Review: Japan Airlines Business Class Boeing 787 (KIX-LAX)

For the return portion of our trip to Kyoto, we flew Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 business class from Osaka to Los Angeles. This is one of the few flights between Osaka and the United States mainland, so it sure is convenient to not have to make a detour through one of Tokyo’s airports.

While I’ve reviewed Japan Airlines’ 787-9 business class before, what made this flight different was that it was operated by an aircraft with a totally different hard product. While most of Japan Airlines’ long haul aircraft have Apex Suites, which are among the best business class seats out there, the airline also has some 787s and 777s that have reverse herringbone seats. Unfortunately this is an inferior product.

On the plus side, as you’d expect from a Japanese airline, the service was professional, the food and drinks were good, and there lots of amenities. Unfortunately this hard product really isn’t good, though, and it’s the worst reverse herringbone seat out there, in my opinion.

I have no regrets taking this flight, given the convenient schedule. However, on a route where there’s more competition, I’d probably avoid this aircraft if possible.

How I booked our Japan Airlines business class tickets

I booked our Japan Airlines business class tickets using American AAdvantage miles. Specifically, I booked the following for 60,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $45.25 in taxes and fees per person:

10/07 JL60 Osaka to Los Angeles departing 5:45PM arriving 12:05PM

That’s a great deal, if you ask me. While AAdvantage isn’t as lucrative of a program as in the past, you still won’t get redemption values like that from Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus, so the program is a real competitive advantage, in my opinion.

Japan Airlines business class lounge & boarding

In the previous installment I reviewed the Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge at Kansai-Osaka Airport. Unfortunately it’s not a great lounge, so I wouldn’t plan on being there longer than you have to. Our flight was boarding from gate 31, a very short walk from the lounge. Boarding was scheduled for 5:20PM, just 25 minutes before departure — you’ve gotta love Japanese efficiency!

Well, or I guess there isn’t that much efficiency, because I counted a total of nine gate agents. I guess you’ve also gotta love Japanese staffing levels!

As you’d expect, boarding started exactly on-time (to the minute), with families and those needing extra time being invited to board first, followed by oneworld Emerald members, followed by business class passengers. Our flight would be operated by the 787-9 with the registration code JA877J, which joined Japan Airlines’ fleet in 2019.

Japan Airlines 787 business class cabin & seats

We boarded through the second set of doors, where we were greeted by the crew and directed left into the business class cabin. On this version of the 787-9, business class is exclusively between doors one and two, and consists of a total of 28 seats. Before we even talk about the seats, can we just acknowledge how bland Japan Airlines’ cabin finishes are? Could you pick duller finishes than this?

This aircraft had Japan Airlines’ Sky Suite III business class product, which is the Safran Aries seat. This consists of fully flat reverse herringbone seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Here’s the thing — usually I’m a fan of reverse herringbone seats, through the Safran Aries product is (to my knowledge) the densest reverse herringbone configuration out there, and you’ll feel that when you’re seated in this cabin.

Business class is spread across seven rows, and I assigned myself seat 7A, the window seat on the left side in the last row. Meanwhile I assigned Ford seat 6A.

The seat feels a bit narrower than your typical reverse herringbone seat, and the armrest on the window-side is also tiny.

To the left side of the seat was a counter where you could place things during the flight, as well as several of the seat’s other features.

There was a small enclosed storage compartment, featuring a hook for headphones, as well as a small mirror. Underneath that were the USB-A and AC power outlets, as well as the jack for headphones.

The controller could be used for the entertainment system, but was kind of unnecessary, since the entertainment is also touchscreen (if you can figure out how to actually activate the touchscreen mode, which is a challenge in and of itself).

Interestingly the seat controls were in a panel across from the seat by the aisle, which I’ve never seen before with any other product.

This product has an unconventional tray table design. The tray table doesn’t come out from the side of the seat or from underneath the entertainment screen (as is the case with most reverse herringbone products), but instead it folds down from the side of the seat in front.

Once you extend it, you’ll just want to change the angle, so that it can directly face you.

Along the right side of the seat, there’s an armrest that can be raised or lowered (it needs to be lowered for takeoff).

Often one of the issues with reverse herringbone seats is that you have to squeeze your feet into a small footwell. I didn’t find the footwell as such to be small, though the bigger issue was just how narrow the seat was when trying to sleep.

Unfortunately Japan Airlines doesn’t have individual air nozzles on its Boeing 787s. Usually Japan Airlines keeps its cabins quite warm, though fortunately on this flight, the cabin was kept at a surprisingly decent temperature.

In this configuration I’d highly recommend selecting a window seat. The center seats have significantly smaller footwells, and an odd layout. When you recline the center seats to bed mode, the adjacent seats are at a different height. This is so that their footwells can be stacked a bit, in order to save space. So when in bed mode, the person in the left center seat will be lower than the person in the right center seat.

I know the window seats in this configuration may not look that different from other reverse herringbone seats, but they are significantly tighter and less comfortable, and that’s especially apparent in bed mode (which I’ll talk more about later).

Japan Airlines business class amenities

We received a variety of amenities upon boarding. Waiting at our seats were a pillow and blanket, which were later complemented by a mattress pad. The blanket was fine, while the pillow was way too thin for my liking, as it provided very little support. It sure would be nice if Japan Airlines at least gave passengers the option of a thicker pillow, since I realize there are different cultural preferences there.

There was an amenity kit waiting at each seat, which was more like a thin pouch. It contained products like a dental kit, eyeshades, earplugs, a moisture mask, and tissues.

There were also a pair of slippers, which were better than nothing, but were very thin. They came with a shoehorn.

Then there were a pair of headphones, which were decent quality, though hurt my ears after a while.

There was also a bottle of water at each seat.

Last but not least, there was the menu for the flight. I’ve never really understand Japan Airlines’ branding when it comes to its food. What does “BEDD” stand for? And not to have the sense of humor of a 12 year old, but for whatever reason, I always read the menu as saying “sky aubergine.” Anyway…

During the boarding process, the friendly crew came through the cabin with pre-departure drinks, with the choice of champagne or orange juice. The pours definitely weren’t generous, and the drinks were served in (sturdy) plastic cups.

Last but not least, each business class passenger was offered a cardigan to borrow during the flight (they’re collected at the end of the flight). Since I’m usually warm on Japan Airlines aircraft, I’ve never actually had them on for an extended period of time.

Japan Airlines 787 business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787s have 17″ seat back personal televisions, which aren’t particularly high resolution. For that matter, the interface doesn’t exactly seem cutting edge.

Japan Airlines’ entertainment selection is severely lacking, especially if you’re looking for English movies and TV shows. I couldn’t figure out exactly how many movies and TV shows there were, as many were listed multiple times, but let me simply say that the selection was limited. In particular, there was a lack of sitcoms in English, which you usually even find on other airlines with limited selections.

In addition to movies and TV shows, there were also news, audio, and game options.

I don’t usually watch movies (either on the ground or in the air), but I ended up watching “No Hard Feelings,” which I thought was pretty funny.

The inflight entertainment also had a map feature, which I otherwise kept an eye on during the flight.

One thing to be aware of is that the entertainment screen doesn’t initially appear to be touchscreen, and at first forces you to use the little monitor to the side of the seat to make your selection, which is super clunky and annoying.

However, you can change the settings on the screen so that you can browse the selection directly on the main monitor, and I’d recommend doing that. If you can’t figure out how to do it, just ask a crew member.

While Japan Airlines’ inflight entertainment is weak, fortunately the carrier has Wi-Fi, which is reasonably priced. Japan Airlines uses Panasonic for its Wi-Fi, which has pretty good speeds across the Pacific.

There are three different pricing plans, all with no data limits. You can buy a one hour pass for $10.15, a three hour pass for $14.40, and a 24 hour pass for $18.80. Obviously the incremental pricing for the full flight plan is quite good.

I found connectivity to be consistent throughout the flight, and I also liked how you could switch between devices with one pass.

Japan Airlines 787 departure from Osaka

Boarding was outrageously efficient. It started at 5:20PM, and the main cabin door closed at 5:35PM, just 15 minutes later. Okay, in fairness, the flight wasn’t very full — while business class was full, both premium economy and economy seemed to be less than half full.

Once the door closed, the senior cabin attendant made her welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our short flight time of just 9hr20min. At 5:40PM we began our pushback, and a few minutes after that, the safety video was screened. We started our taxi at 5:45PM, and by 5:50PM we were cleared for takeoff on runway 6R. Talk about an efficient departure, as it was 30 minutes from the moment we boarded until we were airborne!

We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off just five minutes after takeoff.

Japan Airlines business class dinner service

On this flight, dinner was served after takeoff, while breakfast was served prior to landing. For dinner, there was the option of a Japanese or Western menu, and you can find those options below. Also below is the “anytime you wish” snack menu, along with the drink list.

Around 20 minutes after takeoff, service began with packaged towels being distributed. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be more sanitary, or what…

Meal and drink orders were taken around 30 minutes after takeoff, and a few minutes after that, tablecloths were distributed. The first round of drinks was served around 45 minutes after takeoff. To drink, I ordered a glass of champagne, and Duval-Leroy Brut Reserve was on offer, and it was poured directly at my seat.

I also ordered SKY TIME, Japan Airlines’ signature non-alcoholic drink, since I had never tried it before. The drinks were served with ramekins of both mixed nuts and olives — it’s always nice to have some non-packaged snacks with the first drink service!

I decided to have the Japanese meal, and the first course was served around 60 minutes after takeoff. This consisted of scallops, tofu, lobster, horse mackerel, and poached pike conger, among other things, and was tasty.

The main course was served around 80 minutes after takeoff, and consisted of eel, steamed rice, miso soup, and Japanese pickles.

Once my main was cleared, I was offered dessert, which consisted of apple mango cake and green tea. It was an excellent meal, and the service was complete less than two hours after takeoff.

Ford was initially just going to sleep after takeoff, but ended up ordering a couple of dishes from the snack menu instead. Specifically, he ordered the fried bean curd and vegetable salad, and the wagyu curry.

Japan Airlines does a great job with its inflight meals, and we both enjoyed what we were served.

Japan Airlines 787 business class lavatories

Japan Airlines has three business class lavatories on the 787-9, with one being at the front of the cabin, and two being behind the cabin. All the lavatories were pretty standard Dreamliner ones.

While the lavatories weren’t particularly large, they were consistently clean, they had bidet toilets, and they also had some practical amenities, like dental kits and mouthwash.

Japan Airlines 787 business class bed

After dinner, it was time to get some rest, so I reclined my seat into bed mode.

As soon as I made my bed, the crew ran to my seat and gave me a mattress pad, which was nice and thick, and made a big difference with padding.

While the surface was soft thanks to the mattress pad, other than that, I found the bed to be quite uncomfortable. For one, the seat felt really narrow in bed mode, noticeably narrower than your typical reverse herringbone seat. As a side sleeper, I found it difficult to get comfortable, as there was no space to bend my knees.

I ended up falling asleep with a little over seven hours remaining to Los Angeles, and woke up a bit over two hours out. So I got nearly five hours of rest, which is quite good, though it was on and off, and I woke up several times.

Also, maybe I’m just getting old, or maybe it’s the seat, but I think due to the combination of the non-optimal seat and the pillow, when I woke up, my hands hurt, my back hurt, etc. Oh well, at least I’m lucky to be in a premium cabin, since it would’ve been much less comfortable in economy!

Japan Airlines business class breakfast service

Around two hours before arrival, the crew started turning on the cabin lights, given that pre-landing meals have to be ordered at least 90 minutes before landing. Japan Airlines has a pretty flexible dining concept in business class, as you can order off the breakfast menu, or off the snack menu. You can find the pre-arrival menu below.

I ordered just over 90 minutes before landing, and was served about 10 minutes later. I selected the Japanese breakfast, consisting of halibut with steamed rice, miso soup, and Japanese pickles. I had a cup of coffee to go along with it, which I enjoyed.

I was asked if I wanted any dessert, so I figured I might as well try the milk tea tart Haagen-Dazs ice cream, which was served in a little container.

Japan Airlines business class service

Service is generally very good on Japanese airlines, and this flight was no exception. The crew was friendly, attentive, had attention to detail, and spoke English well.

The service was even a bit less rigid than I remember on some past Japan Airlines flights, in a good way. That’s to say that during the meal service, I didn’t feel like I was simply part of an assembly line, but rather they’d offer drink refills when they saw an empty glass, would clear plates as each passenger finished, etc.

Speaking of service, about an hour before landing, one of the flight attendants distributed a “steam eye mask” to each passenger. It’s always cute to see the kinds of treats sometimes handed out on Japanese carriers.

Japan Airlines 787 arrival in Los Angeles

Around 45 minutes before landing, the captain was on the PA to announce that we’d be arriving at 11:10AM local time. While we had spent the entire flight out over the Pacific, we made landfall just south of the Bay Area, and then had stunning views as we flew south over California.

Our approach was smooth, and around 15 minutes before landing, the seatbelt sign was turned on. We touched down on runway 24L at 11:10AM.

After landing, we had a roughly 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate, which was located on the other side of Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Specifically, we arrived at gate 155, where we parked next to a Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER. We were 45 minutes early, meaning we’d have plenty of time to make our connection.

Upon arrival we bid farewell to the crew, cleared immigration and customs, and headed over to Terminal 4, where we’d be flying American’s 787 business class to Miami.

Bottom line

I have mixed feelings about our Japan Airlines experience. On the one hand, the service was friendly, food was good, and Wi-Fi was reliable. Furthermore, I appreciated some of the amenities, like a mattress pad. On the other hand, this version of Japan Airlines’ business class seat is quite subpar, and is much worse than the carrier’s Apex Suites.

So while I generally love Japan Airlines business class and rank it among the best in the world, that doesn’t apply to the aircraft with these seats. I’d generally avoid this product if possible, unless you’re in a situation like we were in, where it’s the only nonstop option.

What’s your take on Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787 business class?