Hello from Los Angeles! I just finished a wonderful trip to Japan with a quick 9 hour 20 minute flight from Osaka to Los Angeles on Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 business class. I booked this for just 60,000 American AAdvantage miles, which is a great deal.
When I flew Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787 Business Class in the past, I enjoyed the airline’s Apex Suite Business Class. I rate this as one of the best business class seats in the world, and the overall experience as one of the best business class products in the world.
Well, this flight was a little different. You see, some of Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787s and Boeing 777s on long-haul routes don’t have apex suites and have reverse herringbone seats. Unfortunately these left a different impression.
In this post, I wanted to share my initial thoughts about this experience. After that, you can expect a detailed trip report about your flight right away.
Japan Airlines’ uncomfortable reverse herringbone seats
My flight was operated on a Japan Airlines 787-9 with SkySuite III business class seats. I’ve seen a lot of people online complaining about how uncomfortable these particular seats are. I’m usually a fan of reverse herringbone seats, so I thought it was an exaggeration or something.
Okay, now I understand what everyone is saying. These have to be the least comfortable reverse herringbone seats in use today.
Looking at the seats, they probably look like your average reverse herringbone product and don’t seem particularly comfortable.
However, I promise you that when you recline, it feels really small and cramped. Reverse herringbone seats have evolved considerably over the years to provide more space when reclined (just look at Starlux Airlines’ new A350 business class). In bed mode, this seat felt very narrow.
As a side sleeper, I didn’t find this seat comfortable as my knees were constantly hitting the side of the seat. Japan Airlines offers excellent mattress pads, but what kept me from being comfortable was the pancake-thick pillow.
Maybe I was unlucky, but when I woke up after sleeping, I was in pain. My back hurt, my arms hurt, and my hands hurt. This is the first time I’ve felt pain in a long time. I appreciate that the cabin is kept pretty cool, but that often doesn’t happen on Japan Airlines, and given the lack of individual air nozzles, that could be an issue.
What’s puzzling is that these seats are still fairly new to Japan Airlines. Why did the airline choose this product over other superior reverse herringbone seats? Funny…
Japan Airlines’ Wi-Fi is good but entertainment is bad
There’s some good news and some bad news when it comes to entertainment on Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787 aircraft. The good news is that the airline offers Panasonic Wi-Fi, and you can purchase a full flight pass for $18.80. This is difficult to overcome, especially given the lack of data caps.
The entertainment selection on Japan Airlines is very poor, at least for those of us looking for entertainment in English, so I’m glad Wi-Fi is a good option. It also doesn’t have the same extensive selection of Hollywood sitcoms that most airlines have.
Japan Airlines food and service is very good
Although the hardware and entertainment left a bit to be desired, Japan Airlines’ software products were excellent. As expected from a Japanese airline, the service was polite and friendly. Returning to US domestic flights after flying on a Japanese airline is always difficult because the service culture is so different.
Japan Airlines’ Western food is OK, but Japan Airlines also does a great job with Japanese food. I decided on Japanese food for both dinner and breakfast on this flight, and it did not disappoint. As the main service, the meal started with drinks, as well as mixed nuts and olives. I had a glass of champagne (Duval Leroy) and his SKY TIME drink of peach and grape (one of my favorite non-alcoholic in-flight drinks).
Appetizers included a la carte dishes such as scallops, tofu, lobster, mackerel, conger conger, beef, and chicken.
The main course was chicken, eel, rice, and miso soup.
And for dessert, apple mango cake and green tea came out.
Before landing, we ate halibut, fried egg, rice, and miso soup.
Suffice it to say, this is a bit more involved than the typical domestic first class meal in the US and, frankly, a much better option than the Western options.
conclusion
I’m a big fan of Japan Airlines’ Apex Suite Business Class, but the airline’s reverse herringbone product (known as Sky Suite III) isn’t all that comfortable. This has to be one of his tightest reverse herringbone sheets, especially in bed mode. Add in very thin pillows and you didn’t get enough rest.
Fortunately, most other aspects of the experience were great, including service, food, and drinks.
Personally, I would avoid this product on future long-haul flights unless it’s the most direct option. For example, Japan Airlines is the only airline that flies between Osaka and Los Angeles, so there’s something to be said for the convenience of connections when traveling between the two cities.
If you have flown Japan Airlines’ reverse herringbone business class, what was your experience?
