ANA to add second daily flight from NYC to Tokyo

On October 28, travelers from JFK to Japan will have twoflight options when flying ANA, the go-to-market name for All Nippon Airways.

Currently, ANA’s only non-stop leaves JFK at 12:30 p.m.,arriving at Tokyo’s Narita Airport (NRT) at 3:25 p.m. the next day. StartingOctober 28, the carrier will add a second flight that leaves JFK at 5:55 p.m.and arrives at NRT at 9:05 p.m. Return flights leave at 11:00 a.m. and 4:45p.m. local time, arriving at JFK at 9:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., respectively, onthe same day the flight departed. In October, the departure time of the earlierflight will be moved to 12:15 p.m.
My first thought was that the 5:55 p.m. departure from JFKmight be arriving uncomfortably late in the day, considering that passengershave to clear customs, then face a commute of approximately an hour into Tokyo.
I was pleased to learn that ANA offers a complimentarylimousine car service to ANA Mileage Club members traveling on the afternoonflight in either First class or Business class, so it will pay to join theMileage Club before your trip.
As of this writing on Sept. 12, an economy ticket for theafternoon flight leaving Sunday, October 28 and returning the following Sunday,November 4, can be purchased for as low as $1,393.80, while the lowest BusinessClass round trip ticket is $7,070.80, and First Class seats are available foras low as $15,094.80.
Generally, the earlier departures from both JFK and NRTcarried higher prices than the later departures.
Flight times to NRT are approximately 14 hours, 10 minutes,while the return flights are 12 hours, 30 minutes. Either way, that’s a longtime in an airline seat, which makes a Business or First Class seat all themore appealing.
Currently, the airline is operating Boeing 777 airliners onthis route.  According to SeatGuru.com,economy seats on ANA extended-range 777s feature a 31” pitch (the distance fromthe back of your seat to the seatback in front of you) and 16.5” width. PremiumEconomy seats, available on the 777-300ER, offer 38” pitch and 18.5” width. Theextra space would be most welcome on flights of 12 to 14 hours.
ANA has an excellent reputation in the travel industry andboasts of a number of awards, including being named Best Transpacific Airlinein 2012 by the airline review web site SKYTRAX.
United, American, US Airways, and Japan Airlines also offernon-stops from JFK to NRT.
All else bring equal, I recommend flying an airline operatedby the country for which you’re headed. That way, you begin experiencing someof the flavor of your destination as soon as you board the aircraft rather thanwaiting until after you’ve cleared customs upon arrival.
Bon voyage!
 
Tokyo Prefecture Vacations