#redcarpettrip: Trip Index

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On arriving in Tokyo, we arrived at the Satellite Terminal 4.  We were directed to go through airport transit security, and then … Zilch. There are multiple lounges at Tokyo Narita, and not once did a cabin crew come through to inform us about the designated lounge for First Class passengers transiting on our flight, while we wait for our departure to our flight to Los Angeles.

Trouble is, there are so many ANA lounges at NRT. Have a look at the map below.

So, we walked inside the ANA Suites Lounge on Satellite Terminal 4 Level 4 to confirm if they were the designated lounge for our transfer wait, and indeed they were. Talking about Japanese politeness, well, all the three people on the desk rose up to welcome us, and on hearing about our small situation, apologised for the discomfort (hah?!) caused by their colleagues at Singapore Airlines.

On entering, we headed left, where the lounge area was located. It was a spacious lounge, largely empty. The First Class Lounge is accessible only for First Class customers of ANA and other Star Alliance airlines, and for the top-tier members of ANA’s Mileage Club.

The lounge has seating areas which are divided by low partitions, making the lounge look spacious. I haven’t seen these many coat hangers in another lounge before, as I saw around this lounge.

There were ample power points strewn around the lounge. We latched on to the internet connection, and it worked pretty quick, although it was a hassle to log in with the mobile phone, due to all sorts of hoops one needs to jump for authentication.

At the back, there was a dining area, along with the Noodle Bar. In line with the whole of the Orient, there were pictures on the menu to show what your meal would look like (a pictorial menu), in case you wanted to eat from the Noodle Bar.

There was also a bar, which was serving everything inclusive of Sake and Champagne. There was also a coffee machine and a Pepsico fountain, set up adjacent to the bar, just in case you feel like a rum and… Pepsi?

For food, apart from the live kitchen, there was a large buffet, which included sushi rolls, some hot dishes and some soups and sweets. I found that a lot of food, however other people who have visited the lounge have not had similar experiences with the food being put up on display.

My savior this evening, however, was not going to be all the tons of Japanese food, since I did not have an appetite to eat or drink at this point. However, I found a desserts fridge stocked up with Haagen Dazs frozen dessert, and I proceeded to consume devious quantities of ice cream, after all, Cookie Dough Chip flavour! Don’t worry, I did not empty out the freezer.

Shipra, on the other hand, tried some Curry Soba, which she did not find very interesting and did not finish eventually.

Across the hallway were the other facilities that the lounge offered. There was a large set of cubicles which you could take for yourself, in case you intended to get some work done.

Incase you just wished to relax and watch some television or browse the internet, they had cubicles for that too!

The lounge also had a couple of private sleeping areas with a full bed if I remember correctly, but I can’t be sure. There are also nice showers, and I was itching to take a shower, but there was hardly any time to go easy and freshen up.

Service at this lounge was pretty much lackluster, as we were to fend for ourselves after we were served a cold towel and a drink at arrival. That is no better than a business class lounge in my view, and does not speak of highly of an airline that prides itself on service.

Since there was not much more to do than eat ice cream and catch up on emails, we got bored pretty quickly and headed to the gate slightly earlier than the boarding started officially. However, on arriving at the gate, we saw boarding was already underway.

Bottomline: Tokyo Narita’s ANA Suite Lounge at Satellite Terminal 4 is a plush lounge no less, but it is also a very boring one. It is almost always empty, and you won’t be attended to unless you don’t ask around.

What has been your experience visiting the ANA Suite Lounge at Tokyo?

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Pros

+ Large & Spacious
+ Luxurious showers
+ Generous cubicles and rest areas
+ Ice Cream Freezer

Cons

- Service seems to leave much to desire for
- Almost empty always

Rating