Flight Review: Japan Airlines Business Class Review | NRT to SIN
This review is part of the Travel Report (A Weekday in Singapore) and contains reviews of airlines, hotels and lounges during my trip down to Singapore. Hope you can enjoy them all!
Introduction | Japan Airlines
Having spent a layover in Japan at the Hilton Tokyo, I was headed to Singapore, which was my final destination. Having just enjoyed a fantastic flight with Japan Airlines on First Class, it was time to check out the business class for Japan Airlines.
For the trip to Singapore, I headed north to Narita International Airport, where it took about an hour and a half from Tokyo due to traffic. I was able to enjoy the JAL Sakura Lounge for a bit before heading towards the departure gate.
The Seat | Japan Airlines
I’ve always been a fan of Japan Airline’s selection of seat design, as they fit quite well with the minimalistic design that Japan Airlines conveys. From the color scheme to the layout of the cabin to even the mood lighting, it was a fantastic approach for my experience on Japan Airline’s business class.
For this journey, I opted for Seat 1A - the seat I chose offered the utmost in privacy, as it’s quite close to an intimate private suite. However, the only downside of being so close in the front is the lack of having 3 windows in other window seats (I only had 2, and the other was covered). However, this makes the seat incredibly private and I was fortunate enough to snag one close to the departure date.
There are two seats along each wing, with one elevated slightly further than the other. The nice part of these seats? You don’t ever intrude on our neighbors, as every business class seat has its own aisle, which was fantastic. Similar to the Sky Suites that I flown from SFO, every seat is incredibly comfortable and massive. There are a ton of legroom and I had no problem napping away after a brief dinner course.
The Seat, Continued | Japan Airlines
Upon flying a few minutes in the air, I decided to make myself quite comfortable by going for the relax position, which is basically a super comfy low recline position. Seats are easily accessible with the basic buttons, and the adjustments are there to be made accordingly. Like I mentioned, there is plenty of legroom in the Sky Suite III product, and I was able to knock out for a bit before touching down in Singapore. This was super helpful as I had an array of events to attend to right in the mornings.
The IFE system is very similar to the First Class entertainment - easy and also touch screen, it’s very intuitive and easy to use. Working on the plane is a breeze - there is a USB charging port as well as an universal power outlet along with other storage compartments. There’s also a S-video input, which I guess…still exists for certain game consoles?
Equipped with a lovely 23-inch screen, the screens are fairly crisp, though not as sharp as its rivals. There was a wide variety of shows for both US and international customers. The screen is also touch screen, but it’s somewhat a bit far away from an arm’s reach. There’ also a remote interfaces, but I felt it was a bit UI lacking and confusing.
There is only ONE caveat ton this seat. There’s not much storage cubbies or drawers in the seats closest to the window, which made storing items a bit of chore at times. However, given that I spent of the time eating and sleeping, it was a minor annoyance. Seats in the aisle have a small cubby and have additional places to store items.
Dining | Japan Airlines
The cabin crew was amazing as usual. I think Japan Airlines continues to serve up some of the best services during dining. It was absolutely outstanding and I would have loved to spend more time raving about their meals, but I’ll let my pictures above speak for the food.
They made rounds with some champagne - I asked for a beer as well to commemorate this super YOLO trip. Business class was given a choice of Japanese and Western menu, to which I say to everyone: get the Japanese menu. It’s so popular and so delicious you be hard-pressed NOT to get it. From freshly cut sashimi to some delectable rice to the miso fish and pork cutlet, it’s just something everyone has to get on a JAL flight.
Enjoying authentic Japanese rice, a hot bowl of miso soup and these amazing dishes while flying towards another country is something of an amazing experience. It’s even better when you get to down it with so many variations of white wine.
Dessert was a green tea cake along with a cup of coffee, to which I gladly took to stay awake. Once the service was over, I requested another bottle of water and continued to work on editing pictures and videos. It was a great way to end the meal and doze into a nap. I’ll say it again - Japan Airlines has some of the best dining experiences in the world, even besting contests against Singapore Airlines, Emirates and rivals the up and coming Starlux Airlines.
Conclusion | Japan Airlines
JAL Airlines Business Class continues to knock it out the park with their hard and soft product offerings. From boarding to flying and touching down in Singapore, it was incredibly genuine of the Japanese culture and environment. The dining.experience was delicious and top notch. Considering that this flight only costed me an extra 10,000 AA miles, I would say this trip is one of the best flight redemption that I made over these past few years of flying!
