Avis du vol entre Osaka et Bangkok en classe Affaires avec Japan Airlines

Intro

Following a disappointing flight on the JAL A350 and a productive flight on the Domestic 767, it was time to take the third and final flight of this booking. Surprisingly, prior to this flight, I had flown every aircraft in the JAL fleet, minus the 787-8, due to the angled-flat seats and well, usually on the -9.

But I’ve gotta say: after 5 hours onboard this aircraft, I would seek out the 788 over any other aircraft type in the Japan Airlines fleet. The seats are not rock-hard, there are overhead air vents, and the mini-cabin is perfect for a red-eye. Let’s jump in! 

Special Bonus of the brand new KIX Lounge!

Routing

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Rest of:

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

Getting From ITM TO KIX

Landing so late in the evening, let me walk you through what I did exactly if someone is going through the same scenario, and hoping to catch the redeye to Bangkok.

Back in the day, no, that doesn’t sound right.

In a far, far land away, no, neither does that.

Okay, upon arrival, I headed out of the baggage claim and followed the signs to the “subway”. With not a clue in the world where I was going, I used Google Maps and eventually found the train that departed from Platform 2, not Platform 1.

 I found the right one eventually… I'm new to Japan give me a break please 🙏

Taking the train about 6 stops, I got off at Osaka Station, and was going to attempt to catch another train to Kansai, when I came across a sign saying “airport limousine”. Perfect? Well, at this point, it was 9:15 pm, and by the time I ran over, I saw the last departure was 9:35 pm. 

For reference, I bought the ticket 15 minutes before departure on a machine with my US card. Additionally, they seem to operate every hour from about 6/6:30 until 9:35

Grabbing a very cheeky Burger King next door, boarding started right at 9:30, and we pushed off (not back like a plane) right at 9:35. It was a very relaxing coach ride, being an empty bus, and I woke up 45 minutes later when we arrived at Kansai. 

Welcome to Kansai! Let's jump in the flight part (there are plenty of tourism bonuses this series)

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 😉.

While I would have preferred the direct from Haneda, it wasn’t available for another day, and I have Mother Russia to get to 🇷🇺. Where else am I going to find a babuska? 

Check-In

Upon arrival by train/bus/losing my mind from Itami airport, it was as if the Coronavirus had just broken out: the airport was a deadzone. Not a soul in sight. When I arrived at the check-in, about 2.5 hours before departure, there wasn’t a single soul in any of the lines. It was very easy to find check-in for the day, and in no time, my boarding pass was printed, and my lounge invitation was given. 

Additionally, as I made my way through security, I was pleased to find that JAL offers those in business class “fast track”. Not that it mattered since a total of 2 people were there, and the same applied to exit immigration. 

KIX Lounge Osaka

Now, heading into this, I had done some research surrounding this lounge, and it didn’t seem great. However, I am pleased to report that this lounge has gone under extreme renovations recently and has opened up a beautiful space as of May 2025. Honestly, I could easily spend a couple of hours/I did.

I am pleased to report that the new First Class Lounge at Kansai is a huge improvement from what I have read previously. With champagne flutes, lockers for storing belongings, modern seating, nice showers, friendly staff, a wide selection of food, a clean smoking room, and made-to-order cocktails, I would seek to come back here. Qatar Al Mourajn Lounge level? No, but for an outstation on a business class ticket in SE Asia: one of the best in the world.

Here is a slideshow: 

Boarding

Finishing up at the fabulous brand-new KIX First Class Lounge (business class passengers get access), boarding was set to commence, once again, a whopping 30 minutes prior to departure.

If you are worried you aren’t going to find your gate at Osaka, it’s almost impossible to miss at this late hour. It truly reminds me of the one time I was the only person at Tokyo Narita at 5 pm on a Thursday morning in May 2020…  

Needless to say, boarding started with OW Emerald right at 12:25, while just a few moments later, business class was invited to board in Group 2. 

Okay, okay, this is really small, and not just Japan Airlines that does this. However, does anyone really not like when you have to show your boarding pass again at the cabin door? 

The Seat/Cabin

Stepping onboard, I knew that we had been assigned the ‘less-luxury’ 787-8 for today. For those unaware, Japan Airlines operates two configurations (internationally) of the 787-8. One features the Apex lie-flat seat in a 2-2-2 configuration, while the other features angled-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. There are 18 seats across 3 rows between doors 1 and 2, and 12 seats across 2 rows behind door 2. 

A few more pics incase you're doom scrolling during the morning coffee hour:

Upon booking, a few days before departure, I was pleased to find that the smaller cabin behind door 2 seemed pretty empty. Assigning 8K, I was very pleased with this seat after settling in.

While not cutting edge or lie-flat, there is plenty of thought that went into this seat, featuring the following:

Small storage cubby between the seats in front of you
Just above that cubby was a place to store the menu, along with a few other bits and bobs
Between the pair of seats, there are individual reading lights, similar to the TK/LO layout
A tray table that pulls out from underneath the center armrest
A remote, as well as a small cubby for storing headphones
Seat controls were located on the armrest, don’t worry about bumping them!
Overhead air vents!!!!

A few more for that next sip!

Right after takeoff, I put the bed down into the furthest flat angle that it could go, and slept soundly for over 4 hours until the cabin crew had to wake me up. Honestly, what more could you want on such a short red-eye that gets you in so early? 

In terms of seat recommendations, everyone is different. If direct aisle access is your thing, select a seat in the middle pair. If not, go for a window. If you are attempting to escape your husband/spouse, put them in the first cabin and yourself in the other cabin 😅.

I also had the opportunity to peek into the economy cabin, which featured a very luxurious 2-4-2 layout. JL is one of the few airlines to do this, so big ups to them here. 

Departure

With boarding wrapped up in under 20 minutes, the captain came on to announce our flight time of roughly 5 hours and that he expected a very early arrival into Bangkok.

Once the doors were crosschecked, the purser of the flight came over to address me by name, welcome me on board, and thanked me for flying Japan Airlines. Quite the opposite to the flight before… Let’s just say that…

Sure enough, on the dot at 23:55, we pushed back on a gloomy evening at Osaka. Not to doubt the 787-8, but can she do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?? (if you get this, I tip my hat you, I'm a United fan, so…)

With virtually 0 traffic in and around the airport, minus a delayed flight to Shanghai, we had a quick taxi out and were wheels up to Bangkok! 

IFE/WIFI

In the previous report of the A350-1000 in Business, I touched upon the selection that JAL offers for wifi. While the selection was the same, the quality of the screen was, well, obviously not (aircraft age). It was completely fine, though, and considering that these planes are solely used for regional flights, more than acceptable…

Screens are both touchscreen and controlled via the remote. 

In regards to the wifi, my main purpose of this flight was to sleep, but I did check it out because I am reviewing this flight. Once again, the same standard applied as the previous flight, with 1 hour of free wifi for all, and business/first class passengers receiving free wifi. Once again, the cabin crew never came around to give out a code… 

Amenities

Unfotrunately (and unfortunate that I can't spell either , I didn’t get to look like my Russian babushka this flight with the granny-looking cardigan that JAL offers on long-haul flights, but I was pleased to see that JAL offers the standard bedding for a regional red-eye. It’s just a comfy blanket and pillow, but this is also the same as what SQ, BR, GA, and TG offer on similar routes. 

Passengers did also receive a pair of slippers and an amenity kit, which was a nice touch. Just a shame I like to rawdog it and go to the bathroom barefoot (I’m joking). 

Meal Service

Prior to departure (no PDB was offered btw, seems the orange juice at LAX was the epitome of luxury on the ground), I had informed the crew I would like an express meal service. While they usually serve a snack after takeoff and a meal before landing, I wanted to optimize as much sleep as possible here. The menu read as follows: 

Once we were airborne, a flight attendant came around to ask if I would like my meal now (not again, my gosh), and I replied with “yes, please”. I also asked for some rice and was told “not enough rice”. They came around with it in the end…

I went with the pasta, which was alright, but that’s on me, as I should have gone for the Japanese cuisine. No fault to JAL here at all. It certainly wasn’t as good as the previous flight, but regional food in Asia is often a step down when ordering the international cuisine 😅.

All in all, I have to give a big shoutout to the purser on today's flight who distributed my meal within 30 minutes after takeoff, and I was asleep an hour after takeoff. Not bad… 

Service

In terms of service, this is slightly tricky for me to judge. Overall, I would say that the service was about a 9/10 and exceptionally good. However, there were a couple of language barriers, which are completely understandable. If anything, it’s my fault for not speaking any Japanese. Here are a couple of things that stood out to me:

Upon settling into my seat, the flight attendant and purser came around, greeted me by name, and thanked me for flying Japan Airlines
The service was efficient, and the crew accommodating an earlier meal service for me was extremely nice
Overall, I was always met with a smile

However, I would also argue, and this is me being very tough, only because of the competition in the region, that JAL isn’t in the top 5 carriers in East Asia. Here are a few things that stood out:

While I know Charles Heidsieck is supposed to only be served on the A350 and 77W routes, I asked about it (same issue as before). The flight attendant went back to check, came back with a big smile, and said they had it. Turns out, they didn’t, and I could taste it immediately. It’s not about the champers, it’s more the principle here…

Additionally, the service was very friendly, but it’s not quite up at the very top. Even Air China's business class (much lower ranking overall), the flight attendants place slippers next to your feet, and take your shoes away. TG and GA FAs kneel to speak to you at eye level.

These are very minor quirks, but I do think they are worth pointing out… 

Lavatories

Waking up feeling extremely refreshed from a (finally) good sleep, it was off to the lavatory to brosse les dents, and splash some cold water on my face. There are three dedicated lavatories for 30 business class passengers (and only 20 today), and that’s a pretty damn good ratio if you ask me. Mouthwash and toothbrushes were also located in the lavatory. Don’t drink the mouthwash 🥴, like my little niece once did…

Hi!

Arrival

By 3:45 am local time, the captain came on to announce that we would be starting our descent shortly into Bangkok, thanked us for flying Japan Airlines, and let us know that we would be arriving at our gate 35 minutes early. Great, I have another redeye in 21 hours, I wanted more sleep 😂.

We ended up touching down very early (there is no congestion at BKK at 4 am) and pulled into our gate at about 4:05 am local time. Being the first off the plane, I raced toward immigration, ready to beat rush hour traffic to the city. Or so I thought… 

A Nice Warm-Up To Russia Immigration

Going into this Russia trip, I knew that immigration when landing in Moscow was going to take a bit of time, and rightfully so. I mean, we are enemies (on paper), ya know…

Anyway, what I didn’t expect was that immigration in Bangkok would pull me aside. For context: this happens every time since I had a passport once with the wrong DOB (US passport office screwed up here), and I never had time to change it. The only two countries in the world that can’t get rid of the flag are the UAE and Thailand, which makes me think they share the same system…

Anyways, a person in charge comes over, takes me to a small room in the back, and I begin waiting. He comes out with a form I have to fill in, and it’s all pretty standard with the questions and such. He even asks where I am flying to later, and I say “Beijing”. He then asks what the airport code is, and me being me, I say, “PKX”. He jokes with me, saying, “Are you sure?” while laughing. I start to second-guess myself but say, “yeah”, and thankfully, my natural aviation instinct kicked in.

After about an hour, I was free to go, and he began walking me back to immigration. That was until he began discussing the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that had just broken out, and he started saying how the US supporting Cambodia would be bad for him and Thailand. I’m not going to go into a spiel here on a review, but it was interesting that politics was brought up…

Whatever, I grabbed some chicken nuggets, and it was off to downtown Bangkok!

As always: thanks for reading and hope you have a nice day! Excited to share the ne

Side Note: If my reviews sound like something someone would send to a friend over a WhatsApp message, hungover in Siberia at 4 am, that is the point. Travel isn't all straightforward/glamorous, and that's what I aspire to show. These reviews are less about the flight and more about the whole experience, which is what flying used to be like. I know it's not for everyone, and that's cool, but I hope that some people like it, and maybe a few people laugh.