New ANA 787 Business Class: Coming Soon

Intro

ANA has long had a quite dated business class product on their 787 fleet, featuring seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. However, this week at the Paris Air Show, ANA has revealed the future for the 787-9 fleet, and I've gotta say, this is a huge step up!

The Details

When most non-av-geek people think of ANA business class, they probably think of the famous "room" product on their 777-300s (not all). The thing is, the majority of the ANA fleet is not made up of "the room", but instead the 787 fleet.

For those who are ANA flyers, you are in for some good news, as ANA has just announced "The Room FX", which will be coming (hopefully) sometime soon. While I wouldn't say this is imminent, I would expect this product to debut in the next few years.

New ANA 787 Business Class

But here are the interesting parts:

• ANA has decided to install 48 business class seats per plane across two cabins, between doors 1, 2, & 3 (on the 787-9). Most airlines are able to accommodate 30 seats in the space between doors 1 and 2, but the airline will only be able to fit 24.

• The seat will be a "no recline" product, stretching out into 76.5 inches in bed mode, and 41.5 inches in width

• Each seat will come with:

  • Wireless charging

  • 24-inch monitor with Bluetooth audio

  • USB A+USB C ports.

  • Interestingly, built-in headrest speakers will NOT be featured, unlike JAL

What Does This Mean For Consumers?

With the addition of these new seats to the long-haul ANA fleet, this has entered an area where the airline is doubling down on being a premium carrier. I would have to imagine that the new 787-9 will feature Safran Business Class seats and the premium economy between doors 2 and 3, which leaves economy with only one section in the plane.

In terms of those looking to fly, it? This will be fantastic for those paying with cash, but I would imagine that a lot of award space won't open up in business class until about 5 planes are retrofitted, just like any other new business class product.

New ANA "The Room FX"

Lastly, with how lightweight the seats are and with the reduced number of passengers on the plane, I have to wonder whether these will be intended to push the operational range of the 787-9. Perhaps we might see Miami come into play, as we have heard this chat going on for a while.

Final Thoughts

ANA has just announced its latest business class product coming to select 787-9s in the future. While implementing "the room" on the Dreamliner wasn't feasible, they came up with a product that looks sublime. Only time will tell when it rolls out, but I sure hope it is sooner rather than later.