ANA First Class “The Suite” Review – JFK to Tokyo (Honest)
One of the holy grails of flight redemptions, ANA First Class “The Suite”. I have been trying to experience this ever since I discovered it. Then one day I woke up, checked reddit, and saw the post… “NEW ANA SUITE AWARD TICKETS HAVE RELEASED”. The rest was history.
I truly hope you are able to experience this one day. Hopefully my tips at the end will help you get this bucket list flight.
Flight Day - ANA First Class JFK To HND
New York JFK to Tokyo Haneda. 14 hours. It’s finally time…we’ll skip to the lounge.
I honestly have no idea if I was in a temporary lounge, or a permanent one…so I won’t really talk about it much. It was nice. Solid food options and unlimited espresso, water, soda, and alcohol. Can’t go wrong with that, just nothing like the lounge experience of something like Emirates or Qatar First Class. But I’m sure the ones in Japan are much better.
There were about 4 people in the lounge. It was split into ANA Business Class and ANA First Class, so the peace was fantastic. The flight was delayed a few hours, but it actually worked out perfectly for a 6am landing in Tokyo.
I’ve never been to Japan or have really experienced the iconic Japanese hospitality you always hear about. But once we boarded this Boeing 777, it was clear…this was going to be special.
I was the only person in ANA First Class for this flight, and they didn’t even allow the business passengers to walk by me…they sent them all down the other aisle. I almost felt out of place.
On Board ANA First Class "The Suite"
Two of the nicest people in the world introduced themselves, and said they would be taking care of me on the way to Tokyo on this Boeing 777. I immediately loved the ANA cabin crew, just like my Emirates First Class flight.
They came over and brought me something every few minutes. Blankets, amenity kits, slippers, pajamas, face wipes, random Japanese items, you name it. The ANA First Class amenity kit is incredible. They have recently changed it to a more sustainable kit, so there’s no need to tell you about my old outdated one.
Oh ya, and the KRUG. For those unaware, Krug is one of the best champagnes in the world. My glass was refilled multiple times before the plane even took off. It was awesome.
As we prepared for departure, they were giving me tips of what to expect in Japan and helped me out with some words and phrases. Like I said, they were taking care of ME…nobody else. Which was surreal.
You can do whatever you want when flying ANA First Class, it’s not like you are forced fed at certain time like gen pop. So I chose to stay awake for a little bit and have a snack before heading to sleep.
Finally, the flight was in the air. So that means it was time for some much needed ramen as I continued to sip the delicious champagne. The Ippudo Ramen served was amazing. Turns out, it was actually plant based ramen…I would not have guessed that due to the vivid pork flavor. (I later found out in Osaka that the real Ippudo Ramen is also incredible).
Ramen on a plane “hits different” as the kids would say.
Side note, as good as Ippudo is…I have no clue what I would pick in a battle between that and Ichiran Ramen. Both incredible.
Because it was essentially my own private plane…they set up the seat next to me as a full bed for when I was ready to get some rest. This is not a joke by the way, these 2 ladies were the only humans I saw during this 14 hour ANA First Class flight.
I went to change into pajamas and they RAN over and helped me hang up all my clothes. It was the stereotypical amazing Japanese hospitality that you have seen in memes…but it wasn’t a meme. Like they were jittery of excitement while helping.
You could write a full blog review of the bathrooms on an ANA flight, but I won’t. It was immaculate. All the stories about Japanese planes are accurate.
Side note: every time I went to the bathroom or even stood up, the lovely attendants ALWAYS did something. I would come back and my drink would be filled, the blanket would be folded, my headphones were organized, etc. just completely unnecessary and fantastic attention to detail.
When I finally went to bed I made sure they woke me up in a few hours so I didn’t waste any of this experience.
The bed was ridiculously comfortable, I was out like a light in this pitch black cabin. Upon waking up, I went to brush my teeth and use the bathroom…obviously the bed was made and my other seat was ready with cold drinks. Truly incredible, they are magicians . It was now time to watch Rush Hour and put in my dinner/lunch/breakfast/
Miso soup, fish, beef, rice, Japanese pickles. An absolutely delicious first peek of what Japan will be like. And the funny part is, if you do the other time slot for this ANA First Class flight there is an even BETTER meal experience, which is crazy (it is more difficult to book with points). At this point I have no clue what my internal clock was at, but a coke with lemon felt appropriate.
Getting the western option would be selfish by the way, so don’t do that when you book this flight.
ANA First Class Food & Drink
After this incredible meal, it was time for a major highlight of ANA First Class…the HIBIKI 21. This Japanese whiskey goes for around $1,000 a bottle. I’ll get a whiskey on the rocks here and there, but I’m no expert. That being said, I enjoyed it a lot. It was extremely smooth and went great with my vanilla ice cream. You will not go thirsty in this Suite.
Don’t forget, this flight is 14 hours…you don’t have to chug your champagne in order to be able to squeeze in the Hibiki. There’s plenty of time to experience everything offered.
I don’t remember everything that I watched, but the selection was vast. The screen is ENORMOUS. It’s the biggest in the sky to my knowledge, coming in at 43 inches (and 4k). Even watching the map is a fun activity on a screen this lavish… so there is no issue with staying busy.
After a while, it sadly became time to change back into real clothes. When you’re in ANA First Class, you don’t want the flight to end. Obviously, my two new friends folded everything and gave me a bag to take home my pajamas and other amenities.
After that was something shocking to me….They gave ME a thank you card. It should be the other way around, I cannot thank them enough.
There was an ongoing joke about me struggling to say arigatou gozaimasu (thank you in Japanese) so they wrote me down some tips on an ANA postcard in order for me to strive in Tokyo. Of course I still have it. As we landed I got a few more tips regarding the train system and the best transit to my hotel.
That is how you will be treated on All Nippon Airways.
I’ll never forget this flight. Hopeuflly I can do it again, but as impossible it was to find…who knows.
Overall, it was incredible and it’s hard to even fully explain the greatness. If you are able to find a flight redemption for this, BOOK ASAP. This is one of the best experiences you can have in the sky, and 100% worth “working” towards…with credit card points I mean.
How Much Does ANA First Class Cost?
I booked this on Aeroplan for 100,000 Air Canada points. In my opinion this is the best way due to the fees…but also the hardest. The easiest way would be to book on ANA’s milage club, but you could also check other Star Alliance airlines. If you are unfamiliar with booking flights with points, I will have a post up soon.
For cash, this flight is unobtainable for most people. Whenever I check, it’s sitting at $15,000. Yes, that is not a joke. Why do you think I was so excited I book it?
You’ll see every Youtuber use that click-bait.
If you are somebody who can spend 15 grand on a 14 hour experience…is ANA First Class worth it? I’d have to say yes.
Moral of the story? Get involved with the “points game” and learn how you can use credit cards PROPERLY. Sure a $500 gift card is nice with your cash back, but why not a $15,000 flight?
How To Book ANA First Class With Points
ANA First Class “The Suite” is one of the most coveted award redemptions in the points game, and also one of the hardest to find. Here is what you need to know.
The Best Programs To Book
Air Canada Aeroplan is the sweet spot. At 100,000 points one way from North America to Japan, the fees are reasonable and the transfer partners are excellent. You can transfer points from American Express, Chase, and Capital One directly to Aeroplan which makes it very accessible.
It’s extremely difficult to find redemptions.
ANA Mileage Club is the easiest to find availability through since you are booking directly with the airline. It costs 120,000 ANA miles one way from the US to Japan. The catch is that ANA miles are harder to earn outside of Japan.
United MileagePlus costs 110,000 miles one way and is a solid option if you have a United card or transfer partners lined up.
All of these are difficult. Japan is one of the most popular redemptions in the world. ANA releases First Class award seats very sporadically and they disappear fast. The best strategy is to check every single day, set up alerts through tools like Seats.Aero or Point.me, and be ready to book the moment you see something open up. Flexibility on dates is essential.
How To Earn Points
The fastest way is through credit card welcome bonuses. A single welcome bonus on a premium travel card like the Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Capital One Venture X can get you most of the way there. Transfer the points to Aeroplan and you are in business.
The moral of the story is that this flight is not out of reach for the average person. It just requires some patience, some strategy, and the willingness to play the points game properly.
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