We were excited for our stay in Tokyo being our first time to Japan and were looking forward to our flight with JAL.

Airline and Flight #

JAL | JL 0001

Aircraft

Boeing 777-300 ER

Airport and Terminal

Departure: San Francisco Airport, California, USA| Terminal 1

Arrival:      Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan|Terminal 3

Scheduled Departure Date and Time

Friday 8th March 2024| 1255 / 12:55pm 

Scheduled Arrival Date and Time

Saturday 9th March 2024| 1720 / 5:20pm 

Scheduled Flying Time

11 hours 25 minutes

Luggage Allowance

Carry-on:

Business class passengers flying internationally are allowed one cabin bag when flying JAL weighing up to 10kg (22lbs)

Checked baggage:

Business class passengers are allowed a generous 3 bags of checked luggage at a weight of up to 32kg (70lbs) each.

Fun Facts

• Founded in 1951, JAL joined the Oneworld airline alliance in 2007
• Registered as JA733J, this plane had its first flight in June 2005
• JAL is Japan’s national airline
• JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo with its main hubs in Haneda and Narita in Tokyo and Kansai and Itami airports in Osaka

Check-in and Security

JAL advises passengers to check in online up to 24 hours prior to departure using the app or the website. For Business class passengers check-in closes 60 minutes prior to departure.  Seats can also be selected or changed here.  Check-in can also be done at the counter inside the airport.  As we had just flown in from New York, we had checked in there and given our boarding passes.

Lounge

There is no JAL lounge at the San Francisco airport so passengers are invited to use the British Airways lounge which received a makeover back in July 2019.  Located near Gate 5 of terminal 1, you simply turn left after passing through security.  There was a good selection of drinks, but unfortunately not a big choice of hot dishes, especially as we were there over lunch.  The tomato soup was nice but the spring rolls were not great.  The lounge was quite crowded so it was hard getting a seat.

Seating

Layout – This JAL Boeing 777-300 is a wide bodied jet with 152 seats.  In rows 5 to 12 there are 49 Business Class sky suites arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration with all seats having direct aisle access due to the seats being slightly staggered, allowing a narrow right angled corridor from the window seat.  

Features – Known as the JAL Sky Seats, each lay flat seat bed is made from a navy blue cloth with a leather piece of material over the headrest.  Seat width is 52cm between the armrests and 65cm when the seat is fully reclined.   There is plenty of room for your feet when the seat is reclined which is not the case with a lot of airlines.  Seat length is 188cm when fully extended in its horizontal position.  Retractable privacy partitions offered privacy from your neighbour and there were the usual features like personal lights, USB charge outlets, coat hook, and a control panel to adjust your seat which also included a massage function (not so usual).

On our seat was  an Airweave pillow, a duvet, Sony noise cancelling headphones, slippers, face mask, a menu and an amenity bag.  Mattress toppers were available in the overhead compartments.  A bottle of water was also supplied and staff came around loaning out cardigans to Business class passengers.

We were seated by the window in seats 9A and 9C.  The seat closer to the window has a lot more privacy than the one slightly recessed and closer to the aisle.

Tray tables – The tray tables were one of the best I’ve seen in Business class.  They were easy to take out and put away by opening the little cocktail tray and pressing down on it gently allowing the tray to pop up.  You could then pull the tray up and fold it down.  It could be moved back and forward and you could swivel it for ease of leaving your seat whilst your tray was set up if needed.  The tray was equally nice and easy to put away. 

Storage – Seat storage isn’t the most generous in JAL’s business class cabin.  There was a bit of storage on the narrow table in front of the entertainment screen and below the privacy screen as well as a bit in the alcove that held the headphones & bottle of water.  The ottoman when it wasn’t being used to rest your feet on could also be used or else shoes or other items could be parked underneath. There is also an overhead shelf above your seat behind you which is not easy to spot at first or reach.  A round knob on the outside panel of your seat provided storage for a hanged garment.

Amenity kits – The pattern is designed by Atsuhito Fujiki with products by welfare company Heralbony.  Unlike all the others I’ve seen, this one contained no lotions or potions like lip balm and moisturiser which I was a bit sad about. Just a packet of tissues, ear plugs, an average quality eye mask, a plastic toothbrush and mini toothpaste, a plastic foldable phone stand which hubby found quite useful and an iPhone USB charging cable which was also a practical idea.  

Cabin Comfort 

The Good:

• Plenty of leg room, even when the bed is in its lie flat position
• The pillow was nice and soft with its flanelette feel pillowcase
• Slippers were great for having something to quickly slip on when getting out of your seat
• A cardigan lending service made it more comfortable when the temperature dropped
• Large windows let in natural light and allow you to get a great view outside if you have a window seat
• A privacy partition allowed a good amount of privacy from the person next to you if you didn’t know them

The Bad:

• No individual airflow above seats to adjust temperature
• Not a lot of storage space
• No pyjamas for Business class passengers
• Cabin felt a bit cramped due to the 2-3-2 configuration

In-flight Entertainment

Power

• A USB port, video input and AC power outlet were provided on JAL.  I used the cable supplied in the amenity bag as well as my own and in both cases charging was slow.  The socket for the AC power supply can only accept a 2 pin European plug, a 2 pin US plug (Japan) and a 3 pin US plug.

Reading Material

In the magazine holder of each seat you will find Skyward, an inflight magazine which was mostly in Japanese, along with an inflight shopping catalogue (JAL Shop),  a safety card, seat instructions and information on the Wifi service.

WiFi

• Wifi is available and costs $10.15 USD for one hour, $14.40 USD for three hours or $18.80 USD for the entire flight which is quite reasonable given this was an eleven plus hour long flight.  If you pay with your JAL card you will receive a 10% discount.  I didn’t purchase Wifi on this flight as I found the inflight entertainment good enough to keep me occupied for the time I spent not sleeping and eating.

Entertainment System

The MAJIC-V inflight entertainment system has various audio programs showcasing a range of different music genres, movies, TV shows and news.  You can also order drinks and meals through it as well as follow the flight map, play games, order from the JAL shop or watch instructions on preparing immigration forms etc.  With its large 23 inch screen, you’re sure to not miss a thing. . The liquid crystal remote was mounted beside the seat divider but wasn’t that responsive.  Sony noise cancelling headphones are provided for Business class passengers on JAL.

Catering

Menus

• The menus are fairly plain looking and are in both Japanese and English.  With both a Japanese and an International (Western) menu to choose from, the selection is not expansive but the quality of food makes up for this. A vegan and vegetarian menu is available but needs to be reserved in advance. You could also select an express menu allowing you to get to sleep sooner.  Beverages included a selection of Champaigns and western and Japanese wines, sakes and shochus, three cocktails, an assortment of spirits and liqueurs, sherry and four Japanese beers. There was also a non alcoholic beer and wine and a selection of soft drinks, teas and coffee.

Food/Drinks  

• 1230: A welcome drink was served prior to takeoff which was a cold pressed juice containing pineapple juice, apple juice, lemon and ginger.  I didn’t see it on the menu but I found it tasty and refreshing.
• 1320: We were given a warm towel on a tray and drink orders were taken
• 1350: My Umeshu (Japanese Plum wine) with soda was served along with a bowl of olives and mixed nuts

• 1407: I went with the International cuisine which for starters was seared tuna, roasted vegetable salad, shell pasta & crab salad and basil green curry dressing.  A selection of bread rolls were also offered.  I enjoyed the generous portion starter and was amused by the collection of cutlery.

• 1407: My husband went with the International cuisine which included a selection of seasonal colourful delicacies (Irodori Gozen).  He enjoyed his food too and it’s hard not to admire JAL’s beautiful presentation of the food.

• 1435: For the main I had the USDA prime beef tenderloin with morel mushroom gravy sauce and grilled potato gratin.  I would have liked to have seen some carrots or more vegetables to go with it but otherwise the dish was enjoyable. The other option from the western menu was the sea bass.  The cabin crew kindly offered to refill my drink.  Hubby chose the Japanese menu which included simmered black cod, grilled ginger beef and asparagus, spinach & bell pepper served with steamed rice, Miso soup and Japanese pickles which he enjoyed.

• 1515: Dessert along with tea and coffee were served which was Mascarpone yoghurt mousse for both the Japanese and Western menus.  It was delicious and it went down nicely with my coffee.  I followed this up with a box of two pralines from the self-service bar.  Other options included cheese snacks with almonds, biscuits and dried seafood.

• 3 hours prior to landing: After a movie or two and a bit of shut eye I was feeling a bit peckish and chose the Pork rice bowl and a tub of vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream whilst hubby had JAL’s special Tonkotsu flavoured miso ramen noodle.  Both meals tasted great.

Restrooms

A Business class restroom was located at the front left of the plane and two between the two business class cabins.  There were some spare toothbrushes available along with some mouth wash, Tea Tonique hand soap and moisturiser by Miller Harris and a bottle of hand sanitizer.  The toilet contained a bidet and staff appeared to go in regularly to clean it.

Service  

The service was friendly and efficient, just as you would expect from a Japanese carrier.  The drinks trolley came around frequently and drinks were topped up regularly.  

Pros

• The food was tasty and well presented
• The entertainment screen was nice and large
• The flight ran on time
• Anytime dining was available
• Restrooms were kept clean most of the time
• The crew were friendly and efficient
• The seats contained a back massage function
• Tray tables were easy to pull out and put away

Cons

• Welcome drinks were served in small plastic glasses
• Seats didn’t contain much storage space
• The cabin felt cramped with the extra business class seating in each row
• No hand or surface sanitisers were given out
• Remote for entertainment system not very responsive
• The panelling around the seats was showing its age
• No pyjamas are available for Business class passengers

Conclusion

I enjoyed this flight on Japan Airline’s 777-300.  The food was tasty, the service top notch and the large entertainment screens and spacious beds provided for a very comfortable flight.  It’s a pity JAL don’t distribute pyjamas to Business class passengers but the slippers and loan of a cardigan were appreciated.