ANA reveals elegant new Boeing 777 first class, business class suites

ANA has pulled back the curtains on stunning new first class suites and business class seats destined for its flagship Boeing 777 fleet.

Christened The Suite and The Room, the products will make their debut on August 2 on the Star Alliance member’s Tokyo/Haneda-London/Heathrow flights NH211/NH212.

Each of the twelve upgraded Boeing 777-300ER jets will sport eight first class suites and 64 business class seats.

ANA says The Suite and The Room represent a merger of “Japanese heritage and Western design principles” and were jointly developed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and leading British design firm Acumen, also known for its role in Etihad’s A380 The Residence, first class and business class.

ANA Boeing 777 first class: The Suite

ANA’s all-new Boeing 777 first class suites were inspired by luxury Japanese hotels, with a luxury dark wood finish throughout the cabin.

Sliding doors offer privacy, while a 43-inch 4K monitor which takes up the entire wall provides a ‘personal IMAX’ experience when it comes to inflight entertainment.

The middles seats have a movable partition if you’re flying with a partner.

ANA Boeing 777 business class: The Room

So what makes a business class seat into a room?

The transformation begins with privacy doors, which have become the latest trend in business class – and in place of a seat, a wide sofa-style bench which runs the full width of the business class compartment.

The seat folds down to a fully flat bed, with the passenger's feet tucked below the monitor, which indicates an angled sleeping position.

ANA has also adopted a staggered business class layout in which half the seats face forward while the rest face backwards.

This seat map serves as your business class crib sheet: even-numbered rows face forwards, odd-numbered rows face backwards.

The airline says this provides passengers with more space, touting The Room as “one of the largest business class seating environments in the world.”

The suite itself is the Fusio model from global seat-maker Safran, which trumpets the concept as offering "the comfort of first class but the space of business class."

The Room has been “inspired by modern, multifunctional Japanese living spaces”, which includes  several discrete areas for stowing all manner of personal items.

To add warmth to the cabin, Kengo Kuma finished the seats with three different wood finishes inspired by modern Japanese homes – Rosewood, Light Japanese Ash and Dark Japanese Ash. 

Business class travellers are also spoiled by a 4K video screen, which can be paired to a smartphone app for total control – including setting up a personal viewing playlist before the flight. 

The thoughtful makeover extends to the entrance area of the aircraft, which has been reimagined as more of a hotel-like reception area.

Also part of the Boeing 777 refit: a new food service area embodying the Japanese ‘Omotenashi’ philosophy of hospitality, with a redesigned the self-service bar area where mini-fridges are stocked with beverages and snacks.

The design also frees up more space for passengers to move around the galley, which in turn has been dressed in a backlight panel incorporating patterns inspired by ‘washi’, or traditional Japanese hand-made paper.

Rounding out the superb inflight experience are new custom-designed Panasonic LED lights ‘inspired by natural sunrise’ for better comfort and convenience during sleeping, reading and dining; and, in both first class and business class, a bespoke seat mattress and bedding in partnership with Nishikawa.

ANA expects its first refurbished Boeing 777 to fly “on even number dates in August and odd number dates in September”, with a daily service to follow.

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.