After a long weekend shopping and eating in Tokyo, I needed a way to get back to Bangkok and with just 40,000 American Airlines miles required to fly Japan Airlines’ (JAL) first class product on their Boeing 777-300, was there really any other option? What surprised me most about the booking process was that there were multiple dates and even multiple times available to book first class with miles. I even managed to call and change my departure date to be a day earlier without any issue.
Check-in at the airport is always a breeze in Japan, but having access to the first-class counter, where a series of sliding doors and sitting areas were scattered en route to private security, made it even easier. Post-security, it was straight to the First Class Sakura Lounge.
The Sakura First Class Lounge at Haneda Airport
Japan Airlines’ first-class lounge at Haneda is spacious and spotless. However, my two biggest gripes are that it doesn’t feel particularly different from their business class lounges, and that the champagne was way too hard to find! At most of the food and beverage areas, they serve English sparkling wine (yikes!), which goes back to my first point of it not feeling as much as a first-class lounge as, say, Al-Safwa in Doha or The Pier in Hong Kong. Last time I was at The Pier, there were three different types of champagne open at the self-serve bar!
To get to the bubbles, you have to find your way to the aviation-themed champagne speakeasy, where there are bottles of self-serve Joseph Perrier on ice (there’s a foosball table back there as well). Again, I would have expected something swankier from a first-class lounge. I had one glass of bubbles, not wanting to indulge too heavily because I knew what awaited me on the plane.
The other unique aspect of the lounge is that you can enjoy made-to-order sushi. There are other lounges out there that do sushi, but that stuff I wouldn’t touch with a bargepole. In Japan, however, lounge sushi is another story. The menu is said to change every day, but on the day of my flight, they were making akami (lean bluefin tuna), seared Spanish mackerel with ponzu jelly, and a futomaki (fat roll with egg).
It was more of a novelty than a life-changing sushi experience, but the number of lounges in the world that serve bluefin tuna is probably quite limited. After my three pieces, it was time to board and hit the road for Bangkok.
The First Class Seat on JAL’s Boeing 777
The first class cabin on JAL’s Boeing 777 is arranged in a 1-2-1 layout of two rows and as the window seats were already taken, I had one of the middle seats. There was a divider which kept it from being awkward with the woman sitting next to me. If you are traveling with someone you know, you can put the divider down.
The leather recliner was comfortable and spacious but I am glad that JAL has introduced a new first class cabin on its Airbus 350-1000 which I hope to try in the not too distant future.
At the seat was a bottle of water, an amenity kit, a leather-clad menu, and a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. While the amenity kit is unisex, JAL also provides a Shisedo trial kit with male or female amenities, which is a nice touch. I used my Shisedo cosmetic products for the next week and loved the smell although I certainly wouldn’t be able to justify splurging for such expensive facial cleanser! There is plenty of storage space at the seat and one of the side compartments opens to reveal a remote for the television as well as a mirror.
The Food and Beverage in JAL’s First Class Cabin
The catering on Japan Airlines ex-Tokyo is some of the best food I’ve had on a plane in recent memory, which should not come as too much of a surprise. I always go for the local option when flying airlines in Asia.
The meal service started with a terrine and a prawn, then came five Japanese appetizers which included fried tilefish, wagyu beef, conger eel, and cod milt. Next came a soup and the caviar and Ise lobster course. The caviar didn’t blow me away, but was fun to eat all the same. The lobster, on the other hand, was tender, flavorful and left me wanting more. Then came the Japanese teishoku-style entree, which had the main dish, simmered chicken, rice, pickles and miso soup. After that, a fruit plate and a lavender panna cotta. My arm was twisted after the first dessert to have a second Japanese one, a warabimochi. I had a lovely Royal Blue Tea along with it, and if you ever have a chance to savor this super premium oolong tea, stored in a wine bottle and served in a wine glass, I highly recommend it. Later in the flight, I had to have some ramen as well! A little salty, but hit the spot.
All delicious, all perfectly plated, all restaurant quality. Lots of delicious options showcasing the broad range of Japanese flavors and textures. Exactly what you want from your flag carrier.
On the adult beverage side of things, every JAL first-class flight loads just a single bottle of Salon champagne. The vintage for my flight was 2013. With eight passengers in a fully loaded first class, this doesn’t seem to be enough, as I am sure there are flights where each passenger wants a glass. I tried asking for a refill and was denied in the most polite way possible, with the lovely flight attendant acting like it was the literal end of the world that they had run out. Luckily, they stocked plenty of Billecart Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé 2012, which I drank for the rest of the flight.
The First Class Service on Japan Airlines
From start to finish, every person I interacted with on my trip, from the agent who checked me in to the lounge staff to the flight crew, was efficient, demure, attentive and helpful. There are some folks who give JAL and All Nippon Airways (ANA) a hard time because some flight attendants have subpar English abilities. However, the crew in charge of my flights was more than proficient in English and one spoke Thai as well. Not going to see that on American Airlines!
The flight attendants were quick in bringing over a pre-departure beverage and were speedy in delivering one course after the next as well as clearing it away. They were proactive in offering tea, water and champagne refills as well.
They also did a phenomenal job in cleaning up the cabin over the course of the flight, and at one point, I saw them using a piece of tape to pick up any tiny crumbs or other pieces of detritus that fell on the floor.
The bottom line
I don’t see myself ever buying a first-class ticket (barring some kind of crazy error fare), especially for a daytime flight. However, at just 40,000 AAdvantage miles, I don’t think there is any way to describe it but an absolute steal. There was no business class availability but had there been, I probably would have splurged the extra 10k for a little caviar and a roomier seat.
JAL continues to excel, no matter what cabin you are in. As I mentioned before, I will be looking to fly their new A350-1000 in the hopefully not too distant future. Until then, their first class offering on their Boeing 777-300ER is a reliable and delightful way to travel.
