FLIGHT REVIEW: MANILA TO TOKYO HANEDA via ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS (PART 1 of 4)

Being the paranoid traveler that I am, I left the house at 07:15 for a 14:30 flight to Hokkaido. I was afraid I would have a hard time booking a ride with Uber which turned out to be self-fulfilling. Uber rides are rare in the morning in my area so I tried Grab and in two minutes, my ride was at my doorstep and in less than an hour, I was at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA3). No complaints here as I'd rather wait at the airport than bite my fingers in nervousness because of the notorious Manila traffic. If you think I was being ridiculous, I met a woman who arrived a full 12 hours ahead of her flight!

I had planned on checking in immediately then spend the rest of the time at Skyview Lounge but All Nippon Airways (ANA) wasn't opening until 11:30. I assumed ANA would be like Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific or Cathay Pacific that would always be open. Lesson learned. So I decided to stroll around with my luggage that my Grab driver described as the type that had no intention of returning. It's that big.

It has been a while since I've been to NAIA 3 so I was delighted to see some improvements like the system for example. It used to be any passenger and non-passenger can go in and out of the check-in area. Now it has been cordoned off for passengers only thus minimizing the foot traffic and offering more vacant seats. Usually, the seats across the check-in counters are full, occupied by well-wishers. Now, you have the pick of the lot which was where I spent my waiting time, inadvertently overhearing the entire embarrassing melodramatic phone conversation of the person seated to my left. She was spewing lines I only hear on soap operas like, “Ang nakakaalam lang nito tayong dalawa at ang asawa ko.” (Only you, me and my husband know about this.) Add me to the list, lady.

Another improvement is the addition of shops and more importantly, sit-down restaurants, not just kiosks. I have always preferred NAIA3 because it has restaurants that do not charge you more just because they're inside the airport, never mind if they taste awful (paging NAIA2). Now, I love NAIA3 even more because it has more restaurant choices. But because I am a member of BDO Prestige, I can have my lunch for free at Skyview Lounge.

With the free and fast Wifi, time passed by quickly and soon I joined the short queue at the check-in counter which opened four minutes late. But in just fifteen minutes, I was done including immigration and security check. During check-in, I discovered that ANA allows an economy passenger like myself two check-in luggage weighing a total of 64 kilos! That was very generous. Alas, I had no need for it---not this time. I will keep that in mind for my future trips to Japan and the US.

I then headed off to Skyview Lounge.

The food at Skyview was exactly what I expected---just tummy fillers with its offering of garlic rice, pancit canton and honey glazed chicken. Internet was fast which helped pass the time quickly until it was time for me to go to the designated gate only to hear an announcement of a delayed departure by 20 minutes. Drat. Not welcoming to hear given the warm temperature at the gate area especially compared at the lounge's.

Boarding commenced but our departure was delayed by another ten minutes due to air traffic. Take-off, as well as the rest of the flight, was smooth.

For our meal, there was a choice between braised beef and grilled salmon which I chose. It was just okay, at least not terrible. I poured the noodle sauce and roasted seaweeds onto the cold noodles which was equally just okay. I tried the salad but it was a bit tangy for me so I left it alone after two bites. I then proceeded to enjoy the sliced fruits and saved the snack bag for later.

ANA had in-flight entertainment but I did not care much for the selection e.g. "X-Men", "The Criminal," and "Autumn in New York." I let out a chuckle upon reading the blurb for "The Big Bang Theory"---a show about two ugly guys...(Sheldon, don't listen to them.) I enjoyed though their tourism videos orienting foreigners about the do's and don'ts in Japan. The weird thing was the video was in Japanese with English subtitles. I would think it should be in English with Chinese subtitles or the other way around.

If you have ever been to Japan, you’ve noticed its automated toilet seats and ANA kept the spirit by having them as well. Sorry, no pictures as it would be odd bringing a camera to the toilet.

Soon, we were having a bumpy landing and a prolonged time deplaning at Haneda Airport. Our subsequent immigration and security checks were faster where my photo and fingerprints were taken. The time claiming my luggage made me feel like I was already back in Manila as it took a bit for it to come out.

Next: TOKYO to SAPPORO

This flight review is part of a four-part series. Click here for Part Two, Part Three, or Part Four.

FLIGHT REVIEW: MANILA TO TOKYO HANEDA via ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS (PART 1 of 4)

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