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REVIEWS

Not Quite as Good as

Last Year: Japan
Airlines in Business
Class on the 777-
300ER
Zach Griff
Aug. 21, 2019 • 14 min read

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[tpg_rating tpg-rating-score="81" ground-

experience="8" cabin-seat="21" amens-
ife="6" food-bev="23" service="23"
pros="Impressive, varied food and
beverage selection, personalized service
that shines." cons="Aging aircraft with
outdated IFE and Wi-Fi, seat lacks storage
space." /]

To complete my trip around the world, I

decided to see if Japan Airlines' business
class really lived up to the hype. After all,
TPG Reviews Editor Nick Ellis praised the
hard product and the restaurant-quality
food, so I was curious to see how my
experience would compare a year later.

In fact, this product was even a nominee

for the world's best international business-
class product at the first-ever TPG Awards
in December, so I decided to fly six hours in
economy from Bangkok (BKK) to Tokyo
Haneda (HND) to position myself for the
flight from Haneda to New York JFK in
business.

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What follows is my take on the product

that scored 83 points last year.

Booking
JAL's business class is within reach for
most points-and-miles collectors. As it's a
Oneworld member airline, you can redeem
American Airlines AAdvantage miles or
British Airways Avios for this 6,772-mile
flight. Since BA charges based on flight
distance, you're looking at 108,250 Avios
plus applicable taxes ($168.93).

I'd definitely recommend using AAdvantage

miles, if you have some lying around. They
charge a reasonable 60,000 miles and
$49.83 in taxes. Plus, you can now search
for JAL awards on American's website.

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Another good way to redeem points for this

flight is through is Alaska's MileagePlan. If
you want to replicate my booking, you can
redeem 60,000 Alaska miles for this flight
with minimal taxes ($62.03).

If you find yourself low on AAdvantage or

Alaska miles, both programs frequently sell
miles at a significant discount. With
revenue tickets often topping $5,000 round
trip, you could score a deal by purchasing
Alaska miles at 1.97 cents each, which
would equate to paying about $1,200 for
the one-way flight.

JAL makes a good number of award seats

available to partners when it opens its
schedule 360 days before departure and
then again within one or two weeks of the
flight. You shouldn't have too much of an
issue finding award seats if you're flexible.

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[flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-

section="Ground Experience" tpg-rating="8"
tpg-rating-max="10" tail="JA732J" age="16"
departure="11" departure-2="05"
duration="11" duration-2="45" live-tv="0"
tailcam="0" headphones="0" comp-
alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-
service="0" /]

Relative to the chaos that was Bangkok's

Suvarnabhumi Airport, the check-in
process at Haneda felt like entering a
library. It was efficient, with just one person
ahead of me in the dedicated business-
class check-in line.

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Not Quite as Good as Last Year: Japan Airlines in

Business Class on the 777-300ER

After the agent issued my boarding pass, a

contract worker came by to ask a few
security questions mandated by the TSA,
such as when I packed my bag and
whether I had accepted any gifts of behalf
of someone else.

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My AvGeek eye caught sight of a sign

pointing toward an observation deck, and
with plenty of time to spare, I decided to
check it out. I braved the light rain to catch
a glimpse of the international departure
apron and runways 16R/24L in the
distance.

Had the weather been better and the fence

a bit lower, I would've spent more time up
there, but instead I decided to head back
inside to check out lounges.

I was surprised that JAL business-class

passengers didn't have access to the
priority security lane, which was reserved
for JAL first-class passengers and elite
frequent flyers. Fortunately, there wasn't
much of a line, but this was certainly the
first time I've been denied entry to priority
security with a business-class ticket.

Once I was airside, my first stop was the

Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge, on the
fourth floor of the terminal near Gate 112.

The bilevel lounge was light and airy and

featured a buffet of Japanese and Western
foods.

As I was traveling alone, I found the

luggage storage area to be useful. I locked
up my bags as I explored the lounge and
rest of the terminal.

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The first floor featured two main sitting

areas: one larger with mixed seating
arrangements near the buffet and a
smaller, interior overflow area. Both got
very crowded as the morning bank of
flights was scheduled to leave.

The breakfast buffet featured mostly

Japanese dishes, including grilled
mackerel, spicy seasoned cod roe and
shrimp spring rolls.

There were plenty of showers and

changing rooms on the first floor.

As the lounge got crowded, I transitioned

to the more secluded area upstairs.

I preferred the various furniture

arrangements there anyway, as I found
them more conducive to working.