In October 2023, Japan Airlines unveiled all the details of its new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. These will will set a new standard when it comes to the inflight experience for the airline, and will feature all new cabins, including an incredible new first and business class experience.
Continue reading: Unveiled: Japan Airlines A350-1000, New First & Business Class
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Speakers built into the headrest? I’d much prefer noise cancellation headphones. I assume this is fully tested and even at maximum volume you won’t hear other people’s movies.
Looks absolutely stellar. Can't wait for reviews of the new product, particularly F. I have to imagine finding award space will be close to impossible.
In the video the premium economy seat goes flat, right up against the shell of the seat in front, not sure how comfortable that would be but an interesting feature I have not seen before. The FC seat appears to be able to accommodate 3 people as there are 2 sets of seatbelts on the seat portion and another seatbelt on the ottoman. Would be good for a little meeting or a chat with friends/ family. Interesting to see 2 carryon suitcases stowed, I wonder if they will allow people to bring 2 bags (can't see why not). Looks amazing and I suspect Qantas will offer a similarly wide bed, they just haven't announced it yet but their seat likely goes fully flat against the fixed bed. Looks so comfy, if not a bit too wide, but I am sure there will be ample pillows / cushions to cocoon oneself.
spacious/ tech filled but the color theme is a little underwhelming. Theres no warmth.
F looks really innovative, while J looks very standard and I'm worried that premium economy is one of these fixed shell seats that just slouches forward and are insanely uncomfortable (like what Air France has). Other than that, the color scheme and finishes are a little sad on the renderings but hopefully it'll look better in person.
And yeah this speaker situation is odd. Are you going to be able to hear what your neighbors are watching ?
That’s why a bunch of us already booked it many months ago when award space wasn’t too difficult to come by :).
Wow, seems like a great seat! Curious about the noise from the speaker system though.
apparently they are implementing the new speaker announce by Safran in 2022 ( https://www.safran-group.com/pressroom/safran-reveals-euphony-headset-free-sound-solution-2022-06-10)
Delta is a whole lot more profitable than JAL but they do not offer a product of this caliber
It's a shame that the best airline in the world has chosen the worst seats in the industry for economy class. Recaro is never about passenger's comfort. Also Recaro doesn't have 18" seats in their product lineup, actually these seats are 17". What a deteriorating compared to their royally generous 19" wide seats in 2-4-2 787s...
I've been allowed two bags on Air France biz before, JAL most definitely would allow for 2 on first!
Of all the carriers in the world, a Japanese carrier would be last I'd expect to use headrest speakers.
That said, the hard product does otherwise look great.
Delta's credit card operations are a lot more profitable than JAL's ditto. But sadly Delta does not invest the credit card profits in to better cabins, better catering, or proper staff training. So while they could probably afford to be a globally stellar airline, but they chose to be a globally mediocre airline.
I can't quite get past that color scheme - between the burgundy finish and the wierd color carpet it's like a Marriott from 70s. Why would they do this? Or maybe it's better in person.
The Business Class isn’t too much different than Delta One suites and the Premium cabins aren’t really that suitable for those who are travelling with a mate due their staggered separation arrangement that they chose.
At the end of the day ANA offers something better.
Another comment------Looking at this,i'm rather underwhelmed------dont like the colour------MUCH prefer ANA first class!
Will the seats also feature Bluetooth audio? It seems kind of weird to have so much space to get comfortable but can only listen to the audio if sit straight up in your seat...
I wonder if the seat speakers use 'aimed' ultrasonics, this would mean there's a set space where you'd hear the speakers, once away from it they're silent to human ears.
No individual air vents I suppose....disappointing, especially when they keep the cabins so hot.
So long as your head is on the headrest you'll be able to hear the stereo audio. The headrest moves with the seat so even reclined you shouldn't have an issue.
They should have completely enclosed the first class suites and introduced 5 or 7 channel audio instead of just stereo. And a seat transducer.
The range on this thing with so few seats will be biblical. ULR territory.
Japan has a huge Brazilian expat population. Now even with so few seats it won't have that kind of range or even anywhere near, but it's interesting to contemplate what could be possible in future, especially with an A350 Neo...
Another example that shows how trash airlines are in the English speaking world. Well done Japan Airlines
Great first class, and solid business class - I am totally fine with current Apex seats but this new seat would definitely be an improvement.
However, it will take almost four years to fully deploy new seats… Is JAL quite conservative, or delivery slots of A350-1000 are so full?
I suspect the reason you have to leave the pajamas behind is that they are worried that someone might wear them right off the plane. Would you agree Ben?
JAL provides PJ in collaboration with Japanese sleepwear maker Uchino and their PJ is retailed from 130USD - giving away for J passengers maybe a little bit too generous.
They should have kept the 777s for growth purposes.
They could have been used to open new routes
Looks like they'll be the second airline (CX is the first on their A321neo) to have 4K across all classes. And they'll be using Panasonic's NEXT platform. As far as why they went with burgundy, like most airlines, they're basically applying their signature colour palette. Perfect example would be CX's Jade Green in Business (sans A321neo) as well as ANA's blue (sans The Room). The First Class suites actually remind of some concepts for SQ years ago: https://www.dca-design.com/work/singapore-airlines-first-class-interiors With 33-34" pitch in Economy, I don't think it's debatable that they're the best in the industry. And it looks like they haven't drifted away from those shell-type seats in Premium Economy which they have had for decades.
"There will exclusively be overhead bins along the windows". Sounds great until you think about no A/C above the middle seats, if they even have A/C on the plane at all.
It's interesting to note that Tobu Railway company operated train services with built-in speakers in its headrest back in 1990s. It worked!
It's quite interesting comparing it against Qantas and their A350-1000 configuration as they have just one seat less. JAL are being rather generous.
If it retails for $130 then it costs them no more than $15 to manufacture. Even at 100% markup it would cost the airline $30. That’s less than the cost of a meal and it would be a very nice gift. On a several thousand dollar ticket, it’s a tiny price for the airline to pay for a nice perk.
The fact there are so many complaints here in the comments shows how spoiled we've become. Nothing is perfect or will please everyone, but this looks fantastic across the board.
Just the same as ANA does in J. You can „rent“ the PJs for the flight and that’s it. All the biz / opm travelers would probably throw them away anyway.
This, in conjunction with penalties for missing items perhaps.
@doggo, In Japan, you go to a restaurant, the restaurant gives you an Oshiburi. At the end of the dining experience, the oshiburi along with any remaining plates are taken. In many cases, if the oshiburi is not returned to the delivering/cleaning company’s crate, the restaurant is charged a fee per missing oshiburi (which are counted during the cleaning process).
Japanese are not so large ... so the sumo seat is too much . JAL might fly one sumo wrestler for every 100,000 passengers , and likely not in first class .
I look forward to seeing whether this product (Unity of Safran) will be installed on the 787 in the future. I hope this product will be installed on the 787 as well.
I will bring ear muffs to drown out the scratchy noise . Farewell to a quiet read .
It is really weird wearing a PJ that has been used by hundreds of passengers before. Either offer or not at all.
No different then sleeping on bed sheets in a hotel that have been used by hundreds of other people. That's why they invented waking machines.
just a few replies in regard to some of the comments
- JAL and ANA both have a low density configuration on their 777-300ERs that they use from NYC to Tokyo now. This is more of the same thing. Whether JAL uses this same configuration on its entire fleet of A35Ks remains to be seen. I doubt if they will have this on their entire A35K fleet because there aren't that many routes that can support yields this high.
- JAL is using this configuration for product purposes but may use it to get the same kind of range as QF will get with its Project Sunrise 35Ks. Japan is much more favorably positioned geographically to have very few routes where these are necessary.
- It is doubtful that those who talk about the lack of an air vent in the middle of the first/business class cabins have ever actually flown in an A350 premium cabin that doesn't have air vents. Airbus did an outstanding job of air circulation and while the air vents provide more air w/o air vents, there is more than enough air circulation for me, someone who likes blowing cold air. Only when closing suite doors does air circulation become reduced but it is possible to overcome that w/ a small crack in the door - or a passthrough grill if an airline chooses to install it.
- the headphone speakers are awesome and I would welcome that on any airline instead of a headphone. It is certain they cannot be heard outside of the area of the headrest.
Both of JAL's first two A350-1000s have been built but sit in Toulouse without engines along w/ a dozen other A350s. Rolls Royce is apparently struggling to deliver engines based on the rate of deliveries off of the A350 and A330NEO lines.
it will be interesting to see if these 2 first two aircraft enter service on time but most airlines require at least a couple weeks of work after aircraft delivery, esp. for a new type, after delivery from the manufacturer.
Amazing the number of complaints here. This to me is the best F seat in the sky. I fly F fairly regularly and the most important to me is size of bed. The closer they can get to replicating the size of a real bed and allow me to spread out, the better. This is why designs such as Qantas new F don't excite me at all since it just seems like they have wasted tons of space for a seat and a separate bed and I will end up sleeping in a narrow space... i.e it is a gimmick.
I am very excited to try this new seat but given the pricing of Japanese Airlines (NH & JL) F I will have to hope they release award inventory!
So many whiny, entitled comments. Y'all have been so spoiled that you are no longer satisfied with greatness. Funny how nobody holds USA airlines to the same standard.
another note.
ANA has the Boeing 777X on order but is not going to receive them for years after JAL's A350-1000s enter service.
Both airlines currently operate low density premium configured 777-300ER fleets.
JAL will have a huge cost advantage by being able to put the A350-1000s into service well before ANA's B777Xs.
The B777-300ERs burns the most fuel of any aircraft in their fleets right now.
Hard pass. I’ve already been to Tokyo twice this year and have flown more international first class than the majority of OMAAT readers. What about watching tv with no headphones !? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Why is it that the leg rests in PE look like they're designed to cut off circulation to the lower legs and cause deep vein thrombosis?
And how will the speakers in the headrests not disturb other pax?
"Funny how nobody holds USA airlines to the same standard."
That's because everyone knows that US airlines suck (esp. on international routes), and everyone understands that they'll never be able to change that.
The more you know...
Always wondered if they actually let you do that! I've flown AF J a bunch of times and noticed that the carry-on allowance was 2 bags and a personal item. Never tried to "test it" as I assumed I would be forced to gate check for a huge fee. Good to know!
@Ben, that could be a helpful article! Airlines with more generous (or onerous) baggage requirements.
Overall the new interior looks incredible. I’m with the others on the headrest speaker system. Not convinced this is a good thing for those seated close who are not using it and/or trying to rest.
Hello,
Like most of you, I find the colours very dull but let's see what the cabins will look like in reality. First looks exceptional.
As for the Pyjamas (sorry from the uk) I think this is taking the concept from hotels in Japan where you find them, They are usually very beautiful. I think the idea may be to be the Japanese hotel in the sky.
That may be a concern in Business Class, but I guess we will have to wait and see how they are once these planes start flying. In First Class, the suites are so far apart and enclosed that I think with the right technology, this shouldn't have any problem for others. If they are light sleepers, some ear plugs should do the trick.
My concern with this technology is what happens when it is broken. Is there a back up headphone jack, and will there be high quality backup headphones onboard? Would that seat then be unoccupied for that flight? The A35K will be operating predominantly long haul flights for JAL, so not having sound for an entertainment system would be a big inconvenience.
It's been 7 years and the only one that rivaled the Qsuites was ANA's The Room, which was 5 years ago.
Ughh is it so hard to make that first class fully private with floor-to-ceiling walls and doors instead of that oversized bootleg Residence seat?
Feels very JAL. Not great design but I'm sure it'll be really comfortable and service exceptional as ever. Would appreciate them loading an extra bottle of Salon, though!
If you scrolled through these pages quickly; you may be forgiven to think that Qatar are introducing yet ANOTHER version of an F and J class seating!!! JAL are using the same colour palette and textural contouring, as Qatar Airways!
(But then JAL always seems to tend to go for those darker colours, rather like their existing awful (IMHO) dark-brown leather FC seats.)
It is a sad state of affairs when in order to fly in comfort, Americans have to fly any other carrier that is not a US cattle call, rather almost any one of the international carriers. I never fly outside of the US on a US carrier. I wish the American carriers would step up, I would gladly fly the everywhere!
Its a 1:1 repalcement. Wherever the 773s go now, these will be replaced on those routes. Simple.
The Japanese are never late. Airbus is VERY careful with Japanese airlines, since it took nearly 40 years to win their business for widebody orders.
the article acknowledges that the A350-1000s will already be late.
If it is Rolls-Royce that is late, they will face penalties from Airbus but Airbus can't deliver the planes any sooner regardless of who is at fault
Either way, unless Airbus gets engines on those planes within a week or so, JAL will be hard-pressed to get them into service this year. Even after the engines are hung, there are flight tests that have to be performed.
And there really is no evidence that Airbus considers any customer more important than any other. Some airlines might be willing to consider compensation from Airbus for a delay, though, which could allow them to prioritize customers that either won't accept a delay or for whom the price is not high enough.
1: Am I the only one concerned about the chairs having speakers? I can't imagine listening to someone else's movie/music. It can't be a "perfect" system.
2: VERY happy to see a OneWorld airline as the launch customer for 2 different groundbreaking seats!
3: Looks VERY much like their partner Qatar Airways.
(1) Bring earmuffs to drown out the scratchy noise .
(2) The FC sofa is more of a "grandstanding" seat in that the seatbelt is Not for the whole seat .
(3) But the JAL food is better .
Right about the pajamas — how many go to waste ending up in people’s closets unopened (err…guilty)? To dismiss the policy as “cheap” is shortsighted and ignorantly judgmental. Recycling them, like bedding, is more sustainable — JL should be commended.
How do they collect the PJs at the end of the flight? What if a customer is still sleeping before landing?
I am very confident Qantas will reveal their seat lowers to go flat next to the fixed mattress, and with a substantial mattress topper it will become a very comfortable, wide bed. Qantas are known for teasing out product updates to create more PR hype - watch this space!
Will they finally have air nozzles??
Because what’s the point of this level of first class experience if you have to fly half naked and still sweat your butt off for 13 hours?
JAL F is amazing but memories of Salon feasting are overtaken by the fruitless begging of lowering cabin temperature to the FAs (gomen nasai, its JAL policy, Sir)
I'm excited that an airline thinks it's worth putting F class in the A350. So many others have ditched F (I'm looking at you, Cathay Pacific).
I agree about the cabin colors selected by JL. The reddish tones with black are not relaxing. I wish they revert to their older palettes. Their 747 Garden Jet and the subsequent derivatives had a calming look. Now it’s got a more severe, dystopian-manga look of black and red. JL, with it’s more room in Y should have more comfortable cabins than NH but because the latter has a much friendlier shades of blue, it’s a wash.
ANA and SWISS as well. They practically force you into their PJs and then you sweat. Which is why I'm sticking with other carriers for now on. Not worth it.
What is with the Japanese airlines doing these new cabins to resemble, at least to me, old school train compartments. At least if they are going to do it, own it, and make it retro and vintage for fun. Give it that Venice Simplon sorta appeal. Otherwise it looks like an updated couchette on the Paris to Rome night train circa 2023.
Wow, I'm impressed! It looks like JAL will offer a fantastic product across all 4 classes.
Definitely excited for these new flagship aircraft! Hope Airbus can get the rest of them to JAL without too much delay...
Looking at Japan Airlines' new premium economy seat makes me think that Emirates' 777 J seat is just like PE but with extra glitter.
In my old job we had directional speakers that only the person in front of the speaker can hear, they are pretty awesome. You could be standing a foot away from me and couldn’t hear anything. I’m assuming they have similar speakers in first class.
I like the burgundy it’s distinctive
No headphones innovation from trains in the 90s is so Japan
The ultra wide trend doesn’t seem to add much comfort or utility or even exclusivity vs the capacity lost. The LH 744 upper deck side bed was the best execution of getting more out of width
Why can't they make it floor-to-ceiling? You know, for privacy reasons. Is it because the Japanese aren't tall enough for that?
"To create a more spacious environment, there will be no overhead bins in the cabin, and instead there will be a wardrobe and storage space at each seat"
You're creating a more spacious environment by using up useful space for a wardrobe? Seems to me the opposite. Personally I'd rather an overhead bin, perhaps smaller and sleaker, maybe just on the aisle side only since the ceiling is higher there, instead of using up valuable footprint on wardrobes.
Also interesting how premium economy is going down in count relative to the 777. Did PE not sell well? Do they think more J is a more profitable layout? I'm certainly happy to have more J award space though.
Will the audio w/o headphones actually make the cabin quiet? Can't imagine that working to plan
PE is especially impressive. For a day flight, that much legroom and privacy would be very acceptable.
Feels almost like long haul PE is approaching a point where it matches what was typical in long haul Business class 20 years ago.
Excellent job, JAL! Ben, I can’t wait to see where you’ll rank this on your list of top 10 first and business class products.
....based on what?
Mergers aside, United hasn't purchased used widebodies in decades; and has given zero indication that they plan to now.