ANA A380 Flying Honu first class – Honolulu to Tokyo on the world’s most unique aviation icon

Not many aircraft have genuine fans who show up to airport lounges in themed costumes specifically to see them depart. ANA’s A380 Flying Honu does. The sea turtle livery — available in three colorways representing the Hawaiian sky, ocean, and sunset — was chosen from over 2,000 design competition entries when ANA ordered its A380s in 2015, and the result is one of the most visually distinctive commercial aircraft in the sky. The vlog covers two flights: NH183 from Honolulu to Tokyo Narita and NH184 from Tokyo Narita back to Honolulu, both in December 2022, both in first class. You get the full picture — ANA Suite Lounge at both Honolulu and Narita, the eight closing-door first class suites, a Japanese course meal in one direction and a Western course in the other, how to spend 7.5 hours in this specific aircraft, and the ground experience at both ends. Regular price: ¥958,760 per flight (~USD 7,000). The points angle is considerably more interesting than the cash price and we’ll get into that properly.

The Flying Honu — what makes this aircraft worth knowing about

ANA operates three A380s, all exclusively on the Tokyo-Honolulu route. Each one carries the Flying Honu sea turtle livery in a different colour: Lani (blue, representing the Hawaiian sky), Kai (emerald green, the Hawaiian ocean), and La (orange, the Hawaiian sunset). The name comes from the Hawaiian word for sea turtle — a symbol of good luck and safe travels in Hawaiian culture — and the design was genuinely crowd-sourced from a public competition. The result is an aircraft that people go out of their way to fly specifically because of what it looks like.

The A380 Flying Honu is ANA’s flagship aircraft on its most leisure-focused international route, and the product reflects that context. The first class cabin is not the same product ANA operates on its longer intercontinental routes. It’s purpose-built for the Hawaii market — more playful in its design language, eight suites with full closing doors, the outer-space themed interior wallpaper and rainbow cabin lighting that makes the first boarding moment genuinely memorable. The safety video is its own mini-production centered around the Flying Honu. ANA clearly had a good time designing this aircraft and it shows in the details.

The route context:

• ✈️ NH183 — Honolulu (HNL) to Tokyo Narita (NRT), departing 11:30, arriving 15:45 next day. Flight time approximately 7 hours 30 minutes
• ✈️ NH184 — Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Honolulu (HNL), departing 20:25, arriving 8:25. Same flight time in the opposite direction
• 📏 Flight distance: approximately 6,130 km / 3,810 miles
• 💰 Regular cash price: ¥958,760 (~USD 7,000) per flight one-way in first class
• 🐢 Only three A380s in the ANA fleet, all operating this single route

As of 2025, ANA has expanded to up to 14 weekly flights on the Tokyo-Honolulu route using the A380 exclusively, with the 787-9 phased out from this routing. Double daily A380 service means more scheduling flexibility and more chances to be on one of these specific aircraft.

The ANA Suite Lounge at Honolulu

The vlog opens at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu and spends over two minutes in the lounge before a separate section showing the aircraft visible from the lounge windows. The ANA lounge situation at Honolulu is worth understanding before you arrive.

ANA operates two lounges at Honolulu: the ANA Suite Lounge (first class and ANA Mileage Club Platinum) and the Main Lounge (business class and lower-tier frequent flyers). The Suite Lounge is the smaller of the two — notably more intimate — while the Main Lounge is roughly three times the size. Both lounges have direct views of the apron where the A380 Flying Honu is parked before departure, and the window spotting is part of the pre-flight ritual for people on these flights.

The Suite Lounge at Honolulu is consistently rated as one of the better airline lounges in North America for food quality specifically — the sukiyaki available at the made-to-order station gets specific mentions as genuinely authentic rather than the Americanised version most airport Japanese food defaults to. The noodle bar runs to order. The full bar service runs throughout. And uniquely for Honolulu, boarding for the ANA flight can be done directly from the lounge rather than walking to the main gate jetbridge — an elegant way to start a first class flight.

The first class suite — eight doors, two rows, one very good seat

The vlog dedicates around five minutes to the seat and amenities section and the footage captures what makes this cabin distinctive. The first class cabin on the A380 sits on the upper deck at the front of the aircraft — eight suites in a 1-2-1 configuration across two rows. Every single suite has a full closing sliding door. This is the detail that puts ANA Flying Honu first class in a different category from what most carriers call “first class” — you have genuine privacy, a real room to yourself, not just walls and a curtain.

Inside the suite: a wide seat that converts to a fully flat 78-inch bed, a 23-inch monitor on a moveable arm, and the distinctive outer-space themed wallpaper that runs along the suite walls. The rainbow ambient lighting system shifts throughout the flight. The center suites (the 1-2 middle positions) are the companion option — couples can lower the divider between them for shared dining and conversation, and the configuration is the reason ANA’s A380 first class gets mentioned in honeymoon trip reports alongside Maldives resort names.

The amenity kit is a blue Globe Trotter-branded hard case styled to resemble a miniature suitcase — a collector’s item in its own right that gets photographed almost as much as the aircraft livery. Inside: products from The Ginza (ANA’s cosmetics partner), earplugs, toothpaste, and eye mask. Two sets of pajamas in different sizes are available from boarding, which is unusual and genuinely considerate. A grey cashmere-blend cardigan is offered separately for onboard comfort. The lavatory standard on a Japanese airline needs its own acknowledgment: spotlessly maintained throughout, a dedicated step platform inside so you don’t touch the floor when changing clothes, additional amenities and real towels at the sink. These are small things but they add up across a long flight.

The food — Japanese course one direction, Western course the other

The vlog covers both meal directions and this is genuinely one of the more interesting food comparisons in a two-flight coverage format. ANA’s first class catering on the Flying Honu route reflects the Japan-Hawaii axis in a specific way: the Japanese course going eastbound to Tokyo and the Western course going westbound to Honolulu are designed by different culinary teams with different ingredient sources.

🍱 NH183 Honolulu to Tokyo — Japanese course meal

The vlog’s first meal section at around 15 minutes shows the Japanese course in detail, and this is where ANA’s food reputation on this route is built. The Japanese course uses seasonal ingredients sourced from Japanese suppliers and reflects kaiseki-influenced presentation — multiple small courses, each one considered, served on appropriate tableware. The dine-on-demand flexibility means you eat on your own schedule rather than when the galley decides it’s time. The crew service standard on ANA is one of the things that comes up most consistently across independent accounts: addressed by name, drinks refilled before you notice they need it, no service missteps. The attentiveness is not performative — it’s the quiet, consistent kind that you only notice because nothing ever goes wrong.

🥗 NH184 Tokyo to Honolulu — Western course meal

The vlog’s Tokyo departure section also shows a light meal in the lounge context before covering the Western course inflight. The westbound direction uses a contemporary Western menu structure, still with Japanese attention to seasonal ingredients and plating precision. The contrast between the two courses across the two directions is one of the more compelling arguments for booking the roundtrip on this route rather than mixing with another carrier for one direction.

🥂 Drinks

Krug Champagne is the standard first class arrival pour on ANA long-haul. The full bar service runs throughout the flight with Japanese whisky, sake, and premium spirits. The inflight menu section in the vlog at around 13 minutes shows the full selection.

The ANA Suite Lounge at Narita — and the Tokyo bonus section

The vlog’s structure covers something useful that most single-direction flight videos miss: the ANA Suite Lounge at Tokyo Narita. The vlog shows the check-in process and the Narita lounge from around the 24-minute mark. The Narita ANA Suite Lounge is one of the better premium airline lounges in Asia — full à la carte dining with Japanese and Western options, shower suites, a bar, quiet zones. For guests connecting at Narita before or after the Flying Honu flight, the lounge is the recommended place to spend the time rather than the terminal.

The Western course meal shown in the final section of the vlog is served at Narita — the pre-flight Western course for the NH184 Tokyo to Honolulu direction, showing that the food quality standard holds at the departure end as well as in the air.

The inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi

The vlog covers entertainment from around the 17-minute mark and gives it over two minutes. The 23-inch screen on a moveable arm means you’re watching from a comfortable distance regardless of whether you’re sitting upright, reclined, or fully flat. ANA’s content library runs Japanese and international films, TV, music, and games — notably stronger on Japanese content than most non-Japanese carriers attempting to serve the same route. The ANA Flying Honu-specific content includes the safety video and dedicated channel programming themed around the aircraft and the Hawaii-Japan cultural connection.

Wi-Fi is available on the ANA A380 — the vlog notes this at around the 23-minute mark. The connection quality has improved across the fleet, though as with most long-haul Pacific routes the consistency over open ocean can vary. Functional for messaging and light browsing; less reliable for sustained video calls.

What this costs — cash and the much better points story

The regular cash price is ¥958,760 per flight one-way (~USD 7,000), though ANA’s first class pricing on this specific route is more variable than most intercontinental first class routes. Roundtrip cash fares can range from roughly USD 3,355 to USD 13,824 depending on season, with off-peak windows being meaningfully cheaper. The December timing of the vlog flights falls into the higher end of that range given the holiday travel season.

The points picture is where this redemption becomes genuinely exciting — specifically through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, which is the open secret of the ANA first class community:

• 🏆 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — 55,000 Virgin Points one-way from Hawaii to Japan in first class. This is the headline number that makes people do a double-take. It’s approximately half what most other programs charge for the same seat. From the US West Coast and Hawaii, the zone-based Virgin chart prices first class to Japan at 55,000 points one-way. From East Coast/Central US departure points, it’s 72,500-85,000 Virgin Points one-way. Virgin transfers directly from Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou at 1:1 — and transfer bonuses to Virgin (often 30-40% from Amex) periodically appear, reducing the effective cost further. With a 40% Amex transfer bonus, 55,000 Virgin Points from Hawaii cost only 39,000 Amex points to transfer
• 💡 The booking process: Virgin’s platform does not show ANA inventory directly. Use seats.aero (which has a dedicated ANA First Finder tool) or United.com (look for “NH…” marketed flights in “O” fare class for first) to confirm availability first, then call Virgin Atlantic to book. Virgin agents can hold awards 24 hours — transfer points after confirming availability, not before
• ✈️ ANA Mileage Club direct — 120,000 ANA miles roundtrip in first class from the US/Hawaii to Japan. Amex Membership Rewards transfers to ANA Mileage Club at 1:1. Citi ThankYou and Capital One also transfer. The roundtrip ANA rate competes with two one-way Virgin bookings and is simpler to execute online
• 📅 Award availability reality — ANA first class award space on the Flying Honu is genuinely limited and fills fast given how desirable the route is. Book 355+ days out when ANA releases the schedule. Availability sometimes opens closer to departure as well — within 14 days is a known release window for some space, though Virgin Atlantic cannot book ANA awards less than 14 days before departure
• ⚠️ Fuel surcharges — ANA imposes carrier surcharges on award bookings, typically USD 150-300 roundtrip depending on route and cabin. Factor these into your total points-redemption cost estimate

Getting to the route — practical notes

The Flying Honu operates exclusively between Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). ANA also operates Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Honolulu services on the 787-9, but the Flying Honu is specifically the Narita routing. If you want the A380 experience, confirm your booking is on the NRT-HNL frequency (NH183/NH184 or NH181/NH182 for the additional frequencies) rather than the Haneda 787 service.

For guests building a Japan itinerary around this flight: ANA’s multi-destination Japan package connecting Tokyo with other domestic or regional destinations is available as an add-on at time of booking. The Narita connection gives easy access to central Tokyo (approximately 60 minutes by Narita Express from NRT to Tokyo Station) and onward connections across Japan’s rail network.

Best time to fly: October through April covers the shoulder and peak periods for the Japan-Hawaii route. Cherry blossom season (late March to mid-April) is the highest demand period for Japan-bound travel. Summer (June-August) is busy in the Hawaii direction. For the best combination of award availability and reasonable cash fares, May and September are the sweet spots — shoulder season in both directions, and ANA’s off-peak award rates apply, which reduce the ANA Mileage Club roundtrip rate meaningfully.

Frequently asked questions

📹 Video by ST Travel