This first-class is dated, but superlative service makes up for it

The airline: Japan Airlines

• Route Sydney to Haneda (Tokyo), flight
• Frequency Daily
• Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
• Class First (JAL Suite), seat 2K
• Flight time 9hr 50m (we arrive 30 mins late due to congestion at Sydney)

Checking in

JAL First Class travellers can access Qantas’ International First Lounge.Credit: Brett Boardman

Check-in is fast and seamless so after a quick diversion to the MAC cosmetics counter (I’ve accidentally left my make-up bag behind), we head for breakfast in the Qantas International First Lounge (JAL uses Qantas lounges in Australia). There’s no particularly special treatment for JAL first class passengers out of Sydney but flying out of Japan on the return leg you get whisked through to a private area, and can then enjoy made-to-order sashimi in the spacious and beautifully designed JAL First Lounge. (Aviation geeks can also visit the impressive JAL Sky Museum before checking in at Haneda.)

Baggage

A crazily huge total of 96kgs (3 x 32kgs) in first and business class.

The loyalty scheme

JAL Mileage Bank. The airline also is part of the Oneworld alliance, and Qantas frequent flyers earn points and status credits when flying with JAL in all cabins.

The seat

The JAL suite is a little dated but with buckets of legroom.

I’m in 2K, a window seat; there are eight seats in first class in a 1-2-1 configuration. Sadly, there’s no denying this is a 17-year-old plane that hasn’t had a cabin refresh. The fittings are dated; there’s lots of wood veneer and brown leather, an old-fashioned compendium for landing cards and menus and a lack of easily accessible storage. Nor is there a “door” to the suite for privacy.

JAL has already started retiring the Boeing 777, replacing it with the more fuel-efficient Airbus A350-1000 on services from Tokyo to New York, Dallas and London, with Paris next.

On the plus side, the seat is 33 inches (84cm) wide and has buckets of legroom, with a pitch of 78 inches (199cm). Another, much taller, journalist on the same flight says it’s the most spacious she’s encountered. I’m more concerned the TV screen is so far away I won’t be able to see the movie clearly (an unfounded fear, as it turns out).

What else? There’s an amenities kit from “experimental welfare” company Heralbony that includes a face mask (nice touch) and skincare from luxury Japanese brand Clé de Peau; the supplied beige “relaxing wear” is 100 per cent organic cotton and a definite step-up in quality from the Qantas version.

There is a designated accessible toilet on all international long-haul flights.

Entertainment + tech

Logging onto the free Wi-Fi is not straightforward.Credit: Trudi Jenkins

Guests travelling in first and business class on JAL international services have complimentary Wi-Fi, if you can follow the instructions to log on (it works for me on the way out but not on the return night flight, when I’m happy to sleep anyway). Comfy Panasonic headphones are provided and there’s a reasonable selection of movies although if you want to check out your options in advance, you won’t find any details on the clunky JAL website.

Service

The service on JAL is welcoming, warm and thoughtful.Credit: Trudi Jenkins

This is really where JAL comes into its own. I’ve rarely encountered such welcoming, warm and thoughtful staff. When canapes are served at the start of a multi-course lunch at 10.30am Sydney time (not long after take-off), I ask instead for a coffee. My lunch service is postponed, canapes removed and Watanabe, the flight attendant, brings a flat white plus madeleines, cookies and chocolates. Later in the flight, she makes the empty aisle seat next to me into a flat bed complete with duvet and pillow, ready to slip straight into.

Food

Attention to detail: Dressings, butters and seasonings are all served separately. Credit: Trudi Jenkins

There’s a choice of Japanese or Western menus, with no fewer than eight chefs overseeing them for different routes. I’ve been advised to try the Japanese menu out of Haneda on the way home so opt for the Western on this flight. A seemingly endless succession of courses is served for lunch; each one meticulously presented, as you might expect from a Japanese airline, with individual seasonings, sauces and butters in separate dishes. I assume the listed options are to choose from, but it turns out you get both the tuna and duck entrees, as well as the seabass and rib-eye mains. The Japanese pinot noir, made by Aussie-sounding American winemaker Bruce Gutlove in a collab between two wineries, Coco Farm Winery in Tochigi and 10R in Hokkaido, is surprisingly good. Needless to say, I don’t need any of the snacks available later in the flight but they include caviar, sandwiches, ramen, Japanese pork curry, cheese and fruit.

Sustainability

JAL has pledged to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 10 per cent from 2019 levels by 2030. It is “looking to introduce sustainable aviation fuel and establish the infrastructure for supplying it”, and to eliminate petroleum-based single-use plastics in planes and airport lounges this year.*

One more thing

JAL’s Explorer Pass can be used to fly to more than 30 cities across its domestic network. It’s good value and only available to guests from outside Japan, even if you’re not flying JAL; see jal.co.jp/aul/en/world/japan_explorer_pass/lp/

The price

From $11,895 for first class (business class $5595) including domestic connections to Sydney and Melbourne (JAL also flies from Melbourne to Narita) from all major cities in Australia with Qantas, as well as two free JAL sector fares anywhere within Japan. **

Verdict

This is a rather dated experience from JAL’s website to its current cabin, but it’s spacious and comfortable, and exemplary service compensates.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer flew as a guest of Japan Airlines. See jal.co.jp

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three to four months from the time of publication and subject to change.

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