Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) is determined to be the leader of ‘flights to nowhere’. The company is taking advantage of the popularity of its A380s, famous for their eye-catching paintings and designs that resemble sea turtles, to regularly schedule scenic flights.
The success of the previous offer, with the last one in December offering views of New Year’s Eve rising sun, led the company to propose not just one but two scenic flights – flights to nowhere – for March.
For the first time, All Nippon Airways organizes two ‘flights to nowhere’ in a month, and indifferent A380s. On March 20 and 29, the A380s will take off, one resembling a blue turtle and the other a green reptile.
However, both aircraft are currently grounded in the Airbus workshops, waiting for the aviation industry to resume operations. These aircraft were purchased to fly exclusively to Hawaii, a popular tourist destination for Japanese travelers.
At the moment, the route remains closed due to the air travel restrictions over the coronavirus pandemic, so All Nippon Airways organized several flights to keep the crew in shape and to prevent these gigantic planes from deteriorating due to lack of use.
The next scenic flights will be longer, lasting about three hours. Departures will be from Narita Airport in Tokyo and head south to the city of Nagoya. From there, the plane will go around Ise Bay to Hamamatsu, and after flying along the sea it will return to the Japanese capital.
Ticket prices range from €270 for economy class in the aisle and €293 by the window, to €500 for business and €800 to go in one of the eight first-class suites.
As in previous trips of the flights to nowhere, the high demand for tickets has led the company to organize a raffle system according to the previous preferences of each category.
ANA plans to turn it into an ‘experience’ rather than it being just a scenic flight, in order to attract passengers who have no choice but to see the landscape from the aisle.
For this, the airline will offer themed meals based on Hawaiian traditional cuisine, and will give all passengers a certificate of the trip as well as various souvenirs.
Those in economy class will receive a turtle-shaped bag, a hand towel and a travel sticker. Business-class passengers will receive a kit of amenities like those given on long-haul flights.