, frequent flyer cards and she even re-entered my passport details in the system to make sure everything was 100% correct.
Furthermore she noticed the handle on my suitcase was slightly loose, it’s been that for some time and it’s never been an issue.
However there she went pro-active again, she asked her colleague to get some adhesive tape to make sure it would not move or get damaged during the trip.
She also attached a fragile tag to my suitcase.
My suitcase was tagged with an ANA first class tag, basically a standard Star Alliance priority tag but in a larger size with a wine-red frame where it said ANA first class.
Very hard to miss!
I received boarding passes for both my upcoming flights as well as a map showing the location of all the lounges at Narita terminal 1.
A really great start of the flight! There was absolutely nothing they could have done better or differently! ^
Fast track security
I did some last shopping in the rather nice shopping mall located next to the massive South Wing departure hall before going airside.
ANA first class passengers and ANA Diamond members actually have access to a fast track lane to pass security.
The fast track lane is quite well hidden and is located in a completely different part of the terminal than the regular security control.
I for sure would not have noticed it if I had not known about it.
Anyway, with only ANA F and Diamond members allowed to use it the whole process was very fast.
The passport check took place on the lower floor and was just as quick with no line whatsoever.
