ANA Business Class: SJC-NRT NH171

I was lucky to finally have my 2nd international flight out of SJC (San Jose International) which meant for a much more relaxed environment and smaller airport. My first international flight from SJC was to Paris (CDG) on AA back in 2001. They no longer offer that route. ANA started serving SJC-NRT with a 787 in 2013. I arrived to the airport about 1.5 hours prior to my flight. Business Class checkin was smooth and the agent was able to check my bag all the way to Bali, Indonesia (DPS) which was the final destination on the booking. I redeemed 80,000 United miles for the one-way ticket from SJC to DPS in Business Class. Airport security is usually not a problem but an X-Ray machine broke down and it was a mess. It took me 20 minutes to get through security with the Business Class line and I didn’t have access to the PreCheck lane as I was flying internationally. I relaxed in The Club at SJC lounge which was across from our gate. Boarding started on time and was done very orderly. The seat I selected had the side table to the left of my seat which offered more privacy.

After takeoff, lunch service started. Our first course was the Amuse which were very tasty small bites. I selected the Hibiki 17yr whiskey for my drink which was amazing. Hibiki 21yr is still my favorite but it’s only available on ANA First Class. I selected the international cuisine option for lunch. The filet of beef was very good but a little salty due to the sauce. I wrapped it up with a mango mousse which was delicious. The service was very attentive and perfection was a must. After lunch I decided to sleep and made my bed. I was able to sleep for ~6 hours and woke up due to turbulence off of Japan.

Prior to landing, we were offered dinner service. Again I opted for the international cuisine option. The chicken was cooked perfectly and was a lighter meal which was nice. I enjoyed flying the 787 in Business Class again but last time was their older product. We landed into Narita on time and no issues at all. I stopped by the ANA Business Class lounge for a bit prior to my THAI Airways flight to Bangkok but just had some water and caught up on emails.

ANA is in my Top 10 favorite airlines in the World so I’d highly recommend you try them out!