Flight review: Japan Airlines 787-8 business class (Seattle to Tokyo–Narita) [SEA to NRT] Upgraded to Economy, October 4, 2024October 4, 2024 In late August 2024, I had the opportunity to fly to Japan from Seattle and back in business class on Japan Airlines. I started and ended my time in Japan with trans-Pacific business class on JAL. Here is my experience onboard! How I booked this flight I booked my original set of flights 11 months in advance and later did a T-14 switch where I swapped one of the flights to depart a bit earlier. I used 60,000 AAdvantage miles each way for business class plus about $50 in taxes. Here is the email I was sent for the return flight that I booked. (The outbound leg was similar in taxes and also cost 60,000 AAdvantage miles.) Checking in and boarding Check-in was at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport a few days after the Port of Seattle was the victim of a massive cyberattack that brought down many systems and forced the baggage systems to be handled manually. Economy check-in got a little crazy… and this was the line 3 hours before boarding began! Thankfully, check-in for people with oneworld status/who were in business class was very fast, and I was the very next person in line. With my oneworld Emerald status, I was able to use the line reserved for top-tier JAL status holders, even higher than business class. I will never forget my special cyberattack boarding pass… Boarding and departure were both delayed by 30 minutes due to the cyberattack. The actual check-in process was a bit annoying. And it wasn’t really because of the cyberattack; in fact, JAL had their passenger manifests and everything else already prepared. Instead, it was the check-in agent who I was dealing with. I said my final destination was Narita and the check-in agent asked me whether I was staying in Narita or going somewhere else in Japan. What do you think? Lounge The lounge of choice provided by Japan Airlines was The Club in the S Concourse. While this is the most proximate lounge to the boarding gate, S8, it is most certainly not the best lounge at SEA. My alternatives are a lot better. As always, I have access to the Centurion Lounge as an Amex Platinum cardholder. However, as this is an international flight on a oneworld carrier and I have Alaska MVP Gold 75K status, I also get to access the Alaska Lounge. So I made my way to the signature Alaska Lounge at SEA in the N Concourse, for the first time ever. I was excited and wasn’t disappointed! Here’s a sneak peek: A full review for the lounge will be posted separately. Boarding Unlike other airlines (coughCondorcough), JAL’s boarding was as Japanese as you’d expect—very orderly, with instructions on where each person should stand. Pre-departure, the seat, and the amenities As soon as I walked in, I was immediately greeted kindly by the polite and cheery JAL flight attendants. This plane features the Apex Suites hard product, which was apparently rated the best business class product of 2013. Admittedly the heyday of this seat is over, but it remains an innovative seat. The seat configuration is 2-2-2, but all seats have direct aisle access. I picked a window seat, 4K, in the forward business class cabin, meaning I’d have several windows to myself. I had a neighbor, but between us, we had a privacy partition, which made the experience feel just as private as 1-2-1 business class seats. The only downside is that, if you hate your neighbor, you’ll have to deal with them when the partition is kept down during takeoff and landing. However, thankfully, my neighbor was very nice to talk with and I genuinely felt a little guilty when I raised my partition to begin sleeping. A video of my seat The seat itself and the room I had to navigate in felt a bit narrow, especially for someone who’s as bulky as me, but I had plenty of space to stretch out. Here’s the view of the privacy partition and the TV screen. We were provided with a decently soft pillow wrapped in decent cloth. Thankfully it’s not the scratchy kind they give you in economy class. The blanket provided is thin but soft, which is perfect considering the cabin air is kept so warm onboard JAL and there’s no personal air vents on the plane. Headphones were provided but were generic and had some degree of noise canceling. And what else makes a business class experience better if not slippers? An amenity kit was kindly provided too! Inside were a variety of things: a toothbrush, pocket tissue, ear plugs, an eye mask for sleeping, and a nifty phone holder. (Not pictured is the JAL charging cable provided in my amenity kit on my return flight, which for some reason was different from this one.) I really liked these amenities! As we settled in, a flight attendant walked by and offered me a cardigan to use for the full duration of the flight. Isn’t that cool? I put it on and loved it! We also got some pre-departure beverages. As champagne was not offered, I chose orange juice. Seat controls—for the recline, partition, and lighting—were located conveniently to my side. They were a bit confusing to use, because I still don’t know what that middle wave button tucked in the lower back portion of the seat diagram means. Instead I just stuck with using the top three buttons to set the seat to tried-and-true presets. The touchscreen remote is to the side of the seat. As it is technology from over 10 years ago, the touchscreen system isn’t considered very good for 2024 standards. Furthermore, the on-screen “order from menu” option was unavailable throughout the whole flight. (I could not take a photo of the remote screen due to the glare.) I was still able to enjoy the big screen for tracking my flight. I also watched the movie “IF” starring Steve Carell. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi service was not available during this flight due to technical difficulties. Meal service The menu is provided in English and Japanese, with the alcohol selections listed first and followed by the proper meals. Alcohol: Meal menus: Dinner menus Post-dinner à la carte dining It is literally impossible to go hungry or thirsty on JAL. First, you get to choose between two hearty meals: a Japanese-style washoku dinner, or a Western dinner, which they call international cuisine. After the dinner meal service is finished, you can order whatever you want, as much as you want, whenever you want from the à la carte menu until 1 hour 30 minutes before landing. That means you will never go hungry in the middle of the flight. All the while, you can try all of their champagnes, wines, whiskeys, and sakes throughout the flight. The à la carte menu literally blew my mind. My flight became a dilemma of whether I wanted to enjoy my sleep on the lie-flat seat or whether I wanted to eat to my heart’s content. Zeroth world problems!!! Dinner service My warm towel to start off the meal service, provided to me as I was filling out my customs declaration. Soon after takeoff, we were able to select our drinks and our meals. I picked the washoku dinner and some freshly-opened champagne to start with. This was immediately accompanied with warmed nuts and olives. 15-30 minutes later, I got a refill of that guzzled-down champagne and my appetizers! They gave me a chopsticks holder that resembled an origami crane. Isn’t that cool? Then, my main course was served with miso soup and steamed white rice wrapped in paper. I do not have pictures of the dessert; I don’t have an impression of it, which is kind of a shame. Lavatory As in all JAL lavatories, a bidet toilet is available, along with mouthwash and toothbrush sets. The business class lavatories feature nice lotion and perfume too. Mid-flight dining After my dinner, I went to sleep. After a few hours, I woke up and went into the galley. There was a wine bottle opened, some Japanese snacks to take, and some chocolates we could help ourselves to. However, I wanted to try out the à la carte dining. First up, some tonkotsu-flavored miso ramen with water, sake, and champagne, which I enjoyed while watching Jet Lag: The Game Season 11. After that, I tried to order the seasoned rice with chicken and vegetables, but it seems like it was lost in translation and I was given the vegetable lasagna instead. I also selected the assorted cheese platter. I did try to order a lot of things but eventually settled on just having the fruits and ice cream. Before landing, the windows were undimmed, and I was given an opportunity to select one last meal. I went with the Japanese meal, which was grilled salmon, rice, miso, and braised hijiki seaweed. I had that with a Japanese whiskey. Landing While I was glad to arrive in Japan, I was really sad the flight had come to an end. Meal service ended, privacy partitions had to be raised, windows couldn’t be dimmed anymore, my cardigan had to be returned, and our seats had to be put back upright again. But before we landed, the crew handed out a gentle steam eye mask that’s great for sleep! The flight attendants gave it to us as souvenirs from the flight. It turned out that they probably forgot to hand it out to us during the actual flight, as I was handed this on my return flight after dinner service. Oops. Closing thoughts Overall, I had a blast flying trans-Pacific JAL Business Class between Seattle and Tokyo–Narita. I was surely wined and dined the whole time. And sure, the Apex Suites might not be the newest product in the sky. However, it did the job well for me, gave me comfortable sleep, and was fun to sit in. Could things have been better? Yes. The Wi-Fi didn’t work (although I tried it in a future flight and it was pretty good), the media selection on the TV could’ve been better suited for American tastes, and it would have been nice if the remote’s menu ordering option actually worked. The biggest complaint I have is with the destination airport. If this flight could fly to Haneda instead of Narita, it would’ve been a lot more convenient. However, due to historical reasons, Japan Airlines had to make room for other flights to depart from Haneda and this one was relegated to Narita. Oh well. I booked this flight with 60,000 miles plus $50. For the price, I think I got a really good deal. I loved this experience and felt like it was well worth the effort I invested to find this deal, book it, and wait a whole year to take it. I can’t wait to book my next JAL trans-Pacific flight in business class! 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