Intro
Following a disappointing flight on board the Japan Airlines A350-1000 in Business Class from Los Angeles, the next flight of the day was on board a 767 in Domestic Business Class over to Osaka (ITM).
Going into this, I had actually booked to fly over to Itami instead of Kansai, primarily due to the fact of flying the 767-300, which is becoming a rarity in today's world. How was it? Despite the ineffectiveness of the previous flight on service regards, I am pleased to report that this flight was exceptional. Let’s dive in.
Routing
JLA35K Business LAX-HND (DONE)
JL 767 Business HND-ITM
JL 787 Business KIX-BKK
MU A320neo Economy BKK-PKX
MU A330-300 Economy PKX-SVO
FV Sukhoi Superjet Economy SVO-LED
Grand Express Train Business LED-MOW
SU A321 Economy SVO-KZN
SU A320 Economy KZN-SVO
SU A321 Economy SVO-KJA
SU A350 Business KJA-SVO
EY 787-9 Business SVO-AUH
EY 777-300ER Business AUH-BKK
CX A321neo BKK-HKG
UA 787-9 Polaris Business HKG-LAX
UA 737 Economy LAX-DEN
UA 737 MAX 9 Domestic First DEN-EWR
How I Booked
Getting to Russia is a challenge these days from the West Coast of the United States, and the most straightforward routing is never the one I want to take 😅. With zero mileage space on OW, *A, and Skyteam (a lot of frequent flyer programs block routes to Russia), I had to settle for getting as close as I could and reviewing plenty of products.
So, for 70K American Airlines miles, I ended up booking the following:
Japan Airlines A350-1000 Business Class LAX-HND
Japan Airlines Boeing 767-300 Business Class (Domestic) HND-ITM
Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8 Business Class KIX-BKK
Considering all three flights came out to 70K AA Miles, this isn’t a bad deal. It’s interesting, though, as JL uses married segment logic, so the LAX-HND was solely unavailable, but adding another destination opened up space. Expert tip there for you 😉.
However, keep in mind that this ticket can be booked for about 130 USD one-way in Business. Not bad…
JAL Sakura Lounge
Prior to departure, I had time to stop off at the Sakura Lounge. Here is my recap from the lounge:
This lounge certainly isn't cutting edge by any means, but for the purpose it serves, it is perfect. With almost zero food options being the only downside, this is more of a glorified waiting room to freshen up after a long day at the office and enjoy a nice beer before your flight. Considering how efficient the domestic flying experience is in Japan, there is no need to show up 2 hours early for your flight, maybe show up 30 minutes before boarding…
So yeah, this isn't the Delta One Lounge, but that's not how it is designed…
It is a pretty space though…
With a smoking room.
Boarding
Finishing up at the JAL Sakura Lounge, I headed off around 7:00 pm for our new scheduled boarding time of 7:00. Seeing as the aircraft had just arrived, late, from Osaka, I knew it would be delayed a couple of minutes.
First thoughts: efficiency??? My gosh, put it this way: Group 1 was called (OW Emerald and First Class passengers) right at 7:05 pm, Group 2 was called at 7:08, and by 7:15, boarding was complete. United boards their 767s a whopping 50 minutes before departure, so this is exceptional JAL.
The Seat/Cabin
On most 767s these days, whether it be LATAM, United, or Delta, you will generally find lie-flat seats in business. Heck, even the international 767s that Japan Airlines offer have lie-flat seats. However, Japan Airlines has configured a certain subfleet of 787s, A350s, and 767s that are in a regional setup.
There is one row of “First Class” set up in a 2-1-2 configuration, while behind that, you will find 42 “Business Class” seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. Luxury? No, but you get what you pay for. A lie-flat seat would require much more room, and these seats are basic but comfortable for such a short flight.
Sorry for not getting the cabin shots this time
Minus a remote that works for, well, nothing, you will find a tray table that pulls out from the armrest and a recline button. Extremely barebones, but functional.
For reference, you will not get these on long-hauls.
Departure
While I was unable to secure a window seat due to my last-minute booking, I did manage to snag an empty pair of middle seats, which worked perfectly for this flight. As soon as the cabin doors were closed (12 minutes late), the purser on today's flight came on to profusely apologize for the delay. I guess with most things being on time in Japan, it really is a rarity to have a delay.
We ended up pushing back 15 minutes late, had a quick taxi out, and rocketed out of runway 16R on a fine summer's evening.
IFE/WIFI
Not expecting much (what do you think, that I do some sort of research??? 😅), I headed over to my wifi settings on my phone and found wifi available. Okay, seen this drill before, how much will it cost???
I’m quite impressed with JAL here, as while most people were sleeping on this flight, I became extremely productive for the 48 minutes of airtime. Perfect for business travelers.
Drinks Service
As soon as we hit 10,000 feet, the bell went off and the cabin crew snapped into action. Serving this many people on a 48-minute flight is tough, and Thai Airways has done it before on my Phnom Penh leg, but today we would only be offered a drinks service (First gets a snack).
A quick menu was distributed as the crew came around, and the options consisted of tea, coffee, water, and a few other options. With a couple of Asahi’s in the lounge, I decided on a cup of water to hydrate.
I mean, it was water.
Lavatories
Unfortunately, unlike the single row of "First Class", there were no dedicated cabins for business class as they were shared with economy. While you will find two in the aft of the business class cabin, there were quite long waits usually.
Arrival
25 minutes into the flight, the captain came on to announce that we would be descending into Osaka shortly, and that the cabin crew should prepare the cabin for arrival.
We had a couple of twists and turns due to some traffic ahead of us (tracking off of the free wifi, ha), but we ended up touching down and pulling into our gate 12 minutes late. Not bad at all. Time to head off to Kansai to take yet another redeye!
Now I have to figure out this subway thing, as taxi's cost more than my child support (joking, I don't have a kid).
Thanks for reading!
