Hello from New York, as I’ve wrap up my review trip to South Korea and Japan! I just flew Japan Airlines’ Airbus A350-1000 business class, on the 12 hour flight from Tokyo (HND) to New York (JFK). I’m happy to report that I’ve saved the best for last.
Japan Airlines is currently refreshing its long haul fleet, replacing 777-300ERs with A350-1000s, featuring all-new cabin products. I’ve already reviewed the carrier’s new A350-1000 first class, which I rank as being among the best in the world, and I was excited to check out the new business class.
Japan Airlines is the launch customer for the Safran Unity seat, and eventually this is a product we’ll find on many other airlines, ranging from Air India to Qantas. This seat is phenomenal, so this is something to look forward to as well.
When you combine that with the general attributes of the A350, the free Wi-Fi, the amazing tech, the flawless Japanese service, the delicious food and drinks, and the great bedding, I’d consider this to be one of the best business class products in the world.
With that in mind, I wanted to share some initial thoughts on the experience, and then soon I’ll have a full trip report.
In this post:
The Safran Unity seat is a stellar product
Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 business class cabin consists of a total of 54 seats, spread across 14 rows, in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. As I said, Japan Airlines is the launch customer for the Safran Unity product. I’ve gotta say, this exceeded my expectations, and I think this is the best new “generic” business class seat out there.
There are a bunch of different staggered products out there, but there’s so much to love about this product. It’s more spacious than any other staggered seat I’ve experienced, and the amount of storage is on a completely different level.
As you’d expect in a staggered configuration, some seats are closer to the aisle, while others are closer to the windows. I was in a “true” window seat, which is definitely the coziest setup. The first thing you notice is just how spacious the suite feels. It feels remarkably more spacious than many other staggered products out there, like the Vantage XL seat, for example.
For one, seats have doors that are 52″ high, which are the same height you’ll find in Qatar Airways Qsuites. These are among the highest doors in business class, so they really do afford quite a bit of privacy.
The footwell in these seats is huge as well, so I didn’t at all find myself feeling restricted in bed more, unlike in some other comparable products. This is easily one of the most comfortable business class beds in the sky.
This seat also takes storage to the next level. There’s a large storage space underneath the ottoman, big enough for a large backpack.
There’s a dresser behind a shield, where you can hang clothes during the flight.
There’s a compartment where you can store shoes during the flight.
Then there are two additional compartments where you can store items, to the side of the seat.
Well done to Japan Airlines, and well done to Safran, because this is an awesome seat!
Japan Airlines’ great tech & free Wi-Fi- in business class
Many of the advancements we’ve seen with business class seats in recent years have involved better tech.
For one, each seat has USB-A, USB-C, AC, and wireless charging options.
Then in addition to being able to use a headphone jack, there’s also bluetooth audio, as well as in-seat headrest speakers, which I wrote about in detail when I flew in first class.
Each seat also has a gorgeous high definition 24″ monitor, where you can enjoy the entertainment library, or otherwise keep an eye on the tail camera (my favorite kind of inflight entertainment).
Japan Airlines’ library of movies and TV shows honestly isn’t great, and it’s the one major area for improvement. However, the airline does offer free Wi-Fi in business class nowadays, with no data caps, and to me that’s more valuable than a good entertainment selection (actually connecting to the free Wi-Fi is a comically complicated process, though).
Japan Airlines’ business class food, drinks, and amenities are outstanding
Japan Airlines offers excellent amenities in business class, including a pillow, blanket, and mattress pad. I find the bedding to be very good — it’s cozy, without being uncomfortably warm. While it’s frustrating how the airline doesn’t have individual air nozzles, to my surprise, the cabin wasn’t actually kept very warm.
Food and drinks on this flight were very good as well. After takeoff, there was the choice of a Japanese or western meal, and I selected the former.
Service began with some candied nuts, a sundried tomato dip, and breadsticks, served with a choice of drinks. I had a glass of Delamotte Brut, which is the carrier’s current business class champagne.
The first course consisted of… well, I’ll just post the menu, since it’s kind of complicated, and I love the simplicity of these menus, in terms of showing where exactly each dish is.
The next course consisted of stewed beef cheek with Japanese mustard spinach, grilled salmon, deep fried lotus root and carrot, curry, miso soup, and rice.
For dessert there was a red bean dish, plus some green tea.
There’s then a flexible dining menu for the rest of the flight. So before landing I had the truffle omelet sandwich, which was a delightful surprise, I must say… yum! It was one of my favorite egg dishes I’ve had on a plane.
While perhaps a strange combo, I then had the falafel salad, which was also tasty.
Last but not least, I enjoyed some Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
All-in-all, the food on this flight was delicious!
Japan Airlines’ business class service is very good
After a couple of flights on Korean Air, I was honestly very happy to be back on Japan Airlines, as I find the service to be in a completely different league. The service on this flight was attentive, detail-oriented, and incredibly friendly.
Flight attendants were proactive with clearing empty dishes, removing plastic wrappings, offering drink refills when glasses or bottles were empty, etc. The crew also kept the lavatories spotlessly clean throughout the flight.
I have nothing but great things to say about the service, and that’s something you’ll get more consistently on a Japanese carrier than just about any other airline.
Japan Airlines’ A350s have some wear & tear issues
Now let me share what I’d consider to be the one negative surprise of this flight. Despite being less than a year old, Japan Airlines’ A350-1000s are showing some serious wear and tear. Japan Airlines is the launch customer of the Safran Unity product, so I imagine this partly comes down to some of the kinks not being worked out.
For example, when you look at the area to the front of the seat and to the side, you’ll see it’s badly beaten up, in a way you wouldn’t expect for a new product.
Why is this? Well, the mechanism by which the tray table extends needs to be modified a bit. If you just push the button to release the tray, it’ll naturally slam into the side of the seat in front, which is where all these marks are from. You need to put effort into it so that this doesn’t happen.
I have to imagine that this is something that will be worked out. They either need to rework the mechanism by which the tray extends, or put some sort of a “pad” against the hard surface on the other side of the seat, so that it doesn’t get marked up like this.
Next, I’ve never been a huge fan of Japan Airlines’ heavy use of red, or burgundy, or whatever this is. But I’m finding that the seat material is already showing some wear and tear and discoloration, in a way you wouldn’t expect for such a new product.
Bottom line
I’m so happy I had the chance to fly Japan Airlines’ new Airbus A350-1000 business class. This product is incredible, among the best business class experiences in the world. Japan Airlines really has elevated the passenger experience on its new flagship jet, and I’m so happy to see this development.
For that matter, I’m delighted I finally had the chance to fly in the Safran Unity seat, as I’m now even more excited that this is a “generic” seat that we’re going to see on other airlines.
Well done, Japan Airlines… very well done! I’ll soon have to update my rankings of the world’s best business class airlines and best business class seats.
What do you make of Japan Airlines’ new A350 business class?
I am booked with my husband from Hanada to JFK next November on the 350-1000 so there are a lot of seat choices available in Business. Besides the bulkhead which is already taken, which seats are the best for 2 people traveling together. We don't need to be in the middle. Thanks.
very nice
I flew the same route at the end of July and sat in the bulkhead of Business Class in 3D. Overall it was a good experience. There were two things that I found to be issues. First, it was rather warm with the door closed when I tried to sleep. Once I open the door it seemed to be a bit cooler. This could be because of the bulkhead and being in the center! Secondly,...
I flew the same route at the end of July and sat in the bulkhead of Business Class in 3D. Overall it was a good experience. There were two things that I found to be issues. First, it was rather warm with the door closed when I tried to sleep. Once I open the door it seemed to be a bit cooler. This could be because of the bulkhead and being in the center! Secondly, the space under the ottoman was spacious and very handy to store my carry-on. The only issue was that on take-off the bag slid out toward me since there is no ledge stoppage or strap to hold the bag from sliding.
How does this compare to ANA's The ROOM or Qatar's Q-Suites?
It's not Star Alliance and it's on an Airbus. It's a loser!
No amenity kit?
Which cabin is better? Front or the middle? We are flying on 6,7a and 10,11k back. Should we move to 10,11 on the outbound as well?
Going by the Aerolopa seatmap, 6a only has one window. 7a has 2 windows, though it seems the second one might be behind your head. 10k has one full window and half of 2 windows, while 11k has one and a half windows.
https://www.aerolopa.com/jl-351
I cannot wait for these to be available from the west coast. Thank you for sharing - something to look forward to!
Hi Ben,
Did you try the built-in headrest speakers?
I love the idea of them as don't really enjoy having bulky Bose noise cancelling phones on for more than an hour or so?
Ben reviewed the in-seat speakers when he flew first class on this product some months ago. There's a link somewhere in the story.
@Ben, are there particular rows where the two center seats are positioned as "honeymoon" seats?
Center seats are evenly staggered. No true honeymoon seats
so if you're in a middle J seat, can you just not see out any windows whatsoever if a door is shut at the window? That seems a little claustrophobic
I’ve been booked on a business class flight out of JFK for months now, and waiting in the lounge as I write this. It was a treat to read your report on the day of my departure!
I'm guessing there is no advantage to choosing a bulkhed seat in this cabin? The footwells look large no matter where you sit, it seems.
I flew it last month from jfk to hnd. Crew was mediocre (constantly forgetting things) as was the food (beef was cold). Perhaps the US based crew has already that certain attitude.To me the cabin is over hyped. Yes I'm spoiled, yes I had high expectations. Still, I think this product is not comparable to others. It is by far not as glamourus as advertised.
Not comparable to which other products, exactly? And spoiled how, are you flying private most of the time?
Not to say 'called it' but this is what I said you were going to experience when you mentioned you were doing a review. Haha. It's truly a stellar product, and as a Oneworld frequent flyer it certainly is right up there with Q Suites (frankly choosing between the two is quite a challenge). The tech and storage space are certainly superior.
I think we all "called it", this review isn't really a surprise. It just reaffirmed what many of us knew and/or expected.
The wear and tear is definitely surprising. I flew the other side of this route, JFK to HND, this past July and my partner's IFE (I think it was row 11 or 12 in the middle area) had the bottom third with no working touch functionality and was noticeably dimmer than the rest of the screen
Not a particularly attractive cabin. And those lights look like bathroom soap dispensers.
I have flown by JAL 350-1000 at least ten times now, and I love it!
The only downside is there is no air nozzle :( I sleep better at cooler temperatures; it’d have been nice to be able to control the temp. Other than that, everything is perfect, from boarding to comfort, food, drinks, ambiance…
Hey Ben, I have a trip to Japan next year and I was considering flying this product on the way back home with a 3 year old, assuming I can find availability. Would you say the 2 middle seats are close enough to be able to reach him during the flight to help him with eating, buckling his seatbelt, etc? Or are the seats too far apart from each other? Thanks!
@ Flow -- Great question! So one downside to this configuration is that the center seats are equally far apart in all rows, so there's not a honeymoon seat configuration in every other row. I think you can probably make it work, but it's not ideal. Here's a picture that shows you the distance between the center seats:
https://cdn.onemileatatime.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Japan-Airlines-Business-Class-A350-7.jpeg
I think you ought to do a 1v1 comparison like you did with The Room and QSuites. Except with ANA vs JAL, especially because they complete on so many routes
@ yoloswag420 -- I'm on it, stay tuned!
Love to hear it. Also, I believe you had a falafel salad not a sandwich.
Otherwise, the catering on JAL looks very nice.
@ yoloswag420 -- Correct, whoops. Fixed!
I flew economy on JAL 4 Saturday (I did glance at the biz class line to see if you were on same flight!). I did notice that the wear and tear was evident in economy as well — a lot of wear of carpeting, lav walls, galleys. I was a little surprised because the A350-1000 I was on was only 10 months old.
Ben - what would be top three differences between this product and ANA’s The Room in your view?
@ Wendy -- I'll address this in more detail in a direct comparison between the two seats. The way I view it, the advantages of JAL are better tech, flying an A350 (which is quieter and more comfortable), a softer bed, and more storage. Meanwhile on ANA the seat is no doubt wider, and I like how you can get a "honeymoon seat" setup in the center section.
Question Lucky. I've noticed on promotional pictures of Unity, that the seat doesn't have a leg rest so to speak. Yes there's an ottoman, but there isn't a swing up section of the actual seat that can support your lower legs / calves.
I'm wondering if this is actually the case with the Safran seat and whether this made a difference in comfort? I've noticed on long haul flights that seats without this leg rest are less comfortable to me, the longer a flight goes on.
@ nohohon -- Interesting question. You're right that there's no true leg rest, though to be honest, it's not something I even really noticed. That's because the seat slides forward quite a bit, so I found it comfortable to just rest my feet on the ottoman, much more so than with some other comparable products.
Personally I rarely use those leg rests without using the ottoman. I'm not that tall, but I find that my...
@ nohohon -- Interesting question. You're right that there's no true leg rest, though to be honest, it's not something I even really noticed. That's because the seat slides forward quite a bit, so I found it comfortable to just rest my feet on the ottoman, much more so than with some other comparable products.
Personally I rarely use those leg rests without using the ottoman. I'm not that tall, but I find that my feet just awkwardly dangle off the end in those situations. I realize how this could be more valuable for those who are shorter, though.
Ben,I wonder if there's any possibility to fit a real legrest on the Unity platform, since I'm fond of cabin products
With regards to wear & tear, that would be more on Safran and their quality control issues going back years. When CX took delivery of their A359 which seems like a lifetime ago, they already had issues with their business class seats which is also a Safran product. Not just seats, but galleys, lavatories, even ovens.
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2018/12/cathay-still-fixing-safran-seats-lavatories-on-even-new-a350s/
https://www.flightglobal.com/systems-and-interiors/cathay-details-issues-with-a350-business-class-seats/124148.article
With regards to wear & tear, that would be more on Safran and their quality control issues going back years. When CX took delivery of their A359 which seems like a lifetime ago, they already had issues with their business class seats which is also a Safran product. Not just seats, but galleys, lavatories, even ovens.
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2018/12/cathay-still-fixing-safran-seats-lavatories-on-even-new-a350s/
https://www.flightglobal.com/systems-and-interiors/cathay-details-issues-with-a350-business-class-seats/124148.article
Agreed, Safran's QC seems to be pretty off in recent years. Condor A330neo business class seats (Safran's SkyLounge Core III) have the same problem.
It goes back years when one of their manufacturing plants suffered an explosion in 2015. Unfortunately they've struggled to get their bearing straight since. Supply chain constraints just adds to their troubles.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jul/15/explosion-rips-through-newport-aerospace-company/
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2015/07/zodiac-examines-prepreg-production-options-after-factory-blast/
Yes, I'll add the Condor Prime seats in particular seem to be having serious maintenance issues.
The window seats were broken on both of my flights and I had to be moved into the less desirable middle seats.
Sounds like they’ve taken on board the issues with storage on their other planes! Seems like such a benign issue but it really was frustrating!! Literally nowhere to put anything!