News On Japan

ANA 'passengers' savor $540 first-class dining -- on parked plane

Apr 01, 2021 (Nikkei) - All Nippon Airways looks to sate the curiosity of those who wish to dine in the first-class cabin, debuting a service that raises revenue even while the planes remain grounded during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese carrier welcomed "passengers" on board for a special dining experience Wednesday, serving meals typically offered on international flights.

On the first day of the new service, 56 guests boarded an idle plane at Haneda Airport in Tokyo for lunch on the ground. A first-class seat with a meal costs 59,800 yen ($541), while the offering's business-class counterpart runs 29,800 yen. Customers choose in advance from three food options: Japanese-style, Western-style beef or Western-style fish.

The ANA Holdings unit will offer 22 lunch and dinner sessions in April, each lasting about three hours. No in-flight entertainment is available, but guests receive amenity kits and can use ANA's lounge at Haneda's domestic terminal.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) began causing significant disruption to Japan's Obon holiday travel on August 11, with ANA canceling 58 flights serving Haneda and Narita airports, JAL canceling four flights, and JR East suspending some services on the Joban Line as the storm approached eastern Japan.

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) was closing in on the Kanto region on the evening of August 11 and is expected to soon make landfall in or around Ibaraki Prefecture before crossing Honshu from east to west, an unusual path that could bring heavy rain, powerful winds and high waves across a wide stretch of Japan through August 12.

Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.

Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

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