After my glorious flight to Tokyo Haneda in JAL First Class, I connected to Seoul Gimpo on a JAL 787-9 in business class. Despite dire warnings of an unbearably hard seat, the flight was just fine and I found the seat more than tolerable for my two-hour journey.
JAL 787-9 Business Class Review
After spending a couple of hours in the JAL First Class Lounge, I proceeded to the boarding gate where we were informed our aircraft was parked on a remote stand…the first time I have experienced a remote stand at either Tokyo Haneda or Narita airports.
We drove out to the aircraft via bus about 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure and boarded via airstairs.
Japan Airlines 095
Tokyo (HND) – Seoul (GMP)
April 2024
Depart: 7:40 PM
Arrive: 10:00 PM
Duration: 02hr, 20min
Distance: 735 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Seat: 3K (Business Class)
We boarded via door 2L. Onboard, a flight attendant welcomed me and directed me through the galley and then left.
Seat
That aircraft has the Sky Suite III product, a reverse-herringbone business class seat that, on first glance, looks much like you find on many other carriers.
But I was warned that the seat is terribly uncomfortable, rock hard, and consequently one of the worst business class seats currently on the market. The seats are based on the Safran Aries platform, arranged in a reverse herringbone pattern with 28 seats in 1-2-1 configuration. Each seat is 20 inches wide and converts to a 78-inch lie-flat bed.
The seat includes storage for small personal items in a side cabinet and a second storage area under the left armrest.
Each seat has a universal power outlet and USB-A port.
There are no individual air vents.
Note: D and G (center section) seats have smaller footwells and work together to incorporate a bi-level footwell when in lie-flat mode. Thus, they lay flat at different heights off the floor (G seats are slightly higher than the D seats).
The cabin is attractive and the seats, while firm, struck me as more comfortable in the upright position than my recent flight on ex-Aeroflot Turkish Airlines on the A350-900. Yes, the seat was firm (just like my mattress is at home), but it was not at all uncomfortable. And in the lie-flat position, I thought there was plenty of room for my feet. I did take a 45-minute “cat nap” after dinner.
No duvets or fancy pillows were provided, but there was a large pillow and small blanket at each seat.
Food + Drink
Service began before takeoff with flight attendants rounding the cabin to see who wanted to eat.
On regional flights between South Korea and Japan, JAL serves a set menu…there is no choice. The menu alternates between a Japanese meal and a Western meal every month.
One type of red wine (Bordeaux), one type of white wine (also Bordeaux) as well as Chivas Regal, beer, and Ginjo (sake) were available…no Champagne or other spirits.
April 2024 happened to be a Western meal and shortly after takeoff, a dinner of salmon with pasta was served. There was a trio of appetizers, a fruit side dish, and warm bread roll on the tray as well. First, though, came a warm towel.
After the meal, dessert (Häagen-Dazs ice cream) and coffee were served.
For a 735-mile flight, this was an excellent. In the US, where I live, the legacy carriers (American, Delta, United) only serve meals on flights over 900 miles. Had this flight been in the USA, I would have received a packaged snack. Alaska Airlines is the only exception but serves a very light meal on its flights under 1,100 miles. The food itself was tolerable…it wasn’t the best salmon or pasta I’ve had on an airplane by a longshot, but it was good.
Wi-Fi + IFE
This flight had the Magic VI entertainment system (so annoying) in which you have to scroll through the options on your handheld device…the screen remains black until you make a selection. I simply cannot understand why JAL chose this type of IFE system. The screen itself is HD and 17 inches.
Wi-Fi was also available. My pass from the previous flight carried over….internet speeds were functional, but not fast.
Lavatory
Business class has three lavatories, including one in the front of the cabin and two in the rear of the cabin. The lavatory toilet included a bidet and extra amenities like toothbrush and mouthwash were available.
Service
Service was not only polite as expected, but super efficient. Meals were out within 10 minutes after takeoff and cleared away after 30, leaving a solid hour to rest. That was appreicated versus a long and drawn out meal service.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps my two-hour journey from Tokyo to Seoul was not enough time to fully hate it, but I actually found the seat adequate…and even comfortable. Let me put it this way: I would not hesitate to choose this seat on a longhaul flight based on my flight and in fact, I liked it more than the APEX (Sky Suite I) seat that has no personal storage.
Salmon with pasta? That’s probably a combination you will never see in Italy.
You’re wrong. Penne or farfalle al salmone is a traditional Italian first course. The rule is never mix it with cheese.
In fact, many Italians eat salmon (or cod) at Christmas. And in summer, smoked salmon with cold pasta is very common.
For someone who has claimed to have Italian heritage, it’s sad that he doesn’t know that.
Lol we don’t eat that sh*t tho… penne al salmone is heresy here !
Thank you for the review. I’ll be flying this same plane in December PVG-HND and read some poor review about the seat but I’m glad to know that it’s not that bad. It’ll be a slightly longer flight so hopefully the food will be better and they’ll serve champagne. We shall see.
There’s a reason why I fly into GMP with JL and it’s this very reason along with GMP being closer to the city. How did you find immigration at GMP?
Immigration quick and easy at GMP, indeed!
Hello? Is it my IPad mini or something sponsored by Pepto Dismal that turned the pictures of the JAL flight pink? As in medical pink, a particularly repulsive color.
There was pink mood lighting in the cabin.
@Matthew, are all the JAL 787-9 Sky Suite III window seats the same? I could’ve sworn that my seat in the rear cabin didn’t have under-ottoman storage. There was some kind of grill/vent that was perpendicular to the floor that blocked the space. Also, the seat felt noticeably tighter/more cramped than other reverse herringbone seats (e.g., AC 787).
There are two configuration – mine had only the front cabin – no rear J cabin. This was my first time on a JL 789 so I had nothing to compare it to.
I’m taking this exact same flight in November, so thanks for the detailed review. If I’m doing the math right, November should be Japanese meal month. I’ll report back on how it was.
So, I opened aerolopa.com to see the plane. I chuckled when I realized that that was a bidet symbol in the bathroom.
Great review Matthew! Thanks for this particular topic.
That’s a lot of white thermoplastic.