ANA First Class – Chloe’s 1st Flight!

It’s hard to imagine an adorable moment like this – a little cute princess passionately kicking next to me on a 38,000 ft flight. Her meal preference is locally sourced, bespoke, bottle-crafted breast milk. Her seat preference is with Miki and/or Paul. Let’s see how this goes… Chloe’s 1st ever flight!

 

 

 

I can’t think of a better airline to introduce Chloe into my travel world family than All Nippon Airways First Class. Just like Japan Airlines First Class, the deep-rooted culture of outstanding care, service, and hospitality translates to the experience on every aspect of the flight. And it starts from the moment you board its aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, some interesting facts for Star Wars fans.

Disney & ANA currently have a 5-year endorsement partnership in celebrating the new Star Wars film franchises. Thus, out of all the Boeing planes that ANA has in service, they have three limited jets on selected routes with special liveries. There’s a R2-D2 ANA jet, there’s a C-3PO ANA jet, and lastly, there’s this new BB-8™ ANA jet (from Los Angeles – Tokyo).

 

 

 

To orient you guys, there are eight seats in this BB-8 Boeing 777-300ER First Class cabin. Per usual, we opt for the right side rows of the aircraft in Seat 1K and 2K.

 

 

 

In addition to the complimentary WiFi card, we received a “Boarding Certificate” for this special livery flight upon boarding.

 

 

 

Here’s a look at the cabin from the right side of the aircraft.

 

 

 

 

Chloe, what are your initial impressions/thoughts?!

 

 

 

We got extremely lucky with this cabin too. With the exception of one other passenger boarding after the brief video below, it’s virtually an empty plane for Miki & Paul.

 

 

 

 

 

Ahem, with Chloe taking my spot….. I decide to “humbly” rest on top of the seat with ANA’s flight goodies & amenity kit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After take-off, the flight staff offers a (much-needed) champagne to start our omakase “washoku” dining experience.

 

 

 

 

Like Saison San Francisco, there’s a truffle-flavored chicken mousse with some smoked salmon for appetizer that tasted way too fancy for me. The drinks on the other hand though….. are divine.

 

1. The Sembikiya Fruit Juice, the most luxurious revered fruit shop in Japan, is served by the bottle here & this tart yet sweet juice tastes insanely refreshing especially on a long flight.

 

 

 

2. The Hojicha tea in the middle is steeped to perfection.

3. And lastly, the ceremonial grade Matcha tea whisked below…. no words.

 

 

 

 

For the next series of dishes, I decide to pair the food (thanks to flight attendant’s recommendation) with the Jikon sake.

 

 

 

The “zensai” delicacies again though, tasted too exotic for me…

 

 

 

That being said, Chloe seems to have a keen interest in it 😛

 

 

 

She is loving her flight ❤

 

 

 

For the next “Owan” & “Otsukuri” course, a clear soup and selection of sashimi is paired with more hot tea.

 

 

 

And for the main “shusai” course, a grilled king salmon with a beautiful plate of assorted Japanese “kobachi” bites.

 

 

 

 

Something to note for foodies is that on my return round-trip flight, they additionally serve Caviar 1983 as part of the omakase course. Thus, if caviar is a priority for you and you can only fly this route one-way, I recommend flying from Tokyo (instead of Los Angeles) for this tasting.

 

 

 

 

After couple hours of dining, the cabin light dims and I decide to rest a bit on the bed beside my seat.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Chloe sleeps peacefully behind me.

 

 

 

 

In the evening, Paul decides to do an extremely rare Japanese whiskey tasting that’s served only on All Nippon Airways First Class – it’s a Hibiki Suntory 21 Year priced at 50,000 yen sold out almost everywhere in the world.

 

In fact, in secondary markets, you’ll be lucky if you can find one priced at a $750 USD premium!

 

 

 

 

After tasting one of Japan’s most sought-after whiskeys, Miki & Paul slowly winds down & change into ANA’s provided pajamas. In each seat, there’s a mini-closet to hang your clothes too.

 

 

 

In the late hours, complimentary wine tasting can be an option.

 

 

 

Or unlimited late-night eats.

 

 

 

 

At one point of the flight, Chloe woke up and got a little fussy. When this happened, the staff generously assisted Miki & Paul in helping them soothe her.

 

It’s kind moments like these that makes me respect Japanese hospitality.

 

 

 

 

Minutes later, Chloe gets playful (again) and decides she wants to be on the other bed…

 

 

 

After switching beds, she nighty nights.

 

 

 

 

The next morning, she wakes up to me eating a light dessert, fruits, and a hojicha tea for breakfast.

 

 

 

The sun has now risen high in the sky and it’s time for this BB-8 ANA First Class to land 😦

 

 

 

 

Chloe, realizing how many luxe hours she “wasted” on sleeping…. immediately screams and cries! The flight attendant finds it quite endearing and playfully says,

“It’s ok, I’m sure this little princess will be back again”

 

 

 

 

Overall, All Nippon Airways delivered a near-flawless world class experience. For sure, it is amongst one of the top airlines in the world particularly in the area of service, which is perfect for a baby’s first flight.

 

Their gracious and selfless renowned “omentenashi” culture is a ceremonial wisdom that the world should strive for. Thanks to the flight attendants wholeheartedly looking after Chloe, Miki & Paul traveled relatively stress-free across the Pacific Ocean for first time parents.

 

 

It’ll be a flight that we’ll remember fondly for a very long time.