jock

Hi Everyone..

Looking to fly to Japan. AY always seems to have some great fares..BUT
I'm not sure about the J seats on the A330..can u help??

1. I'm 6'2..the foot well looks quite restrictive..wots it like for a tall guy in flat bed mode..do your feet get squished?

2. In flat bed mode..the area around your head and shoulders looks like it sinks down quite alot..looks quite narrow too...wots it like to sleep in..a coffin comes to mind?

3.Food and drink..decent and plenty of it?

4.Nagoya and Osaka..wots it like flying into these spots? easier than NRT?

Sorry for the random questions..if there's a better place for this..please move and sorry for the new thread.. Min'na, arigatō

ffay005

You'll probably save a lot of £££ by choosing AY via HEL over direct flights. Transfers in HEL are easy, especially coming from the UK. You'll just exit the plane to the gate area and simply walk to your next gate (or the lounge). Takes minutes. No security screening and no passport control. On the way back from Japan, you'll need to go through security.

AY J is not a top product. I know many fellow contributors here do not like BA CW (some call it the dormitory class) but I actually prefer the BA CW seat to AY's. It's higher so you won't feel like you're lying on the floor. There's also more room for your feet, and the ottoman makes it easier to stretch out even if the seat is not in its full lie-down position.

The AY A330 business seat is okay. If you are travelling by yourself, choose 2A, 4A or 6A to get as much personal space as possible. There certainly is more of it than in CW.

The tray table is terrible to use unless your seat is in the full upright position or very close to it, but you can also place your dinner tray on the side console if you feel more comfortable that way.

In the lie-down position, the seat is too close to the floor IMHO. The footwell restricts your feet movements, but it's by no means terrible. Your height shouldn't be a problem.

The new A350 is more cramped in J, there's a lot of discussion about it in the dedicated thread.

Think of AY as a no-nonsense full service airline that tries to save a penny here and there whenever they can, but still offers a decent product as far as European competition is concerned, especially when you keep in mind the price.

IFE is sparse but okay especially if you haven't flown AY before (they seldom change the programme). Service is usually friendly but not particularly proactive. If you feel you need a lot of pampering, then AY wouldn't be your choice. Nowadays there's an amenity kit, but it is as cheap as possible and you'll need to request additional items like socks, slippers or a toothbrush separately.

The meal service is reduced to a one tray concept we call BusinessLight (everything served at once) on many routes but Japan shouldn't be affected. Expect an appetizer and/or soup, a main course and some ice cream and cheese for dessert. You'll get a decent meal and ex-HEL you have a choice of a few extra main dishes, some of which are really good when cooked right. Some (cheap) snacks are available mid-flight and there's a second, reduced meal served about 90–120 min before landing.

All in all I'd say you don't risk it much if you give AY a chance. Try them out and see the differences. I think we might be happy to hear your opinion afterwards.

Also note there's a JL flight HEL-NRT with practically the same schedule as the AY one, so if you find good prices within the JV, you could try JL as well.

I have never flown to KIX, but the NRT and NGO flights are identical as far as service is concerned.

ojala

I'm a bit taller than you. Overall I prefer AY's business class to BA CW. As other airlines have improved their seats, CW has become one of my least favourites.

On the AY A330 seats I prefer the ones with more open space for feet, not the seats where you have to put your feet into a small hole. With the latter it's really difficult to turn side when you're sleeping.

For example on this one https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Fi...330-300_V3.php, 2H would be my choice over 2D.

WilcoRoger

+1

I'm also 6'2" (had to look up imperial units ) and prefer AY over BA. I used to fly a lot on BA CW, but came to the conclusion that AY beats it both by hard and soft product.

Ex-UK you'd save ££££ flying with AY and also get direct longhauls to NGO, KIX and FUK - very useful if your business/holiday is south of Tokyo. You can also do open jaw (fly into one, out of another). Ah, and usually it's even cheaper to use these three over NRT.

So go ahead, take the plunge

jock

I did a little tp run in Sept last year on the A350 from Lhr-Hel..nice plane..but I thought the seats felt abit strange...how come they felt different to the Cirrus seats on AAs 77w? Less space..but i couldnt put my finger on it.

Andaman

Yes the JV is great the way you can mix AY BA JL flights.

This summer season HEL will offer 18 weekly departures to NRT and totally 35 weekly departures to NRT KIX NGO FUK. Getting busy at HEL! The NRT flights depart around the same time all:

AY71 16:45 A350-900
AY73 17:15 A330-300
JL414 17:25 B787-9

This summer the daily JAL 787-8 is replaced by 787-9.

intuition

I am the proud coiner of that phrase and while I am one of the more vocal critics of Finnair A350 business class seat, before listening to me going on about AY you should hear what I have to say about BA..

I have no issues at all with the A330 seats. Compared to BA club world, I'd fly Finnair A330 any day of the week.
ffay005 has otherwise made a very good and detailed summary and I don't have much to add. Maybe that staff may appear cool and reserved but can bloom if treated right, especially towards non-nordic travellers.
One thing I might suggest, that may be a nice experience for someone used to BA, is to chose a seat in the "mini-cabin" on the wide-bodies, ie on row8-10 or similar. The difference in atmosphere there compared to BA club world is striking.

With the right expectations you will enjoy flying AY. If for nothing else, just to check out what is offered on the market.


As for NGO and OSA:
AY uses KIX (Kansai) at Osaka, which is pretty far away. The Osaka train grid is a bit more confusing than Tokyo so you may spend more time and energy getting where you want to be in Osaka.
Osaka is also an entirely different Japan than Tokyo - while I love the mindset people are said to have in OSA, I never really made peace with the city.

NGO has the "central japan airport" or Chubu and the airport's location relative to the city is almost identical to KIX and Osaka, just slightly closer. Still about 40km out. Less busy than the other two (4th. busiest in Japan). Chubu is not serviced by JR, so if you are going to ride trains on a JR pass, chubu is going to cost you extra.

If you are planning to fly domestic flights, you should be aware that both NGO and KIX are surprisingly difficult to get to in the early morning hours unless staying very close to airport.

nordic

If the price is Ok then book these HEL-Japan flights under BA code in order to maximize your Avios. BA code appeared some time last year. Using AY code you won't get tier bonus. For tier points the marketing carrier does not matter.

jock

If i flew into nagoya or Osaka it would be to fly somewhere else or to catch a train to Kyoto. Good advice though..thxs.

its really the foot well and how the flat bed handles a largeish 6'2 guy. Also when i was on the A350 Lhr-Hel..i felt the service was cold..and the drinks service abit stingy. Got a packet of little pretzils and there was 4 in it...4! Her demeanor was so cold..i thought it best not to ask for more...lol

How come theres no A350 service to japan other than summer?

jock

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SPBanker

Not seeing the pics?

jock

the links not working..i will keep trying

jock

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jock

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ffay005

Longhaul J catering is more substantial than shorthaul although the difference isn't huge. If you're happy with BA J catering, I don't think AY will be a letdown.

The A350 feels more cramped than similar seats on other airlines because AY has crammed in more seats in the same space...