ANA

ANA (All Nippon Airways) is Japan’s biggest airline and one of the most consistently premium carriers in the sky. They’ve held SKYTRAX 5-Star Airline status for 12 straight years, which tells you plenty about the quality of the service, the onboard product, and how polished the whole experience is.

As a long-standing Star Alliance member, ANA also plugs you into a massive network of partner airlines across Europe and the Americas, so there’s loads of flexibility in how we build your ticket — and plenty of easy ways to earn or redeem miles along the way.

Japan is a hot destination for Australians in its own right, but where ANA really shines is what happens after Tokyo. In our experience, they regularly serve up some of the sharpest Business Class and Premium Economy price points from Australia to North and Central America, as long as you’re happy to connect in Tokyo — or better yet, add a stopover and make Japan part of the trip. Sydney to New York via Tokyo is around 25 hours versus roughly 21 hours via Auckland or LA, but those extra few hours can save you thousands per person in premium cabins, and you might even score “The Room” on select 777-300ER services between Tokyo and NYC.

And don’t sleep on ANA to Europe either — a Tokyo stopover one way (or even a last-minute grab when other airlines are sold out) can open up seriously good-value premium seats at prices that are hard to beat.

ANA’s long-haul Business Class is a genuine standout, led by their flagship “The Room” suites on selected Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. These seats are among the widest and most private in Business Class anywhere, set in a staggered 1-2-1 layout with sliding doors and direct aisle access — more like a mini First Class experience than traditional Business. From Tokyo to NYC you may be lucky enough to experience “The Room”

Not every ANA 777 aircraft has The Room, so the plane type and routing matter (and it’s something we always check before you lock anything in). Even when you’re not on a The Room service, ANA’s broader long-haul fleet — including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and other 777 variants — still delivers excellent lie-flat beds, beautifully consistent Japanese service, and catering that rarely misses.

Premium Economy is another ANA sweet spot. It’s a proper step up from standard Economy with noticeably more space and comfort, and on ANA-operated international flights, Premium Economy passengers are eligible for ANA lounge access — a very handy perk if you’re chasing value without going full Business both ways. (Just note that lounge access applies to ANA-operated flights rather than partner-operated codeshares.)

ANA is one of the best-value ways to get from Australia to Canada, the USA, and even Central & South America in premium cabins. With nonstop flights from Sydney into Tokyo-Haneda and Perth into Tokyo-Narita (seasonal), you can either add a stopover in Japan or, with excellent connections, carry straight on to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Washington DC, New York, Vancouver, Toronto and Honolulu — so you’ve got real choice on where you start (and finish) your trip in the Americas.

The add-ons and inclusions to these fares are where ANA really becomes an Airfare Geeks favourite.

ANA leverages their Star Alliance partners in the Americas, so you can fly into NYC, then include a Business Class flight from NYC to LA, Vancouver or Chicago, and fly home from there back to Australia via Japan — all on the one ticket. Or you can add plenty of smaller towns and cities that United and Air Canada fly to, using the major hubs ANA serves as your gateways to Canada, Mexico or the USA.

Europe works in a very similar way with ANA. You head via Tokyo, then ANA takes you straight into major Star Alliance gateways like London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels, Istanbul, Milan, Stockholm and Vienna. That gives you a strong starting point in Europe with plenty of choice on where you begin — and where you finish — your trip.

Where ANA really becomes an Airfare Geeks favourite is the add-ons and value for money. Once you land in Europe, you can leverage Star Alliance partners like Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Turkish Airlines and Brussels Airlines to branch out to smaller cities, often as included sectors on the same fare. So instead of paying separately for extra flights, you might fly into Frankfurt or Munich on ANA, then tack on a Premium cabin hop to places like Prague, Zurich, Florence, Nice, Krakow or Copenhagen via Lufthansa Group hubs — clean, simple, and usually far better value.

And don’t underestimate the power of a Tokyo stopover one way. If Premium cabins to Europe are looking tight or wildly priced ex-Australia, adding a stopover in Japan often opens up better availability and sharper pricing. It’s one of those moves that can turn “too hard / too expensive” into a very doable Business Class trip.

ANA offers Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class on the majority of its long-haul flights, and some routes even offer First Class from Tokyo to London, NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Like a lot of the best Airfare Geeks deals, ANA fares can be built as mixed-class without losing the overall value. Most commonly that’s Premium Economy or Economy in one direction, then Business Class on the long way home (or vice-versa). It’s a smart way to keep the fare down while still getting the premium comfort where it matters most — especially on the overnight sectors or your longest legs.

One thing to note: ANA mixed-class doesn’t work mid-journey. For example, you can’t fly Sydney–Tokyo in Economy and then Tokyo–London in Business on the same fare. What you can do is maximise value at the turnaround point. A classic setup is flying to Japan and onwards to Europe/North America in Economy or Premium Economy. If we add a stopover in Japan, we can ensure all outbound flights are daytime flights, then when it is time to come home from Europe/North America, fly all the way to Australia in Business Class.

You can save serious money, while keeping the long overnight flights in Business Class when you need them most on the way home.

ANA offers some fantastic opportunities to combine Japan with North America and beyond in a single itinerary. Here are a few classic ANA builds we commonly create for Aussie travellers:

• Tokyo, Cancun, Houston & Chicago
  A creative multi-stop journey combining Japan, the USA and Mexico
• Tokyo, New York City & Los Angeles
  Combine a Tokyo stopover with two of America’s most popular cities
• New York, Los Angeles & Tokyo
  A flexible way to combine both coasts of the USA with Japan

ANA fares can be surprisingly flexible, particularly when we combine the right destinations, stopovers and partner airlines. Rather than selling a standard return airfare, we build each itinerary around where you actually want to go.

These are sample itineraries rather than fixed-price packages. Tell us your dates, cabin and wish list, and we’ll build and price the best ANA routing available for your trip.