Trip Report: Japan Airlines Business Class Review 787-8 New York to Tokyo

I had this trip to Asia planned about 6 months out and I was super excited it was finally underway and that I’ll get to do this Japan Airlines business class review. Japan Airlines started rolling out their JAL SKY SUITE 787 recently and I was happy to learn that my flight was offering it.

 

Flight Details:

Japan Airlines 3
New York (JFK) – Tokyo (NRT)
Depart: 9:15am
Arrive: 1:25PM +1day
Aircraft: BOEING 787-8 (Dreamliner)
Seat:8A

Booking Japan Airlines Business Class:

I booked this flight several months before it departs for only 55,000 American AAdvantage miles; 50,000 of which I earned from the sign-up bonus on my Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® – it would’ve been 50,000 American AAdvantage miles if Tokyo was my final destination. Since I was connecting to Hong Kong a few hours later, the total for this flight and the flight to Hong Kong was 55,000 American AAdvantage miles. Unfortunately, these prices change starting March 22nd after AAdvantage miles devaluation.

Airport and Lounge:

Japan Airlines departs from Terminal 1 at JFK. There were already a few people lined up at the check-in counter and there were no agents at the counters! Once the agents came and greeted us with a bow (which I thought was very cute) the check in process moved very quickly.

 

After moving quickly through the business/first class security line we went to the Air France lounge – Japan Airlines uses this lounge since the Sakura lounge closed a while back.

 

 

 

 

The lounge has a shower which is a great option if you have a long layover

 

 

The food selection wasn’t amazing but the drink selection made up for it :). There were two cold sandwich options and two hot items available – noodles and rice.There was also some fruits, yogurts and cereals.

 

 

 

I opted for a mimosa and a few small bites since I knew how much food I was expecting to get on the plane.

 

Japan Airlines 787 Business Class Cabin

Boarding began on time and I quickly found my seat 8A. I instantly noticed the amount of privacy that each seat has regardless if it was a window seat or an aisle seat. Japan Airlines business class cabin on the 787 consists of 38 open suites that are 25.5 inches wide and have a pitch of 74 inches and are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration.

 

 

There is a nicely stocked snack bar in between the two business class cabins

 

The Seat

I was very happy with my window seat which offered extra privacy especially if i raised the middle partition separating the window seat and the aisle seat, but my wife wouldn’t appreciate that idea :). Even tho the seats are staggered a bit and my seat was a little ahead of my wife’s seat, it wasn’t an issue when trying to talk to each other.

 

There’s a ton of leg room

 

Each seat had a universal power outlet and a USB port

 

The seat controls were simple and easy to use

 

The seat itself is quite comfortable but you can ask for JAL’s amazing airweave mattress pad to make it even more comfortable, especially for sleeping.

 

Amenities

There was a pillow and a very plush blanket waiting at every seat as we boarded, along with a pair of slippers and noise cancelling headphones.

 

A few minutes after boarding we were offered a Zero Halliburton amenity kit and a cardigan. Even tho i’m 6’1″ and my wife is 5’0″, it seems like we were both offered the same size cardigan. It fit my wife pretty nicely, which means it was short sleeves for me 🙂

 

The Halliburton pouch itself is very nice and it contained a moisture mask, toothbrush, eye mask, ear plugs, tissues and lip balm.

 

Japan Airlines Business Class Food and Beverage

Shortly after boarding we were given a hot towel and a choice of champagne, water or orange juice.

 

We were also given the menu and asked to choose between the Japanese or Western set menu.

 

 

 

JAL serves Delamotte Brut champagne along with several white and red wines, spirits and cocktails.

 

Food service started shortly after take off when I ordered another glass of champagne to go with the amuse-bouche of smoked salmon with shallot confit and dill cream next to mushroom flan with feta cheese and truffle oil.

 

Since I picked the Japanese menu, for appetizers I was served nine delicacies in “Kobachi” bowls which were interesting and mostly delicious if you’re into trying new things.

 

For the main meal, I got the grilled beef steak “Yuzu Miso” flavor with steamed rice, miso soup and Japanese pickles.

 

 

After the meal, I had the guava panna cotta for dessert and I ordered green tea to go with it.

 

A few hours later, my wife and I shared the yellowtail teriyaki bowl and the pork cutlet sandwich from the “Anytime You Wish” menu

 

 

A little while later I ordered the fresh fruit platter and ice cream with Baileys Irish Cream to go along with it.

 

Finally, prior to landing I ordered the Japanese seafood curry with steamed rice

 

In-Flight Entertainment

Each seat has a large 23 inch screen which is a great size given the distance from the seat in an upright position and the screen. Japan Airlines offers plenty of shows and movies in a variety of languages.

 

 

 

You can select what to watch from the touch screen remote which is very convenient and responsive since the screen is too far to touch.

 

I really enjoyed that I can watch the airshow on the controller while a movie was playing on the main screen.

 

 

The airshow had several features and views you can customize to your liking while playing on the main screen.

 

Japan Airlines offers wifi on this flight for very reasonable prices.

 

 

On this flight, I would go with the flight plan for ~$19 of the 13 hour flight especially when the 3 hour plan costs ~$14

 

Bottom Line:

At just 55,000 American AAdvantage miles plus a few dollars in taxes, this flight was unbeatable. The seat is very private and the bed is pretty comfortable. Service was great, flight attendants were very attentive and helpful. Overall, the food and drink selection was good with plenty to choose from. The entertainment was also great especially given the availability of wifi.
If you have any questions please tweet me @pointspointers, email me at pointspointers@gmail.com or comment below.

Have you flown Japan Airlines business class before? What was your experience like?

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