Before reading this review, take every preconceived notion you have about ANA A321neo economy and push it to the side.
Yes, you’d be absolutely right in assuming that the seats are narrow and hard. You’d also be totally correct predicting the limited food and drink options. I get it. It’s not all that hard to assume the worst.
However, it would be foolish of you not to have a little more faith in Japanese service culture. Have you any idea how pleasant even the most basic economy class seats can be when the cabin crew actually gives a s**t about your well-being?
NH684
Hiroshima, Japan (HIJ) – Tokyo, Japan (HND)
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Aircraft: A321-271N
Registration: JA147A
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes
Seat: 9K (Economy Class)
My full review of ANA A321neo economy class from Hiroshima to Tokyo (HND)
Choosing an A321neo over a 767 or 787 between Hiroshima and Tokyo (Haneda) is a lot harder than than it sounds. This is a relatively high-traffic route requiring high density aircraft most of the time, but the 7:00pm A321neo option jived with my schedule the best. It was the obvious choice.
Arrival at HIJ
I love the Hiroshima Airport. It consists of one medium-sized terminal laid out in a way that just makes sense. Not only that, it’s the kind of airport where you can always show up 35 minutes before departure and make your flight without even breaking a sweat.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Back at the airport. So long Hiroshima!Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Maybe I should check in for my flight first before I start saying my goodbyes…Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Talk about convenient! Not only is there no line here at the ANA check-in counter, all of those friendly looking ANA employees look like they need something to do. Everyone wins.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.By the way, if you’re flying out of the Hiroshima Airport anytime soon, I highly recommend picking up a few last-minute souvenirs at one of those shops directly across from the ANA check in area. It may be your last chance to load up on squid jerky and oddly-flavored Kit Kats.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The security checkpoint is on the right. And don’t worry – they won’t even bat an eye at your newly acquired 20 kg crate of squid jerky.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.It’s probably wise to think twice before rushing through the security checkpoint though. Once inside the departures area, you’ll see that it’s extremely small (and there’s not much to do).Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I should probably listen to my own advice more often.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Here’s the A321neo that will be taking me to Tokyo this evening. I think it’s arriving from…Tokyo? I couldn’t be bothered to get up and check for sure.
The boarding process
I was starting to get worried about 20 minutes prior to departure. The flight was scheduled to depart out of gate C, but it was essentially void of any activity. Not only was there nobody in the waiting area, even the gate agents were missing in action. The hell? Thankfully, things started to look normal (chaotic) 10 minutes out.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The deets for my flight up to the Haneda Airport this evening. I can’t understand half of it, but that won’t stop me from saying that ANA printed boarding passes look pretty cool.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Looks like it’s going to be gate C this evening. Where the heck is everyone?Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Well, that didn’t take long. Welcome to NH684 (the businessman express). Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.If I haven’t said it already, Japanese airport jet bridges are far more interesting than the ones we have back home in the US. This is sensory overload (in a way that I quite liked).Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The congestion that usually happens at the boarding door is universal though. It’s basically the same **** here as it is back home.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Business class. These look very similar to the seats found in Delta A321neo first class, don’t they? Try not to think too much about it though, since they’re exactly not point of this review.
The seats
The fact that color is the first thing that comes to mind when attempting to describe the economy class seats says a lot. Yeah, they’re really blue. So blue in fact, that it occupies my mind more than how generous the leg room is. Even more than the other useful features such as large video screens and power outlets. They’re really blue!
Seeing the weather take a turn for the worse just before departure is never good. A storm was brewing, and it was looking sketchy, but we pushed off the gate anyway. The only thing I was disappointed about was the fact that they never turned off the cabin lights. Getting juicy pics (and video) was impossible thanks to all the glare on the windows.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I do believe we are pushing off the gate now.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.There’s not much to see once you push off the gate at the Hiroshima Airport though. Most of the action is inside the aircraft (as long as you can accept sleeping passengers and the safety video as “action”).Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The action continues.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.“Why they gotta leave the cabin lights on?” FYI, cabin lights cause window glare (which prevents getting good pics and video of the departure). This results in a less exciting review, the reader riddled with disappointment, causing him or her to return to my blog. I’ll become a failure, lose everything, and be forced to live in a clapped out ‘92 Toyota Corolla parked in a sketchy part of town. *sigh*Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Said window glare. To make matters worse, notice my stunning inability to lock focus on the money shot. I’m ruined!Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Have I mentioned my feelings about the cabin lights yet?Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Then, at the most excellent moment, Mother Nature came through spectacularly. Redemption!
In flight entertainment
There’s a lot to like about the in flight entertainment in ANA A321neo economy class. The seat back video screens are relatively large by economy standards, and they seem to feature the same UI (and content catalog) as what you’ll find on long haul aircraft in the ANA fleet.
It’s not perfect though. The video screens are extremely glossy – so good luck watching anything in direct sunlight.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Here’s the home screen for the video entertainment system. Sorry, I’m not feeling adventurous enough to choose anything but English tonight.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The main menu looks nice. But if they knew me at all, they would be recommending Minions and Guns N’ Roses instead of Quantumania and Spitz. Swing and a miss!Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Yup – it’s the same full (glorious) catalog of content that I recently experienced in ANA 777-300ER economy.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.There’s even a forward facing external camera as well! At the very least, it’ll be nice to have advance notice if we end up plowing into the side of Mount Fuji.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Have I ever use the word ‘slick’ to describe an in-flight entertainment system remote control before? This definitely qualifies.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I ain’t got no positive words for the cheap (but complementary) earbuds though. I highly suggest bringing your own.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Those of you who end up bringing your own headphones will be happy to know that you’ll have both a USB-A port and a 3.5 mm audio jack to work with. Multiple holes FTW.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Oh – you might want to bring a matte screen covering as well. Unless you’re trying for artsy-fartsy social media pics of course…
Food and drinks
This being my third ANA economy flight in the span of a week, I knew that it was unwise to expect much in terms of in flight service. They haven’t exactly impressed me in that regard.
True to form, they were relatively stingy with the food and drinks on this flight to Tokyo. All we got was a beverage in a neat little paper cup.
There’s not much I can say about the comfort of these seats in a way that doesn’t make them sound bad. The truth is that they are perfectly acceptable economy class seats for short flights. Padding is minimal, but the extra legroom makes them feel better than they actually are.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about these seats is that I found them to be slightly less comfortable than what you can find in IBEX /ANA Connection CRJ-700 economy. Mainline aircraft are larger than regional jets, but they aren’t always more comfortable.
The descent and arrival into HND
Those darn cabin lights. Just as it was for our departure out of Hiroshima, the cabin crew left the lights on for the full descent and landing. My efforts to get decent pics of Tokyo on the way down were squashed like a grape on a busy sidewalk.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.When you’re trying to take a picture of Tokyo, but you end up taking a picture of yourself taking a picture of Tokyo instead.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I tried my best. Welcome to Tokyo!Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.You know what? I don’t even think I cursed once about the window glare during the taxi over to Terminal 2. The scenery at the Haneda Airport is that impressive.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Most of the time at least. Looks like we’ve entered into a bit of a dead zone here…Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Thankfully things got interesting again as we pulled up to the gate at Terminal 2. ANA A321neo’s are hawt!Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Not only that, I think I’m really starting to come around to the idea of all the blue here in the economy class cabin. Yeah, it took an hour, but they finally got me!Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I really need to get off this plane before things get awkward (and I start using words like ‘sexy’)…Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The fact that I’m all flustered here at the end of the review speaks volumes about how much I enjoyed this experience. Well done ANA!
Finally, it’s worth noting that we arrived at HND exactly on time. This was especially important to me as I was making an international connection back to the US (in ANA 777-300ER premium economy), so I needed all the time I could get. At least I didn’t have to deal with taking the Haneda to Narita transfer bus (a process which sometimes takes hours).
Pros and cons of economy class on the ANA A321neo
Perhaps the best thing about the ANA A321neo is that they are used primarily for shorter regional routes. It’ll be rare to have to spend more than a couple hours at a time on one, so economy class will be perfectly fine (unless you’re unusually picky).
Pros
Leg room is decent. At no point did I feel the need to take copious notes about how uncomfortable I was.
While the video screens aren’t perfect (see below), they are fairly large. And bright!
The cabin crew is fantastic (even in economy). You can expect them all to be happy, energetic, and highly proactive.
Cons
The video screens are extremely glossy, which makes watching content difficult in bright sunlight.
Onboard service will be limited on most domestic flights. You’ll be disappointed if you expect anything more than a small beverage.
