Flight: ANA NH967 | HND → PVG
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER
Cabin: Economy | 2-3-2 configuration
Status: United Airlines MileagePlus Star Alliance Gold (*V)
Rating: 4.5 / 5
I’ll be upfront — this wasn’t the aircraft I was originally booked on. ANA had been quietly downgrading the equipment on its Shanghai Pudong routes as Japan-China travel demand cooled off, and NH967, the latest evening departure out of Haneda, switched from a Boeing 787 to a 767. For a lot of people that would be disappointing. For me, a night owl with limited holiday days who just wants to get home at a sensible hour, the timing of this flight was basically perfect. And the 767 turned out to be more than I expected.
DEPARTURE — TOKYO HANEDA T2
I took the airport limousine bus directly to Haneda’s Terminal 2, which is where ANA operates. The international departure section of T2 is a later addition to the building and feels slightly separate from the rest of the terminal — the design doesn’t flow together all that naturally.
The hall itself isn’t huge, but the check-in process was smooth. Self-service machines handle most of the heavy lifting, with ground staff stationed throughout the area ready to step in and help whenever you need them. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see a neat row of ANA aircraft parked on the apron, with a hazy view of Tokyo Bay stretching out in the distance beyond them.
THE LOUNGE — ANA LOUNGE HANEDA T2
After clearing security and immigration at the international departures checkpoint, take the escalator up to the fourth floor and you’ll find the ANA lounge entrance. The wall at the entrance is a semi-translucent backlit marble design — it looks genuinely elegant and sets the tone well. To the right is the ANA Suite Lounge for top-tier members; to the left is the standard business lounge.
The lounge itself is spacious and thoughtfully laid out. The colour palette is warm — light brown and off-white throughout — with leather sofas, a window-facing bar counter, private work pods, quiet rest alcoves, and even a Pokémon-themed children’s play area tucked into one corner.
The dining spread is impressive. Hot options include chicken curry, shumai dumplings, fried chicken, and pasta, plus a live noodle station, salad bar, bread, and desserts. The teppanyaki grill station is the real standout — watching food being cooked fresh in front of you inside an airport lounge still feels like a small luxury. Drinks are well stocked across all categories.
One practical note: the shower rooms fill up fast during peak hours. Go to the front desk and book one as soon as you arrive — don’t leave it until after you’ve eaten.
BOARDING
The flight departed on time. Boarding through door L1, I found that blankets and headphones had already been placed on every seat before passengers boarded. Crew walked through the cabin before departure handing out pillows individually — a small touch but a genuine one.
I had pre-ordered a Halal meal, and shortly after I sat down a flight attendant came to my seat to confirm the order and attach a small label to identify me for service. Efficient and considerate.
THE AIRCRAFT & SEAT
The Boeing 767-300ER is configured in a two-class layout on this route: 35 business class seats in a 2-1-2 arrangement, and 167 economy seats in a 2-3-2 layout. That 2-3-2 economy configuration is the detail that matters most. On most narrow-body aircraft you’re in a 3-3 row. On wide-body jets you’re often looking at 3-4-3 or 2-4-2. The 767’s 2-3-2 means nobody in economy is more than one seat away from an aisle. It genuinely makes the cabin feel more relaxed, and it’s one of the reasons the 767 has such a loyal following among frequent flyers on short-to-medium haul routes.
The seat pitch is approximately 79cm in economy. Not generous, but respectable. Legroom was fine for the two and a half hour flight.
The aircraft is powered by two General Electric CF6-80 high-bypass turbofan engines producing up to 27,900kg of thrust each — smooth and quiet in the cruise.
DINING — HALAL MEAL & STANDARD SERVICE
I had pre-ordered the Halal meal option, which arrived as a butter chicken and spinach with cottage cheese curry served over white rice, with a side of lightly stir-fried greens. The seasoning was mild and clean, exactly what you’d expect from a carefully prepared Halal option. The meal also came with a whole wheat bread roll, butter, cutlery, and a warm towel.
The side box included a cold chicken dish with lemon, a fruit salad, and a small yellow pudding.
The standard economy meal on the same flight was ANA’s signature Hananomai tonkatsu curry — a breaded pork cutlet over white rice with rich Japanese curry sauce, broccoli, bell pepper, and green peas. The accompanying side pack included Japanese-style simmered vegetables, a rolled omelette, a corn and vegetable salad, and fruit. It looked and smelled excellent from where I was sitting.
Drink service was straightforward and efficient throughout.
ARRIVAL — SHANGHAI PUDONG
Two and a half hours after leaving Haneda, we touched down at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The taxi after landing was impressively short for an airport of PVG’s size. Once inside the terminal, I cleared immigration through the automated e-Gate channel — facial recognition, no queuing, no manual processing. The whole arrival sequence from landing to exit was as smooth as it gets.
THE MOMENT I WON’T FORGET
My neighbour for the flight was a very large, very calm Alaskan Malamute. The dog spent the entire two and a half hours lying quietly on the floor without making a single sound or moving out of place. Arguably the most well-behaved passenger in the cabin.
As for ANA overall — yes, the airline has faced criticism in recent years for cost-cutting and product downgrades on certain routes, and the switch from a 787 to a 767 on this service is part of that pattern. But on the Japan-China corridor, ANA and JAL are still operating at a level that their competition hasn’t come close to matching. A slightly leaner ANA is still a very good airline. This flight reminded me of that.
=============================================================================================
