We arrived at Narita right on time around 3:25pm. After a quick transit security screening we headed up towards the ANA lounges. We weren’t given a lounge pass at check-in, and were continuing in two-cabin business class on ANA subsidiary Air Japan’s 6:40pm Hong Kong flight.

I decided to walk towards the First Class lounge, even though ANA treats their lounges as departure rather than arrivals lounges and thus technically I would only be entitled to use the business class lounge.

I approached the woman standing outside the lounge to greet passengers, ostensibly looking for directions, and showed her my first class boarding pass stub from my arriving flight. That was the only thing I showed her, she saw first class on it, and indicated I was in the right place! She escorted my to the lounge’s check-in desk and handed my stub to one of the women behind the desk.

That woman asked for my onward boarding pass, which I gave her, and she appeared perplexed. Of course she was, I was flying business class! But the woman out front had invited and escorted me in, she decided not to press the issue and we were brought inside.

It’s a nice, airy, comfortable and decently-stocked lounge but hardly anything special. Though ANA is wonderful in the air (certainly with in my view the best food in the sky, and very efficient service) they really are nothing special at all on the ground. Still, I assumed it was better in here than the business class lounge or at least less crowded so the preferred place to burn a couple of hours before my connecting flight. And it’s certainly more stylish than United’s Red Carpet Club here which, though one of the better clubs in their system, feels dated – almost like a nice Holiday Inn.

Once seated an attendant brought us drinks and modest snacks, and I fired up the laptop. And had a few quick photos of the lounge.

There was a nice view of airport operations

And a decent though not overwhelming food selection

And a made to order noodle bar

After a couple of hours in the lounge we headed off to our gate a bit early, just to do some walking around, after the 14 hour flight from Dulles we really didn’t need more time sitting. Boarding was about ten minutes late but everything was handled quickly and efficiently.

6:40 pm Tokyo, Japan (NRT) to Hong Kong, Hong Kong (HKG)
All Nippon Airways Flight 911 Business Class Seats 3A, 3B
Duration: 4h 30m Boeing 767-300 1,827 miles traveled

Here’s the Club ANA seat, a far cry from what we had just come off of but comfortable enough for the much shorter segment to Hong Kong. Plus I could have probably slept well in coach, I was pretty darned exhausted after not getting much shut eye on the long haul segment.

We took our sweet time prior to takeoff, Narita is a busy place around 7pm and it was about 7:35pm before we finally made it into the air. I slept through most of our taxing.

Shortly after takeoff a meal was served, and though a modest one-plate affair it was actually pretty tasty.

Beyond that not much worth sharing about ANA’s regional business class service.

Landing was nearly an hour late at 11:20pm. Immigration was a quick walk from the ANA gate, a nice contrast to arriving on United or Thai as I’ve generally done in the past which necessitates the airport train. And lines were non-existent. Once through, baggage claim was quick as well,

We grabbed a cab, which for those new to Hong Kong is an especially easy thing to do. The taxi station is at the left-hand ramp outside the Arrivals Hall. There will be plenty of touts along the way, of course.. Then a red taxi, as I was headed to Kowloon. Fare down to the W was about HKD270.