JAL Mileage Bank - Thoughts - JAL J / Business vs AA F / First (merged)

Right now my GF and I are both booked on award tickets in J LAX-NRT in 10 days. It's been a few years since we've been on JAL ( Del - Nrt) - in J great flight.

I have an option now of switching from JAL in J to AA in F. Thoughts?

(We are both EXP with AA, which along with a smile will get bags checked free :-) )

No matter how bad AA F is, I would assume F is better than J, at least hard product wise. :p

AA F IMHO

No matter how bad AA F is, I would assume F is better than J, at least hard product wise. :p

+1

Thank you.... Decision made.....

The soft product is still probably better or comparable in JL J - solid/better food and wine. Service is also a gamble on AA F - you could have a truly outstanding crew, or you could have a rushed dinner service and FAs who are oblivious to the fact that (in principle) some people might have paid >>$10k for that seat.

But the hard product breaks heavily for AA. You'll get a lot more personal space and a fully flat bed with mattress pad (so I'm told, I haven't experienced the mattress pad yet). And if you're traveling with a buddy, you can swivel your seats and eat together. For IFE, I believe JL will have the Magic III? AA's IFE is more extensive IMO, though of course has fewer Japanese selections if that's what you're looking for.

If you have the miles to burn, I'd opt for AA F, though I also happen to think that LAX-NRT is relatively short...

The soft product is still probably better or comparable in JL J - solid/better food and wine. Service is also a gamble on AA F - you could have a truly outstanding crew, or you could have a rushed dinner service and FAs who are oblivious to the fact that (in principle) some people might have paid >>$10k for that seat.

But the hard product breaks heavily for AA. You'll get a lot more personal space and a fully flat bed with mattress pad (so I'm told, I haven't experienced the mattress pad yet). And if you're traveling with a buddy, you can swivel your seats and eat together. For IFE, I believe JL will have the Magic III? AA's IFE is more extensive IMO, though of course has fewer Japanese selections if that's what you're looking for.

If you have the miles to burn, I'd opt for AA F, though I also happen to think that LAX-NRT is relatively short...

yes LAX-NRT is very short. You can hardly get any sleep on those flights, at least when u fly in JAL C. After meal service, it's already 3 hours into the flight. I usually just stay awake for most of the flight. (note that I am NOT being sarcastic)

yes LAX-NRT is very short. You can hardly get any sleep on those flights, at least when u fly in JAL C. After meal service, it's already 3 hours into the flight. I usually just stay awake for most of the flight. (note that I am NOT being sarcastic)

Wintertime NRT-LAX is especially short - usually 8 hours and change. ORD or JFK gives just the right length to balance eating, getting some work done (or movie watching) and something resembling normal sleep. On LAX or SFO-NRT I'll often just sleep through breakfast.

I've never thought a flight felt too long, at least not if I were in J...

I have an NRT-LAX award coming up on JL62 in J and I have debated all kinds of alternatives. I'm 6'4" and keep hearing negative things about the seat for tall pax. But it's only 8.5 hours takeoff to touchdown, so I may just go for it. [My daughter will be next to me which should add some elbow/wiggle room]

Wintertime NRT-LAX is especially short - usually 8 hours and change. ORD or JFK gives just the right length to balance eating, getting some work done (or movie watching) and something resembling normal sleep. On LAX or SFO-NRT I'll often just sleep through breakfast.

I've never thought a flight felt too long, at least not if I were in J...

I usually try not to sleep too much on LAX-NRT as the flight arrives in the evening. I would just go to the hotel and have a quick dinner then go to bed. At least for myself, I get no jetlag this way.

Yea that's why JAL only had some light snacks on NRT-LAX but a more extensive snack menu on LAX-NRT before. But now u get full a la carte menu on both flights. But if you oversleep, which definitely can happen on this short flight esp during winter, you might not be able to order anything from that menu. The cutoff time is 90 min before arrival.

I know it seems like an odd comparison, but which would be a better use of miles. Any opinion is welcome. Sure, I would rather be on JAL first, but getting 4 seats is not at all likely to happen - trying for a trip in late March to early April.

I'd say AA first is better in most ways. Flat seat in an individual compartment. JAL service will be better but their seats are pretty crap by current standards.

If you have miles to burn, AA F is better. JL has good food and excellent service for a J product, but the seats and IFE on most aircraft are not so great (inferior to AA J IMO).

If you want to conserve miles, JL J will likely be a nice experience, especially if you can get 4 seats now - I wouldn't hold out for 4 seats opening up in any F.

There are lots of threads comparing AA J/F with other carriers in the AA forum.

i see up to 6 seats ord-nrt and v.v. for various april dates in F on AA. I snagged 2 JAL in F but it was tough

What about JAL first vs. AA first?

Of course, I realize I'm asking this on the JAL subforum. :rolleyes:

What about JAL first vs. AA first?

Of course, I realize I'm asking this on the JAL subforum. :rolleyes:

You probably will get the same answer asking this on the AA forum

You will get the same answer in either forum. JL first. Absolute no-brainer.