Let it not be said I wasn’t hungry on this flight

The crew seemed to be a fair mix, with some flying the 787 for the first time, with some flying a few times. The “English” speaker was English, with a very BBC Style voice. The crew in business class seemed mostly confident in English, with a couple not so confident. Nothing that a few gestures, pointing and lots of smiling can not get past. Of course there were a couple of reminders for duty free. And yes, I fell to a gift set of ANA 787 postage stamps.

Most. Expensive. Stamps. Ever.

Oh well. Chalk it up to a very powerful yen (something that would haunt me the rest of the trip).


Sunrise in the land of the rising sun


Closing into Haneda

http://pb-i4.s3.amazonaws.com/photos...30413036-3.jpg
One of the pair of the powerful RR Engines - it took a LOT of attempts to get this shot...]

The plane was cleared down and the final approach into Tokyo, crossing Japan, and down across the bay before touching down at Haneda International Airport.


Tokyo Bay Bridge/Crossing - of that massive exit in Top Gear from the GTR vs Bullet Train race

Decent was a bit bumpy, with it starting 30 minutes before landing.... and for those who don’t like hard landings... look away now.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd2zHYnvPRM


Must be Japan. JAL, ANA, Pokemon Jet....

After a short taxi, the plane came to a halt at Gate 109, where the cabin crew held back the hoards to allow the business class passengers off first. I thanked the crew for their amazing service and went off into the terminal to encounter Japan.


And Thank YOU ANA"]


The International 787 resting after its long flight

OVERALL (PRODUCT): AMAZING.Psst. United. You want to see how business class is done properly? Look no further. The quality of the service was amazing throughout and delivered with a smile and the soft side of the service is excellent. The presented hard product was really good for a business class product, and you were made to feel special aboard. Which is part of the joy of flying.

OVERALL (AIRCRAFT):I’m honestly not sure what to make of the 787. Part of me still thinks it’s a 767 on steroids (in fact the 767-300 and 787-8 are the same size lengthwise (with the 787 being slightly wider), whilst the rest of me thinks it's a shiny new plane.

The cabin itself was bright and airy… and had a newish smell to it still. The lower pressurisation point whilst good, didn’t do much for me (lets put it like this – I wish I brought some lip balm). LED Lighting is all well and good, whilst the windows... I'm sorry - I'm not a fan of those. The reduction in noise alas I couldn't tell as I was next door to an engine turbine.

I do think Boeing has a winner on it’s hands with the 787 providing its used the aircraft is used for the right mission by the airlines. Business on this craft was 1-2-1, and I could easily see airlines trying to do 2-2-2 or worse on international runs. Similarly, (whilst I didn’t wander down the back), with Economy configured in 2-4-2 (which is A330/A340 standard), it is a squeeze from the 767 which (on average) is a 2-3-2. Although knowing some airlines, 3-3-3 is entirely possible.

More a bit later on