I guess this is the moment where the more regular readers of this blog are probably thinking “oh, so that’s what he’s up to…”. For the leg back to Europe today, I’ll be flying on JAL’s newest Business Class product, which was rolled out with the entry into service of the magnificent Airbus A 350-1000. Over the coming years, JAL will gradually phase out its fleet of B 777-300s and replace them with the A 350. As you may know, I’m a great admirer of the mighty B 777, but I think the A 350 will be a worthy successor.

Getting to the Airport

At 06h50 I come down to reception at the Mercure Tokyo Haneda Airport Hotel to check out. The gentleman at reception tells me the complimentary 07h00 shuttle to the airport is standing just out the back of the hotel. The journey by shuttle takes fifteen minutes.

Check-In

JAL Business Class checks in on rows G and F in Haneda’s Terminal 3, which is for international flights only. However, I already received my boarding pass for this flight when I checked in for my flight from Sydney to Haneda, so I can head straight for security. The queue for security is enormous, even though there’s a separate queue for Business Class passengers.

The JAL Haneda Airport Sakura Skyview Lounge

There’s a Sakura Lounge just opposite gate 112. My flight will board from gate 111. However, the sign outside informs passengers that the lounge is full. They are instructed to use the lounge opposite gate 143. The lounges in this area are one floor up from the gates and shopping area. However, when I get there, there is a young lady holding up a sign that the lounge is full, and therefore, passengers should head one floor up to the Skyview Lounge.

The dining area of the lounge is rather busy. However, there’s still plenty of room to sit by the windows in the relaxation area at the back of the lounge. And the views are spectacular!

Boarding

Boarding for the flight starts at 09h20, with a delay of five minutes to the time indicated on the boarding pass. We’re boarding by groups, and it’s the same ceremonious production that boarding an aircraft always seems to be on JAL…

We board through the L2 door. The flight attendant at the door greets me and asks me to follow her colleague who will bring me to my seat.

The Cabin & Seat

The Business Class cabin on JAL’s A 350-1000 is divided in two, with rows 3 to 7 forward of the L2 door, and rows 8 to 16 aft of the L2 door. I’m seated on 3A, which is the first row of the forward Business Class cabin, right after First Class. The seats are arranged in a 1 + 2 + 1 configuration. On the uneven numbered rows, the A and K seats are window seats, whereas the C and J aisle seats are on even numbered rows. It’s not a big deal one way or another, I don’t think, as the seat has a door to the aisle and is quite private therefore. As on Qatar Airways, there are no overhead bins over the middle row of seats. However, the impression of a large, cavernous space isn’t quite so obvious in the JAL cabin as the dividers between seats are higher than on the QSuite. Actually, the whole setup reminds me a lot of Qatar’s QSuite.

The seat installed on the A 350-1000 is a completely different story to that on the B 787-8. This is much, much nicer and in fact feels a lot like a First Class cabin. It’s roomy and spacious. It’s also well designed with plenty of conveniently located storage space. It’s a gorgeous seat!

Below the ottoman is a large enough space to store a small carry-on, or in my case, my size eleven R. M. Williams boots. The private wardrobe is a good size to store my Barbour jacket and my trousers. There’s even an opening at the bottom just for shoes, although I don’t think mine would fit in there.

One of the big innovations that is usually mentioned in trip reviews of JAL’s A 350-1000 are the speakers set in the ears of the headrest. Frankly, I think they’re just about the dumbest thing they could have done, mainly because most passengers don’t seem to realise you can fold the sides of the headrest so that they’re closer to your ears, which is the whole point. But as it is, there’s a constant cacophony of noise throughout the flight as passengers crank up the volume to be able to hear better. Why not just use your earphones, for heaven’s sake?

Amenities

There are plenty of goodies at my seat when I arrive:

• a bottle of still water
• the vanity kit
• a heated eyes mask
• the menu
• earphones
• slippers
• a pillow
• a blanket
• a seat cover
• extra seat padding
• and a pajama to wear inflight (which I don’t even try because it’s some weird thing that makes you look like some Shaolin monk…)

The Service & Crew

While passengers are still boarding, the crew pass through the cabin with a tray with Champagne or orange juice, both of which are served in plastic cups, which are not exactly the height of sophistication, but what will you? While the forward Business Class cabin looks quite full, I’m not sure how full the flight is overall as boarding is completed fairly quickly.

We take off in a southeasterly direction and then make a wide left turn to point us in the general direction of the Bering Strait in a northeasterly direction. Once the cabin crew is released, they pass through the cabin dishing out lukewarm towels.

First Service – Early Lunch

The lunch service starts immediately. I already noticed when I ordered online that it’s the exact same menu and choices as on the outbound from Narita to Melbourne. Still, at least like this I know what to expect. There’s a drink service ahead of the meal. With that, the crew serve a small ramekin of nuts and another with chicken in some white sauce, and a packet of Grissini.

The service on JAL is clearly highly standardized and follows the exact same procedure as on my two previous flights on this trip. However, where the B 787-8 only has thirty seats, on the A 350-1000 there are 52 passengers in Business Class, which likely explains why the service on this flight is noticeably slower and taking much longer to complete.

As a novelty, on this flight I actually have the dessert indicated on the Japanese set menu, and it’s actually rather nice, even though I’m not a big jelly fan. I have a coffee with milk with dessert. No wonder everything is taking so long: first the cabin crew brings me dessert. Then she comes back again with the coffee, leaves again and comes back with the milk, goes and comes back again with a spoon. I mean, she could have just used a tray to bring everything in one go.

It takes a while for the crew to clear everything away after the meal. I actually have to ring for them to come take everything away. I then make up my bed, close the door, and try to have a nap. But that’s easier said than done. This is not a quiet flight. With a departure from Haneda at 09h45 in the morning, most passengers are restless. They keep the crew quite busy, as I hear them coming and going answering one call after the other. One passenger in particular seem to be an exceptional kind of asshole, though. He or she never calls once, but keeps calling until one of the cabin crew goes to ask what the passenger wants. Ironically, one of the few passengers who is actually able to sleep turns out to be a prolific snorer. But these are things the airline really has no control over. There is a second daily service to Heathrow that operates as a night flight. I’d be curious to know if that’s a quieter flight.

Inflight Snack

Seven hours into the flight, I’m starting to feel hungry again, so I order JAL’s Special Yuzu Flavoured Chinese Noodles via the inflight entertainment system, which is fast and responsive. I also order a tub of Häagen Dazs Strawberry Milk Pudding ice cream and a Coke Zero. Outside the sun doesn’t set completely but flits along the horizon before eventually rising again as we fly south to Greenland and then Iceland. The noodles are good and have an interesting flavour of Yuzu that works surprisingly well in a noodle soup.

Second Service – Late Lunch

Two hours and thirty minutes out of Heathrow, the lights come on again for the second service, which is basically a selection of what they have on the snack menu. I ask for a small salad, the pasta in a tomato garlic sauce, some cheese with crackers and a small plate of fruit. The pasta is rather nice and has a rich texture. They’ve managed not to overcook, or rather overheat, it to the point of disintegration. No information is given about the cheese.

Arrival in London Heathrow

Shortly after passing Lancaster, the mighty A 350 starts slowing down and we start our descent into Heathrow. Much to my surprise, there are no delays. ATC routes us towards London’s Eastend. We make a turn over central London, and then a final turn to line up for a runway 27L arrival. Perhaps not quite so surprising, the weather in London is not so nice, and it’s just started drizzling again.

After a flight time of thirteen hours and thirty minutes, the aircraft pulls onto its stand and comes to a standstill at Heathrow’s Terminal 3. I now have over three hours to make my onward connection.

Conclusion

This was my third flight on this trip with Japan Airlines. The first was on a B 787-8 from Narita to Melbourne, and the second, also on a B 787-8, from Sydney to Haneda. In very general terms, I rather liked JAL. I think they‘re probably one of the most underrated airlines in the Far East. I also think that, all things considered, JAL has a far superior product to Singapore Airlines, for example, which is usually considered the region’s industry benchmark.

The crew were definitely the most noteworthy feature of the experience, simply by how friendly and forthcoming they were. Nothing was ever too much and they were always very quick about it. If they weren’t tending to passengers, they were cleaning the toilets or tidying the galley and cabin. There were a few cultural barriers, but I think, or at least as far as I can tell, they were minor. For example, they did a drinks service before the meal, but then during the meal service, drinks were not actively offered and had to be asked for specifically.

In terms of seating comfort. I liked both the A 350 and the B 787. On the B 787-8 storage was a bit of an issue, whereas that was not a problem at all on the A 350. I think it’s probably a good sign for JAL that I kept comparing the A 350 hard product with Qatar’s Qsuite. Two thing were not so good, though, on the A 350. The first was the lighting. Cabin lights were either on or off, whereas Iberia, for example, pretty much cycles through the whole spectrum of mood lights. Especially during the meal, the cold, white light seemed particularly harsh. The second thing I didn’t like, were the loudspeakers integrated into the headrest. They’re just gimmicky, mostly useless and only contribute rather unfavorably to raising the overall noise level in the cabin. Other than that, though, the new Business Class product on their flagship A 350 really is quite impressive.