jmail1

I will be flying with my wife and 6 year old son next spring and have a choice between JL10 (ORD) and JL62 (LAX) on the return. Our origin is Jakarta, so JL10 would require an overnight flight on the 789 in business while JL62 would require a very early wakeup call for a 6:45am flight. Our final destination is Dallas, so once connections are factored in we'd arrive home around the same time with either flight.

I'm assuming the catering, service, etc. would be identical on each? Chicago is a couple of hours longer but we shave off an hour on the domestic connection afterwards.

Thanks for any input

Guava

I don't see a question in your post, what exactly are you inquiring about then?

jmail1

I was assuming, didn't know for sure if there was any difference, or if anyone had a preference on timing, connections, etc.

JALPak

Catering is the not same for JL062 and JL010. There are more a la carte items on JL010 menu

https://www.jal.co.jp/inflight/inter...503_201505.pdf
https://www.jal.co.jp/inflight/inter...503_201505.pdf

bmchris

I would try and minimize AA flight time. So go with the Chicago flight. You also skip LAX.

If it were Winter, I would recommend skipping Chicago, however.

Guava

Connecting in LAX has one advantage - you can use the Qantas First Class lounge while waiting for your final flight home on AA to Dallas on the basis of your JL First Class flight from NRT and your onward boarding pass on AA per Oneworld lounge policy.

The small difference in the a la carte menu isn't likely going to be material because the actual flight times of both flights are relatively short. On the flight to LAX, you won't have much appetite after the main meal and you'd be fast approaching bed time on that one, unlike the flight to ORD. If you do take the LAX flight, I recommend treating the a la carte menu as part of the expanded breakfast service like this:


JL First Class - Breakfast service ex-Japan to USA (except to HNL/SFO), March-May 2015


JL First Class - Western appetizer (a la carte menu) ex-Japan to USA (except to HNL/SFO), March-May 2015

You do get like an extra option of soup in the a la carte menu to ORD but the main meal should otherwise be fairly identical.

Timing wise, the LAX flight is better than ORD because the ORD flight leaves around 11AM in Tokyo with jet lag and all it will be harder to sleep on the plane with a greater exposure of daylight as well most of the flight and you'd be landing around 11PM JST even though the day just begins when you land at ORD. On the LAX flight, you eat, watch a bit of movies or play or work, then it's bed time, catch maybe 5-7 hours of sleep, have a good breakfast then lands around 10-11AM in LAX - much easier to sleep and adjust for the time zone difference on the LAX flight than the ORD option IMO.

JALPak

You could still fly the overnight flight on 789 and connect to JL62 right if you don't want to wake up early/save on the hotel? It's just a longer layover at NRT but you could go visit Narita assuming visa isn't an issue and you are up for that.

exmike

if it makes a difference, oneworld first lounge LAX blows away any ORD lounge you could possibly get into.

edit: oops. return flight. nevermind.

Guava

The OP can use it on a return flight as well because LAX is not their final destination.

ijgordon

how do you propose that the OP access the QF lounge before the AA flight?

JALPak

Until the airside connector is completed, OP would need to go through security at TBIT with the AA boarding pass to access the oneworld lounge. Then exit the TBIT airside, walk over to T4 and go through security at T4 to board. Not worths it unless you have hours between connection and has nowhere else to go IMHO.

ijgordon

Right - will TSA even let one into TBIT airside with only an AA boarding pass for T4?

Guava

The answer is yes, not every airport operates like JFK. LAX explicitly allows you to travel within all its terminals so long as you have a valid boarding pass - this is public knowledge since quite a while now.

JALPak

Yes, they made the change last year to allow this. All you need is a same day boarding pass from any LAX terminal to access TBIT airside.

jmail1

Excellent news, we have a 4 hour layover in LAX. If we can't standby earlier the Qantas lounge will take the sting out of it.