First impressions:
I was flying on one of ANA's new flights to London Heathrow from Haneda. To see the review of the flight from London Heathrow to Haneda, click here. To see the return flight from Haneda to London Heathrow, click here.
There is a choice of lounges airside. Click here for the list on ANA's website.
I was advised that the main lounge would be to my right when I exited security and immigration, and having swiftly been processed I was there in only a few minutes.
It is accessible via the escalator. When you get to the top to the left is the business class lounge, while straight on is the Suite Lounge for First Class flyers and Diamond member of the Star Alliance. The list of those eligible can be found here
The lounge:
This lounge has been expanded as ANA has added international flights to Haneda.
Once you have presented yourself to reception you walk through and are faced with the entrance to the showers. There are several of these, with Shuseido bathroom products presented to you in a travel pouch for your use.
Walk down the corridor and you wnter the main lounge, with a choice of turning either right or left. To the right you walk through a seating are and eventually get to the Noodle Bar.
To the left you walk through to an area of private booths – quite useful if you want to have a base where you can work, watch TV or relax.
One of these booths has a massage chair.
This is similar to the ones on offer at the BA Elemis lounge at Heathrow T5, and can be very recommended.
There is free wifi in the lounge – though you have to give your name and email address, and once connected are offered free access to some news services such as Wsj.com.
The lounge was very quiet at this time, and so it was easy to take photographs.
This is one of the self-service areas for food, and you can see the Noodle Bar hatch at the back.
On the other side of the lounge, beyond the booths, there is a choice of newspapers and magazines
and then another food area
and a place to sit down and eat looking out onto the airport.
Here are the menus
I didn't eat anything from the menu because it was mid-morning, I'd just had breakfast at the hotel and the flight was due for boarding at midday, but there were some pastries by Pierre Herme, part of the ANA Connoisseurs programme - whcih were very tasty - I was lucky to get this photo - when I went back a few minutes later they'd all been eaten. Not by me, I only had one.
There is an internal doorway through to the business class lounge, although obviously most passengers would go in through the main door at the top of the escalator. Some pictures of that lounge will be posted on a link from this review shortly.
Verdict:
This lounge was very impressive, and seemed huge, probably because as well as being expanded it was empty at this time of the day. There was a good range of food and wine - and soft drinks - available, newspapers and magazines, plenty of chocies of where to sit and in what style, and lots of attendants anxious to serve. Free wifi and booths where you cna plug in, work and make calls in private as well as showers and changing rooms complete an impressive offering.
http://www.ana.co.jp/asw/wws/uk/e/
Tom Otley
