Highlights:
- ANA has opened reservations for the new First Class and ANA COUCHii travel options that will be introduced when its first Airbus A380 debuts;
- The Japanese carrier will introduce the Superjumbo in the Tokyo Narita - Honolulu market from 24-May-2019, gradually replacing the Boeing 787-9 on the route;
- The airline's first A380 broke cover from the Airbus Paintshop in the middle of Dec-2018 bearing the airline's distinctive Hawaiian green sea turtle livery.
The A380 will debut on ANA's earlier (NH184/183) Tokyo Narita - Honolulu flights from 24-May-2019, initially operating just three days per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, Then, with effect from 01-Jul-2019 when the second of its three aircraft arrives, the flight will be exclusively flown by the type as well as the Tuesday, Friday and Sunday rotations of its second departure (NH182/181). This will bring weekly A380 frequencies on the route to ten return flights. The additional services and those flown up until A380 deployment will be operated by the Boeing 787-9.
ANA revealed configuration details for the A380s last year, surprising many with an arrangement with less seats than some had anticipated, including the eight seat First Class cabin. The aircraft will still have space for up to 520 passengers, the second densest configuration for the type after the two class, 617-seat sub-fleet of aircraft flown by Emirates Airline, and one of multiple seating arrangements the carrier has for the Superjumbo.
The airline will have a premium upper deck arrangement of 137 seats including eight in first class, 56 in business, and 73 in premium economy. The lower deck will provide economy seating for 383 passengers. This will be the first time that the carrier has offered a first class product on the Tokyo - Honolulu route, which is particularly popular with the leisure market.
The business class cabin will be arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration with the centre of the cabin seats offering seats together as a pair or either side of a table divider. ANA acknowledges that the adjacent seats would prove particularly popular with couples, including newlyweds, that frequent the Honolulu route.
The Economy cabin will be arranged with a 34in pitch but will also incorporate a number of rows at the rear of the lower deck and through the centre of the cabin that will have a 32in pitch, but can be adapted into a couch seat design. The opening of reservations shows that as expected ANA has positioned the ANA COUCHii seats at a higher price point that the standard Economy seats.
"Each couch is comprised of three or four seats and passengers are able to lie on the seats by folding up the leg rests," explains the airline. "In addition, passengers will receive a dedicated mattress that will provide them with further comfort." ANA says it is the first airline in Japan to introduce this concept onboard its aircraft.
The first A380 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) broke cover from the Airbus Paintshop in Hamburg, Germany in the middle of Dec-2018 bearing the airline's distinctive the first variation of its Hawaiian green sea turtle livery. The manufacturer says the livery is one of the most elaborate it has ever painted and took 21 days to cover the surface of 3,600 square metres using 16 different shades of colour.
The special 'Flying Honu' Hawaiian green sea turtle livery, symbolising good luck and prosperity was selected from among 2,197 submissions from around the world, which were received by the airline during an open design contest conducted in the final quarter of 2016. Known as 'Honu' in the Hawaiian language, the green sea turtle is considered a sacred creature.
The first aircraft is now having the completion of its cabin and has entered a final phase of ground and flight tests in Hamburg, during which all cabin systems will be tested. In parallel, Airbus will also undertake advanced aircraft performance tests before it flies back to Toulouse for preparation of its delivery and ferry flight. ANA is due to take delivery of the aircraft at the end of the first quarter of 2019, with the second example, in a green livery variation, following in the second quarter, and the third, painted in orange, following shortly after.