Review: ANA Suite Lounge and United Club, Tokyo-Narita

Introduction/Booking
New LAX Star Alliance Lounge/Tom Bradley International Terminal
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites, Los Angeles to Tokyo-Narita
ANA Suite Lounge (Satellite 4) and United Club, Tokyo-Narita

The transit time for Singapore Airlines 11 and 12 is about 2 hours.  Transit security can be a while if you’re in the back of economy. The flight crew seem to do a good job of allowing Suites passengers off first, then business passengers, then economy.

From the multiple times I’ve flown Singapore Airlines flight 11/12, the A380s seem to be always parked at gates 43/44.  You go through transit security on the top floor, which feeds to escalators right above the gate.  That means that the Satellite 4 ANA lounges are the closest ones to both transit security and the gate.  The Suite (First Class) lounge is on the 4th floor while the Business/Star Gold lounge is below on the 2nd floor.

Map of the Star Alliance terminal at NRT

The First Class lounge is a bit smaller and has fewer people.  When I arrived, an attendant offered a cold towel and a drink – I chose water.  After that, they mainly hang around near the food area, meaning the First lounge experience is very similar to the Business lounge experience (except there’s a Sake Bar in the Business Class lounge).

The difference between the First and Business Class lounges

ANA Suite lounge

I surveyed the food options, but nothing interested me except for a beer (mainly so that I could use the cool automatic beer machines).  I love how precise the caloric labels were for the food on display.

ANA lounge food options

ANA lounge food options

ANA lounge food

One of the attendants gave me another towel when I went to use the beer machine

I requested to have a shower and didn’t even realize that I carried my beer with me into the room.  Inadvertent showerbeer, anyone?

ANA shower room (similar ones in Business lounge)

ANA shower amenities

#ShowerBeerFriendly

Afterward, I visited the Noodle bar to get a light snack.

Noodle bar menu

Noodles

I got kind of bored in the lounge, so I decided to have a walk down the terminal, and figured I’d pay a visit to the United Global First Lounge.  However, it had just closed by the time I got there.  I was still allowed into the general United Club, which is much nicer than its domestic US counterparts.  And on my return trip, I was able to use the Global First lounge during the day and get some awesome tarmac views.

Easy walk between ANA Satellite 4 lounges and United Club

United Club/Global First Lounge entrance

United Club foyer (Global First lounge upstairs)

United Club NRT

United Club NRT

United Club NRT

United Club NRT

United Club food option(s)

All in all, I’m not too big a fan of the SQ 11 layover (or the slightly earlier SQ 12 layover for that matter). In both cases, it’s past midnight in my home time zone of LA and I’m usually tired by then and just want to get back on the plane.  There isn’t much to do in the terminal other than lounge hop.

After I left the United Club, I got another walk in (at least on moving travelators) back to Gate 44 to resume the journey to Singapore.