Itinerary:
LAS-LAX 05/30/25 07:05-08:25
LAX-HND 05/30/25 13:40-17:25(+1)
The American AAdvantage program prices all international tickets the same, regardless of where in the US you originate from. So a Saver Award from LAX to NRT costs the same as an itinerary with three legs. part about AA is that once you book a flight, you are able to add or remove legs without changing the price of the award ticket.
This was Business Class on a combined OneWorld award itinerary, but I had to add an additional leg due to an unscheduled detour in LAS. It required a call AA and add the LAS-LAX leg in First for free. Because I’ve previously written about American Airlines First Class, I’ll skip writing additional details on that short leg here. Instead, I’ll focus on Japan Airlines’ unique Business Class concept.
I had never flown JAL before, though I had heard some fantastic things about their food and service. Let me tell you – it lives up to all the hype.
Boarding + Seat
Japanese companies are known for their efficiency. JAL boards their B777 widebodies just 30 minutes before departure! A sharp contrast from the US and their 50 minute lead times. There was no way we’d leave on-time…right?
Well I was dead wrong. We ended up leaving 5 minutes early – which means we boarded, sat down, closed the door, and pushed back in 25 minutes…talk about true efficiency!
There’s something to be said about just how organized everything was. The first boarding groups were allowed to line up while the rest of the passengers patiently waited for their group to be called. Gate agents were all holding signs with information on lines and group numbers, making it abundantly clear what our status was. I boarded with Group 2 and was in my seat in minutes
JALs B777-300ER Business Class product is in a 2-3-2 configuration, which sounds really weird to most people who are used to reverse herringbone seats. How could a 7-across configuration be comfortable in Y, let alone J?! To make it even more interesting, every seat has direct aisle access (and the middle seat has access to BOTH aisles).
Most herringbone configurations or similar utilize full width by turning the seat 45 degrees, but thereby reducing the seat width in the process. The footwell of your seat is the desk/console of the seat in front. This creates the occasional in the first rows.
In contrast, JAL utilizes the entire length of the seat facing fully forward, but puts two seats next to each other (slightly staggered front and back) with a privacy partition in between. I was able to choose an “inside” seat during booking, which was extremely private. I felt like I had walls around all three sides, even without a true “suite door”.
The entertainment system is quite far, but the remote next to the seat controls all the movies, shows, and games. The seat also has USB and standard power plugs for charging devices. I found it to be a little bit far away, especially when the tray table was down.
Speaking of tray table, this might have been one of the largest non-folding tables I’ve ever seen. It comes out from the seat’s center console and is completely flat. But when stowed, it’s completely out of the way – no obstructions whatsoever when trying to sleep!
Now let me focus on the seat for a moment. The seat can be adjusted in every direction imaginable. You can move the headrest, the legrest, and the main seat separately from each other. But see the blue button below? That’s actually a MASSAGE function, which is also fully adjustable based on level and intensity. What an absolutely insane feature for an airplane seat!
Before long, we started our pushback from the gate and made our way towards the runway.
Food & Drink
The menu is quite extensive, with both a Washoku and International (Western) menu. While I’d love a good Chilean Sea Bass, it’s always better to choose the Japanese set meals when flying Japanese carriers. They are thoughtful, intricate, and super tasty!
It’s nice to see airlines feature the professional chefs they work with to curate their menus. Japan Airlines has a whole section of the menu with pictures of the chefs and sommeliers on the page, which adds a nice personal touch!
The drink menu was equally as impressive. Multiple Japanese and international whiskey, wine, sake, shochu, beer, and coffee options. There’s definitely going to be something that satisfies your fancy.
I decided on the Washoku menu for my main meal, which definitely did not disappoint!
The “block” of rice might be the funniest part of all for me. I did like the plastic “origami” chopstick rest. Everything was thoughtful and plated beautifully.
Even the fruit plate was prettier than anything that I could ever put together at home.
All in all, a great meal, thoughtful menu, comfortable seat, and I slept for about 4 hours on a non-overnight flight. In my book, that’s a win and it allowed me to have enough energy to head into town for a meal during my short layover.