ANA business class “THE ROOM” Tokyo to New York – and a JetBlue connection to Miami

So here’s the thing about ANA’s THE ROOM business class. It’s been out since 2019, it has won basically every award in aviation, and people have been writing about it for years — and somehow it still manages to exceed expectations when you actually sit in one. The vlog above covers the full journey: Tokyo Haneda Terminal 2 to New York JFK on the Boeing 777-300ER in April 2025, a 9-hour layover spent at the TWA Hotel, then a JetBlue connection down to Miami. Total journey time: 25 hours 28 minutes. Total price: 1,176,010 JPY — that’s about $7,965 USD for the full itinerary.

What you just watched covers everything: the new ANA Lounge at Haneda T2, boarding, the suite itself, two meals, the Pokémon safety video (yes, really), the flat bed, Wi-Fi, flying over Canada, and the full experience from departure to landing. Then the layover at the TWA Hotel and a JetBlue economy segment to Miami on the A220. I’m going to break down what actually matters for anyone considering booking this route.

First: make sure you’re actually on THE ROOM

This is genuinely important and worth addressing before anything else. ANA operates two completely different business class products and they look nothing alike. THE ROOM — the private suite with a closing door — is only on certain Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The older staggered product, without a door, is on the 787s and some 777 configurations. Both are called “business class” when you book. The difference in experience is enormous.

The Tokyo Haneda to New York JFK route is one of the routes where THE ROOM flies consistently, which is one reason it’s such a popular choice for this transpacific crossing. To confirm you’re getting it: search the flight on ANA’s own website and look for “Individual suite” — if it says “Lie-flat seat” you’re on the older product. You can also check the seat map: 16 rows of business class from rows 5-20 means THE ROOM. When in doubt, plug your flight number into ExpertFlyer or SeatGuru to confirm.

Tokyo Haneda Terminal 2 and the ANA Lounge

The Haneda routing matters more than it used to. ANA has been consolidating international departures from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 since 2024, and the New York JFK flight now departs from T2. This is actually good news for anyone connecting from a domestic ANA flight — both happen in the same terminal, cutting connection time from 70 minutes minimum to around 55. The international section of T2 essentially opened fresh post-pandemic having barely been used before COVID shut everything down.

The ANA Lounge at T2 International was designed by Kengo Kuma — the same architect behind the 2020 Olympic Stadium and, as it happens, the THE ROOM suite seats themselves — with a traditional Japanese garden-like atmosphere. Two lounge options for business class passengers: the standard ANA Lounge and the premium ANA Suite Lounge for first class and Diamond members. Business class gets the ANA Lounge, which has a buffet, noodle bar, a staffed bar counter, and seating for around 900 people. The lounge is spacious, clean, very Japanese in its calm efficiency. Honest assessment from multiple reviewers: beautiful space, a bit lacking in atmosphere compared to rival Asian carriers, the kind of lounge that excels functionally but doesn’t wow you emotionally. The noodle bar is the move. Get the noodles.

One thing that was added in March 2025: a Pokémon Kids TV Lounge in the T2 kids room, part of ANA’s ongoing Pokémon collaboration. If you saw the Pokémon safety video and Pokémon disembarkation video in the vlog — that collaboration runs through the lounge and the aircraft itself right now. It’s oddly charming.

THE ROOM — what the suite is actually like

The 777-300ER configured with THE ROOM has 64 business class suites in a 1-2-1 layout across three mini-cabins. Every single seat has direct aisle access — no climbing over anyone, no asking permission to leave. The suite was designed by Kengo Kuma and draws on traditional Japanese living space concepts: wood paneling, thoughtful proportions, a closing door that gives it a first class feel at business class pricing.

Key layout detail: even-numbered rows face forward, odd-numbered rows face backward. Most people on a 13-hour flight will not notice the backward-facing aspect once airborne — it genuinely doesn’t affect the experience — but if it bothers you psychologically, choose an even-numbered row. For couples wanting to sit together, the center 1-2 configuration in odd-numbered rows puts you right next to each other. For solo travelers wanting maximum privacy from the aisle, even-numbered window seats are the pick.

The physical space

The suite is enormous. Multiple reviewers have called it the widest business class seat in the sky and that claim holds up — the footprint is closer to first class on most other airlines than business. You have a closing privacy door, personal storage, a 24-inch 4K UHD touchscreen, your own temperature-controlled air vent (rare on a 777), and a fully flat bed that works properly for most people up to about 6 feet. Above 6 feet you’ll need to angle slightly, which is fine but worth knowing. The one honest limitation: storage around the seat is not generous. There’s a small flat compartment for passport and phone, and an overhead bin, but bulkier items mean getting up. Not a dealbreaker on a 13-hour flight but a real consideration if you’re a carry-on-only traveler with a lot of gear.

The food — Japanese menu is non-negotiable

ANA serves two meals on the Tokyo-New York route. The first shortly after takeoff, the second about two hours before landing. You get a choice of Japanese (washoku) or Western menu. Every single experienced reviewer says the same thing: take the Japanese menu. The quality gap is real and consistent. The food coming out of Tokyo is prepared using Japanese ingredients and the execution reflects it — the washoku meal is the reason people specifically route through Tokyo to fly ANA instead of just booking whoever has the cheapest business class ticket. Sake is usually available; the highball made with Suntory whisky is also excellent. Between the two main meals there’s an on-demand light meal service that includes options like tonkotsu ramen. At 2 AM somewhere over Canada, a bowl of tonkotsu ramen is not a bad situation.

The amenity kit

THE ROOM passengers receive an enhanced Globe-Trotter amenity pouch — more substantial than the standard ANA kit. Pajamas are provided for the overnight flight and the quality is genuinely good. The lavatory has bidet function and a selection of amenities including face sheets, mouthwash, and toothbrush. Four bathrooms are dedicated to the entire business cabin.

Wi-Fi

ANA sells Wi-Fi by time increment rather than data, which is actually more useful on a long flight. Full flight plans have been reported at around $21-22 with speeds around 7 Mbps download, 2 Mbps upload. Functional enough for messaging and light work, not going to be editing 4K video, but on a 13-hour transpacific flight that’s plenty.

In-flight entertainment

The 24-inch 4K touchscreen is large and the screen quality is excellent. The entertainment library gets honest mixed reviews — the hardware is great, the content selection is decent but not best-in-class compared to some competitors. The Japanese film and TV selection is deep, which matters on a flight out of Tokyo. The Pokémon safety video is genuinely worth watching on its own merits, not just as a novelty. ANA’s Pokémon collaboration runs through the aircraft and it’s more charming than it has any right to be.

The flight itself — Haneda 22:45 to JFK 22:55

The late-night departure from Haneda means you’re essentially boarding, eating, sleeping for a solid 8-9 hours, waking up for the second meal, and landing. For anyone who finds long-haul flights miserable: this routing and this product is the closest the aviation industry has gotten to making 13 hours feel manageable. The route tracks northeast over Japan, crosses the North Pacific, flies over the Alaskan coastline and across Canada before descending into JFK. The vlog has a proper sequence of flying over Canada from the window — that part of the route in daylight, if you catch it, is genuinely worth being awake for.

One note from the vlog: the cabin lights stay bright during landing even at night. This is an ANA thing — it’s not unique to this flight — and several reviewers have flagged it as jarring after a long overnight. Worth knowing so you’re not startled awake by suddenly being in full fluorescent light over Long Island.

The 9-hour layover: TWA Hotel at JFK

Nine hours at JFK between 22:55 and the next departure at 08:00 is not a comfortable overnight if you try to just hang in the terminal. The vlog makes the obvious call: book a room at the TWA Hotel, which is the only on-airport hotel at JFK and is genuinely one of the most architecturally interesting hotels in the world regardless of context.

The building is the original TWA Flight Center, designed by Eero Saarinen and opened in 1962. It ran as the TWA terminal until 2001 and reopened as a hotel in 2019. The lobby — available to anyone 24/7, not just guests — is stunning: sweeping white concrete curves, the original Sunken Lounge, TWA memorabilia throughout, 60s-era design executed with obsessive attention to detail. The Lockheed Constellation “Connie” plane outside serves as a cocktail lounge (open 4 PM to 10:30 PM). There’s a rooftop pool with runway views, a 10,000 sqft gym open 24/7, and 512 rooms in two wings behind the historic terminal.

The honest verdict on the TWA Hotel, based on a very consistent pattern in reviews: the architecture and common spaces are spectacular, genuinely worth visiting even just for a few hours during a layover. The rooms are mid-century modern inspired, comfortable, and starting to show wear after six years — some reviewers in 2024-2025 have been increasingly pointed about maintenance. The service ranges from good to indifferent depending on the shift. The food isn’t particularly impressive. Prices run $300-500+ per night and can spike significantly for peak travel dates.

For a 9-hour overnight layover, the TWA Hotel is still the correct call — the architecture alone makes it a more interesting night than any chain hotel near JFK, and the proximity to Terminal 5 (where the JetBlue flight departs) is a practical advantage. Getting there: take the AirTrain to Terminal 5, then follow signs to the hotel — you’ll exit the terminal briefly and walk to the hotel entrance. It’s a short walk but you are outside for a moment, which matters if it’s cold or raining. The hotel lobby is the destination even if you can’t sleep; even just having somewhere quiet and beautiful to decompress after a 13-hour flight before a morning connection is worth it.

JetBlue JFK to Miami — Terminal 5, Airbus A220-300

The contrast here is intentional and the vlog leans into it. After ANA’s THE ROOM, you’re now in JetBlue economy on an A220-300 for a 3-hour 13-minute hop to Miami. Departure Terminal 5 at JFK is JetBlue’s home terminal and is directly connected to the TWA Hotel, which makes the logistics clean.

The Airbus A220-300 is actually a genuinely good economy aircraft. It’s relatively new, quieter than most comparable narrowbodies, has a 2-3 seat configuration meaning window seats have no middle seatmate on the two-seat side, and JetBlue’s standard economy on it gives you a decent amount of legroom by North American economy standards. The Wi-Fi is included free with JetBlue (Fly-Fi), which is a nice detail after paying for it on the transpacific leg. For three hours in the morning after sleeping at the TWA Hotel, it’s fine. Nobody expects the A220 to match THE ROOM and the vlog doesn’t pretend otherwise.

Arrival Miami International Airport at 11:13 AM — which means you left Tokyo the previous evening and landed in Miami mid-morning the following day. The full journey including the layover is 25 hours 28 minutes.

How to actually book THE ROOM — miles are the play

The cash fare for this Tokyo-New York business class itinerary was 1,176,010 JPY — about $7,965 USD. For a one-way business class transpacific ticket that’s in the expected range but it’s still a serious amount of money. Here’s how experienced points travelers approach this:

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — 60,000 points one way from the US East Coast to Tokyo. Virgin points transfer from Amex, Chase, Capital One, and Bilt. You need to call to book (1-800-365-9500). This is widely considered the best points value for ANA THE ROOM from the East Coast
• Air Canada Aeroplan — 75,000 points one way from most US cities, with the option to add a Tokyo stopover for 5,000 points extra. Aeroplan transfers from Amex, Chase, and Capital One
• United MileagePlus — ANA is Star Alliance, so you earn miles on United with every ANA flight. You can also book ANA with United miles, though the rates are less competitive than Virgin Atlantic
• ANA Mileage Club — if you’re accumulating ANA’s own miles, the redemption rates on their own metal can be very strong, particularly for last-minute availability

The route to confirm: search ANA’s site directly for the Haneda-JFK flight and verify it shows “Individual suite” for THE ROOM configuration. Google Flights also labels this correctly now. Don’t assume — always verify before booking.

Best time to fly: The Tokyo-New York transpacific route runs year-round. Award space on THE ROOM opens up most reliably in January-February and in the shoulder months of May and October. Summer and over the Japanese Golden Week holidays in late April/early May is the hardest period to find award availability at reasonable redemption rates.

Frequently asked questions

📹 Video by ST Travel