Star Alliance member All Nippon Airways (ANA) used the big stage of the 2025 Paris Air Show to unveil its newest business class product, called The Room FX. It’s a variation of the airline’s popular THE Room business class, that is deployed on 10 of its 13 Boeing 777-300ER. The new version will be installed across their internationally used Boeing 787-9, marking a significant upgrade over their current product on these planes.
The airline advertises the product to be the “largest seat on a mid-size aircraft”, giving passengers more space than any other seat on a Boeing 767, Boeing 787, Airbus A330, A340 or A350. Unsurprisingly, the configuration comes on a (now industry standard) 1-2-1 seating pattern, providing direct aisle access for all guest. Rather unusual for new business class products, about half of the seats will be facing backwards.
While the concept of backwards facing business class seats is not new, many airlines stopped using the design technique in the latest version of their premium cabins. However, both the original THE Room and Qatar Airways’ QSuite, probably the industry-leading products, use the same configuration.
Each seat is equipped with a sliding door, providing passengers with roughly 2m x 1m private space each. When fully extended, the bed measures 1.94 meters in length and 69cm in width.
Seats Do Not Recline
A major difference to ANA’s 777 The Room variant is that the seats in the Boeing 787 will not recline in different angles. It is reduced to two settings: upright or lie-flat. There is only one airline to recently deploy seats like that on their aeroplanes, and it is Finnair. The Oneworld member use a similar configuration on its Airbus A350 and A330 long-haul fleet and has garnered mixed reviews.
Passengers preferring to chill in a lounging position for a couple of minutes during a twelve-hour flight, will be out of luck. While it’s not set in stone that travellers in ANA’s 787 will face the same problem – having to compromise in terms of comfort is not something I want to do when spending quadruple digits on a ticket.
The renderings advertise three different positions: Either upright, a couch mode with a deployed leg rest – or fully flat.
Large Screen and Storage Space
In another rendering, ANA shows a storage space directly besides the 24-inch HD flat screen monitor, with USB-A, USB-C and international power outlets. This is a well-designed solution that should improve working with notebooks. Instead of dragging the charging cable over your shoulder or getting your feet tangled up, you have a straight connection in front of you. This also minimizes the risk of unintentionally disconnecting every time you move an inch.
The design is the same that is used on ANA’s Boeing 777 fleet, bringing the airline’s existing products closer together.
No Information About Rollout or Deployment
While ANA seems mighty proud of its new business class product (and it does look good), the airline shared basically no information about when or where to expect it. It will be deployed gradually over the Boeing 787-9 fleet in 2026. ANA operates a total of 44 aircraft of this type, though parts of the fleet are exclusively used for domestic travel and won’t receive the new premium cabin. Their 8 Boeing 787-10 and 34 Boeing 787-8 (some of which sport a domestic configuration, too) won’t receive the update, either. It’s also unclear which origins (although it will most likely be Haneda or Narita) and destination will be the first to be blessed with The Room FX service.
Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel or Telegram Channel to get instant notifications for all of our best deals!
Bottom Line
ANA announced its new The Room FX business class, with nice renderings and little else. The most contentious point of the new seat is that the backrest doesn’t gradually recline, possibly reducing options to relax. That being said, the new cabin design looks like a significant upgrade over the current product on the Boeing 787-9.
Cover Picture: © ANA / Acumen DA | © All Nippon Airways