We are on board ANA's first direct flight from Milan to Tokyo: here are our first impressions

"I guess it's a special flight". So says a girl to her boyfriend backpackers like her as, together, they approach the check-in counter in Terminal 1 at Malpensa. She says this because around her and her fiancé the staff of ANA - acronym for All Nippon Airways -  Is busy taking rapid-fire selfies. One of the stewards is filming a Boeing model with his smartphone, like a movie. The atmosphere, despite it being early morning, is festive. 

The girl with the backpack is right. This is a special flight. Expected since at least 2020, when the whole project had been among the many panned by Covid. With NH 208, today, December 3, 2024, Ana, Japan's largest private airline, activated for the first time a direct connection from Malpensa to Tokyo Haneda and thus achieved his goal of returning to Italy after more than 20 years of absence. 

All Nippon Airways' connections, the only direct ones from Italy along with Ita's from Rome Fiumicino, will be trisweekly, the Tuesday, the Thursday and the Sunday. From Milan, departure will be at 10:30 a.m. to land in Tokyo at 7:30 a.m. the next morning - since it is the "city airport" this will allow both business and leisure travelers to make the most of the day - from Haneda, departure will be at 1:05 a.m., arriving in Milan at 8:30 a.m. effectively making up a day thanks to the time difference.

The ceremony of the inaugural flight

From the windows of gate B58 at Malpensa a clear sky and the white of the snow-capped Alps. At gateB58, not surprisingly, a giant picture of the Mount Fuji, snowy ça va sans dire, is just one of the scenic effects that accompanied this inaugural ceremony. A cream and berry cake (it will disappear in an instant) and a buffet were offered for all passengers, both Japanese and European, who, in large numbers, jumped in to take some fun photos using the shaped panels. The hashtags of the event? #milan #tokyo #nh208 #WeAreJapan.

No shortage of authorities: Ana's Ceo, Shinichi Inoue, who wrests applause from the audience by straining to speak in Italian at least for the first part of his speech, Japan's ambassador to Italy, Sotoshi Suzuki, who hopes that this direct flight will not only increase Italian tourism in the Land of the Rising Sun (which after 2020 is back in excellent health) but also Japanese tourism in Italy, which is still suffering from the long wave of the pandemic in the East. 

Great satisfaction from Luigi Battuello, CCO Sea Aeroporti di Milano, with thanks to all those who contributed to make it to this day. Battuello recalled how "All Nippon Airways has received the prestigious 5 Skytrax Stars uninterruptedly since 2013." Finally, Raffaele Cattaneo, president of the Lombardy Regional Council, after an unfailing "arigato," gave a piece of news: the region will be present with its own space at the 2025 Osaka Expo, one of the reasons for accelerating to revive this connection. 

For the "qualified" audience, even some gadgets. A mini-panettone, in full Christmas spirit (and in full Milanese spirit), a glass bowl, colored "Ana" blue, a tribute to Japanese gastronomic culture but strictly made in Italy (Guzzini), a keychain, a tag and a pen with the company's logo. All in a canvas flap dedicated to the first Milan - Tokyo flight. 

"A special flight," but late departure

"This is a special flight," the girl with the backpack had said, remember? As was to be expected given the importance of the inaugural ceremony, boarding and baggage checking took longer than expected, and even the ever-punctual Japanese arrived to accumulate one hour late. Delay which, at any rate, was substantially made up during the cruise.

NH208 Malpensa - Haneda was not hailed by the water cannon - then again, it wasn't really a first; the plane had just landed from Tokyo-but there was no shortage of tricks from "special flight". Worth mentioning are the colorful flags and streamers that, framing the gate at the entrance, turned the business into a Shibuya izakaya, and then the "wave bye-byes" made by the ground staff, on the runway and at the gate, as the Boeing prepared to take off. 

On board All Nippon Airways' first Milan Malpensa - Tokyo Haneda flight.

The NH 208, a Boeing 787-9  which will always provide service on this route, has a low-density set-up (215 places, 48 seats in the Business Class cabin, 21 in the Premium Economy cabin and 146 in the Economy cabin). We traveled in Premium Economy on the outward journey and will travel in Business on the return journey. 

In Premium Economy the layout is 2-3-2 with a row spacing of 38 inches, 49 centimeters wide between armrests, and a 28-centimeter screen, while in Economy you have a 3-3-3 layout with a row spacing of 34 inches, as opposed to the 31-32 usually found on intercontinental flights. In Business the layout is 1-2-1 with the seats extending to 190 centimeters, fully reclining. There is no Business called "The Room," which, in Europe, can only be found on flights from London, on some of Ana's 777-300ERs.

Starting "in a big way." And a really "Japo" treat

It is not a feature of this flight but we cannot fail to mention some elements that will make traveling from Milan to Tokyo, with Ana, a better experience. From the seats (which we've already mentioned), to the windows (47 x 28 centimeters) to the overhead bins (those on the 787 are the largest ever compared to those on all the other aircraft, +30% compared to the 777, which avoids "beating yourself up" to place your luggage next to your seat), everything is large and spacious. 

But if you've never flown to or from Japan, you can't help but notice one piece of equipment that to call iconic is an understatement: the technological wc-bidet. Toilets, also in Economy and Premium Economy, have bidet service with hot water and adjustable jet, made by the Japanese company Toto. Did we try it? No, the risk of coming out of the bathroom as if from a water balloon battle was too high. But on our return, after some practice in the home of multi-accessor toilets, we will not fail to try it.