Reviews Tom Otley
JAPAN AIRLINES B777-300ER
JAL IS INTRODUCING new seating in all four of its cabins on the new B777-300ER aircraft entering service on the London to Tokyo Narita route. It also has a joint business with its Oneworld partner, British Airways, which serves Narita and Haneda daily.
PREMIUM ECONOMY
CHECK-IN & LOUNGE: The flight time is around 11 hours and 30 minutes from London to Tokyo, and JL402 departing at 7pm being an overnight flight, I was keen to see if I could sleep in the new premium economy seat. Check-in was swift, with premium economy having its own line, and no one in front of me (I could have checked-in online up to 72 hours before the flight). JAL uses the BA Lounge (labelled Oneworld on some signage), and premium economy fliers have access to the business lounge there. THE SEAT: The new premium economy seat is called Sky Premium. The cabin is made up of five rows configured 2-4-2. This is a good size seat with 42in of pitch, in contrast to 38in in the previous version. It looks functional rather than stylish, but is comfortable for sitting and also reclining to sleep, where the seat slides forward by an extra 2.8in compared with the previous premium economy seat. Two
buttons allow for the seat to be reclined within its shell (so not disturbing the person behind) and for raising the leg rest. In addition, there is a footrest with three different height settings under the seat in front, which allows for many different permutations of position. There is a small pocket between the seats with a netting pocket for objects such as glasses cases (one for each seat), though I think it’s really for the bottle of water we were given. I liked the way there was a privacy-divider at head height between the seats; and, for sleeping, the headrest has wings. Waiting at your seat are flight slippers with a shoehorn, a pillow and a blanket in a plastic bag. WORK & PLAY: Between the seats are the power sockets (US adapters needed for UK plugs) which allowed me to power up or keep powered various electrical devices. The tray table folds out but also slides towards you, and is a good size and very strong – no vibrating as I typed on my laptop. There is a fixed in-flight entertainment (IFE) screen in the back of the seat in front, unless you are in the front row, in which case the IFE screen comes out
Premium economy
of the arm of your seat. There is a USB slot below the screen with a yellow socket for video. The IFE could be controlled either by touching the screen or using the small but elegant handheld controller, and there was a good choice of recent and classic films on JEN – the JAL Entertainment Network – including many international choices and different languages. FOOD & DRINK: On the overnight flight, there is a full meal service, snacks available through the night such as noodle ‘Udon de Sky’, and, prior to arrival, a breakfast of peach pancake with mixed berry compote, croissant and fruit yoghurt, along with tea and coffee. VERDICT: One of the most spa- cious and comfortable premium economy seats on offer – lots of leg room, and easy to sleep or work in.
BUSINESS CLASS
118 Business class
CHECK-IN & LOUNGE: At Narita Terminal 2, JAL has two sets of lounges in the main terminal. Head for the new ones upstairs – they are quieter but have all the same facilities: hot and cold food, drinks and free wifi. THE SEAT: JAL’s new business class has a unique layout, with a BE Aerospace designed-and- built fully-flat business class seat. There are two cabins for business class, though the front cabin has only one row (row 5) of seats. There is then a galley
and the main cabin, which goes from rows 7 to 12. The seating configuration is 2-3-2, being AC- DEG-HK, with all seats having direct access to the aisle. The main cabin has washrooms at the front and the back (though note, the ones at the back of the cabin are also used by the premium economy cabin). WORK & PLAY: Each seat has its own power socket (US and EU power) as well as a video input and USB port. The Thales IFE system is top notch, and allows you to have different things showing on the handheld screen and the main screen, though this can get very complicated. FOOD & DRINK: Outstanding. There is a choice of Japanese and Western food. The Western menu was created by chef Chikara Yamada, and included a main dish choice of hamburger steak with truffle, or bouillabaisse in tartelette. The Japanese menu had nine seasonal dishes in Kobachi bowls, including steamed anglerfish liver and turnip with soy vinegar jelly, simmered abalone with cabbage roll, and olive flounder rolled with kelp, steamed fish mousse and black bean. Drinks include Duval- Leroy champagne and Chateau Peyrabon Haut-Medoc 2004. VERDICT: The seat is very comfortable, the IFE state of the art, and the service good, but the food offering raised this flight to something truly special – probably the best I have tasted in business class.
MARCH/APRIL 2013
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