My flight from San Francisco landed well ahead of schedule at 1:30pm, and it was only a few minutes to get through transit security with no lineup whatsoever. I’ve transited Tokyo Narita several times and always enjoy the experience. I find the airport extremely efficient, with good signage and friendly staff! Best of all, I had access to the ANA business class lounge for my 5 hour layover and had read overwhelmingly positive reviews!
At this point my flight to Shanghai hadn’t been assigned a gate, so I walked around aimlessly until I stumbled across a lounge. ANA has two business class lounges at Narita, and both offer basically the same services and amenities – which is to say both are great! One lounge is located in Satellite 5 near gate 51, while the other is located in Satellite 4 near gate 41.
Many passengers have access to this lounge, including business and first class passengers on ANA and other Star Alliance airlines, along with several levels in ANA’s status program, Star Alliance Gold members, and even premium economy passengers on ANA operated flights.
The exterior of the lounge is nice, with sliding glass doors opening to a large reception area. The staff couldn’t have been friendlier, and took a couple of seconds to examine my boarding pass before showing me into the lounge.
The main section of the lounge is a large open space with plenty of comfortable leather chairs, separated from the buffet by a countertop with hightop seating. There is also a row of chairs along the windows overlooking the airside operations (always my favourite lounge view).
There was no problem finding a place to sit, so I settled into one of the comfortable chairs overlooking the gates!
I was feeling a bit hungry (and thirsty) after the flight from San Francisco and decided to check out the buffet. The food offerings were simple, though adequate, with a nice variety of both hot and cold items. There was a decent selection of wine, spirits and beer (in an automated machine), and of course, sake.
There’s also a noodle bar with made to order dishes, along with plenty of comfortable seating for dining. The takeout order window is located at the far end of the buffet section.
The drink selection was great for a business class lounge, with several varieties of wine, beer, and spirits. I especially loved the robotic beer machine – too much fun!
There really is no better way to waste an afternoon than enjoying some wine with one of my favourite views!
For those of you who smoke, the lounge does provide a well ventilated room with airside views. I was surprised there was very little residual smoke smell coming into the main seating area, which can often be a concern with indoor smoking areas.
The lounge started to get really busy in the late afternoon, with almost all of the seats in the main area occupied. I decided to walk around and see if I missed anything, and was surprised to find an entire second half to the lounge completely deserted. It was really quite strange – the main area where you entered was packed, with maybe one or two people on the other side. I began to wonder if I had gone somewhere off limits, but I guess it just wasn’t well advertised!
This side also featured a fully stocked liquor/food buffet, with the same offerings as the main area.
The sake on display was beautiful, and I tried a sample from each!
The far end of the room featured some quiet relaxation rooms, which nobody seemed to be using.
I guess the one drawback was the lack of views, with this side of the lounge overlooking the terminal. As much as I love a good view, I really love a quiet and relaxing space. Once I found this little corner I quickly packed up my stuff and made the move from my beloved airside seat!
I spent the rest of my time on the quiet side of the lounge, and left about 45 minutes prior to my scheduled deparutre to check out some of the airport and slowly make my way to gate 27 where my flight to Shanghai would be departing. On the way out I stopped to admire the showcase of ANA swag!
ANA Business Class Lounge Bottom Line
Overall this lounge is a great space to spend a few hours, but maybe not much longer than that. The food offerings are good, with a selection of hot and cold items, along with a made to order noodle bar. Seating in the lounge is ample, though the main area can get quite crowded during peak times. If you value privacy over airside views, make a left when you enter and grab a seat near the back end overlooking the terminal.
While still not as nice as The Cathay Pacific business class lounge at Vancouver Airport, I would consider this a good lounge overall and just part of what makes flying ANA in business class so great!
Have you been to any of the ANA business class lounges in Tokyo? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!
