Our holiday in Tokyo had sadly come to an end so after catching a train to Narita airport and some time at the Sakura lounge, we boarded our JAL flight to Melbourne.  

Airline and Flight #

Japan Airlines (JAL) | JL 0773

Aircraft

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Airport and Terminal

Departure: Tokyo Narita International Airport| Terminal 2

Arrival: Melbourne Tullamarine Airport |Terminal 2

Scheduled Departure Date and Time

Friday 15th March 2024| 1735 / 5:35pm (Pushback 1742)

Scheduled Arrival Date and Time

Saturday 16th March 2024| 0540/ 5:40am (Arrived 0533)

Scheduled Flying Time

10 hours 5 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

• Registered as JA840J, this B787-9 took its first flight on 11/02/15
• Founded in 1951, JAL joined the Oneworld airline alliance in 2007
• This JAL aircraft was painted in Oneworld colours in March 2022
• 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 multiple flights including a different carrier, we had to check in at the airport.

Lounge

• The Japanese Airlines Sakura Business class lounge in terminal 2 of Narita Airport is located directly opposite passport control on level 2.  A beautifully lit staircase leads you up to level 3 where most of the dining is.
• With warm earthy tones and large windows, the lounge offers a comfortable place to hang out and relax, eat and watch the planes come and go with excellent views of the runways.
• The Sakura lounge is open from 7:30 in the morning until 10:00 at night
• Free and fast WiFi is available with lots of charging points in the various seating arrangements
• The lounge contains a business centre with desktop PC’s and a printer as well as shower rooms and a kids room.
• Massage Chairs are apparently available which I wish I knew at the time
• A buffet provides both Japanese and western food with a selection of wines, sakes and beers.  The self pouring beer machine was a fun addition.

Seating

Layout – This JAL Dreamliner is a wide bodied jet with 195 seats.  The first nine rows contain 44 Business Class sky suites arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration with all seats having direct aisle access due to the seats on the sides being slightly staggered, allowing a narrow right angled corridor from the window seat.  Rows 17 to 21 contain 35 Premium Economy seats and rows 45 to 59 is set aside for economy (116 seats).

Features – Known as the JAL Sky Seats, each lay flat seat bed is made from a maroon 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 blanket, Sony noise cancelling headphones, slippers, a menu, a duvet and an amenity bag.  Mattress toppers were available in the overhead compartments. A bottle of water was sitting on the ledge beside the privacy divider.  Staff came around loaning out cardigans to Business class passengers prior to takeoff.

We were seated in seats 2D and 2G in the middle row of the aircraft, each with direct aisle access.  These seats are ideal for couples.  

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 so you can 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 – Large storage bins above allowed plenty of room for luggage however storage around the seat itself was not so generous.  With Business class configured in a 2-2-2 layout instead of the more common 1-2-1 layout,  each individual seat was left with less storage.  In my centre row seat there was some storage on the table in front of the entertainment screen and also above and under the ottoman.  A small shelf just where the tray table is released can be used to store small items like a phone.  A round knob on the outside panel of each seat provides storage for a hanged garment.

Amenity kits – The pattern is designed by Atsuhito Fujiki with products by welfare company Heralbony.  My bag was quite attractive whilst my husband’s was more masculine looking.  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.  More so if it sped up charging.

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
• A privacy screen gives you a good amount of privacy from the passenger next to you if you want it

The Bad:

• No individual airflow above seats to adjust temperature
• Not a lot of storage space around the seat
• Felt a bit cramped with the 2-2-2 seating configuration 

In-flight Entertainment

Power

• A USB port and AC power outlet were located just under the table in front of the entertainment screen.  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.  The USB power source does not support tablet devices and charging is not allowed during takeoff and landing.

Reading Material

Skyward, an inflight magazine along with an inflight shopping catalogue are stored in the magazine holder of each seat along with the safety card and air sickness bag.

WiFi

• Wifi is available and costs $10.15 USD per hour, $14.40 USD for three hours or $18.80 USD for 24 hours which is quite reasonable for a long flight.  If you pay with your JAL card you get 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 duration of the flight.

Entertainment System

The MAJIC inflight entertainment system contains a range of movies, documentaries and TV shows to watch as well as games, news and audio.  With its large 23 inch screen, you’re sure to not miss a thing.  The flight map on this aircraft was quite dated and unfortunately didn’t show much, nor was it interactive.  There was a decent range of good viewing options which kept me occupied during the course of the flight. The liquid crystal remote was mounted on 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 nothing fancy to look at on JAL but the food makes up for this. Inside you will find a Japanese and western selection with the menu in both Japanese and English.  There are just two choices of mains for the western menu following the appetiser and then one dessert. For those still feeling hungry throughout the flight an Anytime menu of assorted cheeses and a selection of three types of noodle snacks are available.  A Japanese or Western style breakfast is served prior to arrival.  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  

• 1820 – 1840 : No pre-departure drinks were served but as soon as the seatbelt lights were switched off, cabin crew were quick to hand out cold perfumed hand towels and were back shortly after to take drink orders.  Whilst waiting for my drink, a table cloth was put over my tray table prior to my “JAL Original Drink” arriving.  This was a peach and grape mix I had on a previous flight and quite liked.  A small packet of mixed crackers were served alongside it.

• 1900: I chose the western menu and started with the Hors-oeuvre which was Salad of Scallop, Firefly Squid, 3 kinds of Seaweed & Caviar with Cherry Blossom Sour Cream & Tankan Citrus Vinaigrette.  This was nice but I prefer my scallops cooked.   I had a sparkling water to wash it down.  My husband went with the Irodori Gozen from the Japanese menu and enjoyed it.

• 1920: For the main I chose the Beef Fillet with Red Wine Vinegar Sauce & Wasabi Flavoured Maître d’Hotel Butter.  A glass of red went nicely with this dish where the beef was cooked exceptionally well and the wasabi butter tasty.  The sauce could have been thicker but otherwise this was an enjoyable meal.  A selection of breads from Maison Kayser were also on offer.

• 1940: For dessert there was Matcha Pudding from the Japanese menu or Matcha Tiramisu from the Western menu so I went with that.  Despite not being a fan of Matcha, I quite liked the tiramisu.  Tea and coffee were offered after the meal service.  For breakfast prior to landing  I went with the International Plate which included a Soufflé Omelette, Yoghurt with Acacia Honey and a small selection of fresh fruit.

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, hand soap and moisturiser as well as a spray bottle that I assumed staff used for cleaning.  The toilet contained a bidet and staff did a good job during the flight keeping the room clean which I always appreciate.

Service  

As you would expect staff were friendly and efficient.  Drinks were offered regularly and the 

Pros

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

Cons

• No pre-departure drinks
• 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 was 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 with Japan Airlines and would happily fly JAL again.  I’m not a big fan of the 2-2-2 seating arrangement in business class as it makes the cabin feel a bit cramped.  The service was very good and I loved the large entertainment screens and the good choice of viewing options.  It’s a shame JAL doesn’t give out pyjamas to business class passengers but the seats in their lie flat positions are very comfortable with a good amount of leg room.  The food was good although I wished there was a selection of snacks (chips, chocolate etc) for have whilst watching movies.