Carfield

A Tale of two Japanese Airlines

Hi everyone,

Here is a more interesting trip report, which includes both Japanese international airlines – ANA and Japan Airlines. The comparison was not perfect because I happened to fly NH’s brand new Club ANA on the major route – JFK to Tokyo NRT, and to fly Japan Airlines’ rather secondary NRT to LAX flight. Nevertheless, I flew ANA on a SFO to NRT flight before, and I still think my comparison made sense. All Nippon’s new Club ANA service was wonderful, but the seats did not break the common problem with the new generation flat bed business class seats – the width was narrow and the slope was pretty steep. I did not sleep too well, but the new meal services were nice and the new seats feature nice things like power outlets and AVOD personal video system. Japan Airlines’ service was definitely a bit weak, when compared with ANA. ANA was very generous with the amenity baskets and the snack counters, but JAL was a bit “cheap” in terms of handing out stuffs. I think ANA’s F/As are slightly more attentive and asked you if you wanted any snack at all times. JAL’s F/As were less aggressive in persuading you to have a bowl of noodle snacks or sandwiches. But I like the Skyluxe seats, especially with improved legroom and I slept through the night. A little bit more recline would not nice, but the seats were comfortable enough. In terms of short haul service between Tokyo and Seoul, both airlines were similar but I like ANA a bit more – meals seem to be more generous and the F/As were keener in serving you more beverages. JAL had a separate beverage service before the meal, but the F/As were less aggressive in serving you more beverages. The major difference is that ANA will ask you if you want more beverage, and JAL will collect your glass and you should have to request them. Anyway, both are better than the US airlines serving on these routes. Indeed I don’t see any passengers wanted to fly United on the JFK to NRT flight after flying ANA. Well, here is the report!

June 23, 2003
NH 9 JFK-NRT Lv1215 Arr1450+1
Boeing 747-400 JA8962 “Pokemon – Pocket Monster”
Check in was at the brand new ANA desks at terminal seven. British Airways was handling the ground services – as we all know, that is not a good idea! Fortunately ANA used its own staffs for premium class check-ins and had a staff running around. Well, the BA ground staffs all had a sad face – it was pretty sure that they did not want to be there. Well, the check in line for economy ran long and it was not a good sign, especially I arrived at the airport an hour and fifteen minutes prior to departure. It was miracle that we only pushed back a few minutes late. A very handsome fellow checked me in and informed me that it was a pretty full flight. I got all the connecting boarding passes all the way to ICN. NH uses the Terraces now and has its own staffs sitting at a desk. Japanese magazines and newspapers were put out, and additional snacks, such as some Onigri (Japanese rice balls), sandwiches, and Danish pastries were added on top of the usual cookies and packaged snacks and fruit basket. The same bar was available and the lounge was fairly quiet, as the afternoon European rush did not begin yet. I sat around a bit and then headed to the gate. It was a major mob scene in the gate – many passengers. The same scene will show up at Narita, Incheon and Los Angeles within the next three days. You know the summer was here.

BTW, it was nice to see the Pokemon’s Boeing 747. Thanks to tfung! When I saw the Pocket monster plane, I knew that the new Club ANA is there. To report, no pocket monster decorations in the premium cabin, it only applies to coach, but pocket monster postcards are all over the place. If you see the Pokemon’s Boeing 747 in the future, that means you will fly the new ANA premium products.

Boarding began at 12noon and there was on explanation on why boarding started late. Priority boarding was strictly enforced and flight attendants were at the door welcoming passengers. Business class passengers were welcomed after first class passengers boarded. Headsets, pillow, blanket, and slippers were already placed in each seat and F/As offered newspapers and magazines to each passenger, but still no pre-takeoff beverage and hot towel service like other Asian airlines. I don’t understand why there was no pre-takeoff beverage at both ANA and JAL. It was a major mystery. Well, door was closed at 12:25pm and the F/As wasted no time in showing the safety video. Flying time was twelve hours and twenty-four minutes. We pushed back five minutes later and the nose camera was turned on. It was a great feature on these Japanese airlines. New York is sunny today after many days of rains. We headed towards R/W31L and lifted off at 12:48pm. We initially climbed to 31,000ft and headed towards Syracuse and Timmins, Ontario, before climbing to 32,000ft. Then we climbed further to 34,000ft and we passed by Fairbank, Alaska and Nulato, before climbing further to 37,000ft, and 38,000ft before reaching Japanese air space.

Cabin service began immediately after seat belt sign was turned off at 12:55pm (seven minutes after takeoff). The F/A came around with a tray of orange juice and champagne and then hot towel individually placed on a tray (just like CX first and BMI’s J class) – that is how hot towel service was carried out for the rest of the flight. Then the summer ANA menu was passed out. Then the F/As came out with these fresh blue linens and placed them on our tray, followed by some amuse bouches, which were a cup of lobster and asparagus mousse, and then a bowl of green and red olives. Beverage was served at the same time, and then our entrée orders were taken. No tray was used at all and our tray was set up individually with glasses and silverware, just like first class. Each course was prepared individually and Club ANA seemed to take great notes on the presentation. I had the Western meal, which came in three courses – you had a choice of cold and warm appetizer. I had the salmon, which was average, and the warm appetizer looked pretty good. I should have taken the advice of the F/As. She even recommended me a glass of white wine to go with the lobster entrée, which featured half of lobster and a side salad presented in a swirl plate, just like a fancy restaurant. The sauce can be tastier though. Each entrée had their number of calories written next to them. I noticed that Japanese entrée came with two different courses as well. Then we had two choices of desserts – one warm and one cold. I had the mango mousse, which was a nice light dessert to end a rich meal. I had a glass of the New Zealand white wine to go with my lobster, which was nice. Then digestives and chocolates were passed out. I think the new meal concept was great, but they could use a bit more substances or have some starch on the side. I like the rice bowl service pioneered by Japan Airlines. Maybe ANA can do something like that in the future. The F/As did come around with more bread – I like the soft twist rolls, but the French roll was not bad. Fortunately, there were more than abundant amount of snacks to keep us filled.

Sky counter was located in the main deck and there were baskets of snacks (asparagus pretzels, Japanese fish crackers, Japanese snacks, crunch, mixed nuts, chocolate, and sandwiches), amenities like eye masks, toothbrush sets, combs, moisturizer masks and leg refreshing pads. Then there were a full wine bar and a full beverage bar with bottled water, bottled Oolong tea, many juices and cold coffee drinks stocked up. It was nice and I made a couple visits to the sky counter, which was a nice exercise to walk down the stairs. Then I had the really nice udon in the middle of the night, followed by the toasted sandwich plate, which was ham & cheddar, and tomato & egg salad with a side of grapes, strawberry and some kinds of berries. The F/As kept on asking you if you need something to eat. You are not likely to get thirty and hungry on these ANA long haul flights. Haagen Dazs ice cream cups were also available, which was a favorite among Japanese passengers.

About two hours prior to arrival, lights were turned on and light meal was served. It was your typical one tray affair and found it not too filling – a bit too light. I had the Japanese plate, which came with three rice rolls, a plate of fruits (grapes, strawberries, blueberries and cantaloupes) and another plate of Japanese delicacies. Not much! Fortunately I fed myself with the udon noodle. I will definitely select the Western plate if I am really hungry. But once again no tray was used. Everything was set up individually in your table and there was a separate full beverage service. Descent soon began at 12:44am NYC time. It was raining pretty hard at Narita and it was quite choppy. Gear came down at 2:09pm NRT time, and we landed on Runway 16R at 2:12pm. We headed immediately to gate 95 and it was a wonderful flight. The seats were a bit disappointed and hopefully ANA could figure out the slope problems. The new a la carte menu was a success. I will recommend it to everyone. Nevertheless, BMI’s transatlantic J class is still the best and I do like CX Business a bit better because of my Hong Kong root and slightly more Chinese oriented catering. Nevertheless, the way CX is heading these days – it better watches out and NH can easy beat CX.

Here is the wine list and menu
LUNCH
JAPANESE COURSE
Amuse Gueule
Zensai
Grilled Breast of Duck Deep-fried Kisu (Sillago Fish) Broiled Prawn
Sansai Asari (Clams Simmered with Mountain Vegetables) Tamagoyaki (Sweet Rolled Omelette)
Kobachi
Yubiki-tako (Poached Octopus with Seaweed and Soy Vinegar)
Takiawase
Gourd-melon with Crabmeat Sauce
Dainomono
Grilled Red Tilefish with Sake Marinade
Hiryozu (Deep-fried Tofu-vegetable Patty)
Assortment of Simmered Seasonal Vegetables
Steamed Rice , Miso Soup , Assorted Pickles
Dessert
Mango and Coconut Mousse with Almond Tuile
Warm Chocolate Souffle with Raspberry Sorbet
Seasonal Fruit
Green Tea

WESTERN COURSE
Amuse Gueule
Appetizer
Sjomga-Balik Salmon with Herb Vinaigrette
Foie Gras and Squab Rolled in Warm Savoy Cabbage , in a Green Peppercorn Sauce
Fresh Garden Greens with Anchovy Dressing

Hot Entree
choice-1 (C1WA)
(A) Tenderloin of Beef , Cafe de Paris Style
choice-2 (C1WB)
(B) Poached Lobster with Creamy Truffle Sauce
choice-3 (C1WC)
(C) White Asparagus with Tender Garlic Puree

Two Kinds of Bread with a Choice of
Dairy Butter or Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Dessert
Mango and Coconut Mousse with Almond Tuile
Warm Chocolate Souffle with Raspberry Sorbet
Seasonal Fruit
Selection of Fine Tea or Gourmet Coffee

LIGHT MEAL JAPANESE COURSE
PETITE JAPANESE COURSE
Salt-grilled Salmon
Assorted Delicacies
Steamed Rice
Pickles
Seasonal Fruits

LIGHT MEAL WESTERN COURSE
GOURMET PLATE
Foie Gras Mousse
Tangy Crabmeat and Celery Salad
Bell Pepper Filled with Tuna
Smoked Salmon with Crisp Vegetable Sticks
Spicy Duck Spring Roll
Marinated Mussel
Quiche with Truffle
Grissini
Petits Fours

WINE LIST
Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs Millesime
A sophisticated and elegant champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. Fresh and tart, with an expansive effervescence

White Wines
Bourgogne Chardonnay Couvent des Jacobins 2000
France, Bourgogne
Hints of ripe apple, tempered with citrus and mineral notes. Strikes a good harmony with the drier, toasted oak bouquet.
Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnay 2000
USA, California
Flavors of dark-honeyed fruit add dimension to this mature wine. Lightly sweet with a strong finish
Mission Estate Winery Marlborough/Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2002
New Zealand, Marlborough/Hawkes Bay
The wine's tartness brings out its fruity character. A wonderful combination of lime and herbs, with a smooth, dry finish

Red Wine
Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2000 Chateau de Mercey
France, Bourgogne
This medium-bodied wine has a lustrous ruby colour and luxuriant mouthfeel. Its crispness lends it firmness.
Hawk Crest 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California
The red-fruit bouquet is exquisite, drawing a light sweetness from cassis. This wine has a simple, agreeable finish, defined by oaky tones and smooth tannins.
Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Shiraz 2000
Australia, South Australia
A thick, creamy wine memorable for its spicy finish

NH/NQ917 NRT-ICN Lv1555 Arr1820
Boeing 767-300 JA8286
About the lounge arrangements of ANA, I am still confused till today. Last time I was denied access to the Signet lounge, despite the Star Alliance Gold sign, so I headed to the Club ANA lounge. This time, the attendant informed me that I could use the Signet lounge and wrote me an invitation. It is just so confusing! Well the Signet lounge is slightly nicer than the Club ANA. It was quieter with more space and room. The snacks were a bit better with some sushi rolls and more packaged snacks to select, and pastries and sandwiches as well. After relaxing a bit, I dragged myself to E-60 BUS gate. It was raining at NRT and NH did not seem to provide us with any raincoat or umbrella. Well, the flight was running late, due to its late arrival from ICN. The rotation for the ICN route was quite special – it ran like KIX-ICN, then ICN-NRT, and then NRT-ICN, and ICH back to KIX. I think the F/As were the “retired” ones (looked pretty young to me) returning to work for a lower pay scale and less exciting of course. They pretty much worked for the whole day. The cockpit had one Japanese and one Western crew. Boarding began at 3:42pm and you could imagine the mob scene. It was not pretty. Fortunately, J class was fairly empty, as expected, and Asiana had another flight that took off thirty minutes before our flight – weird scheduling. The usual pillow, blanket, headsets, slippers, and menus were placed on the seat, with the newspaper offering.

Door was closed at 4pm after the last bus load of passengers arrived. The rain seemed to gain some strength. To my surprise, there is a nose camera on the Boeing 767s too. But not much to see due to rains at both ends! We pushed back four minutes later and heading to Runway 16R. We passed by the normal array of United and Northwest’ Boeings, including a brand new NW’s Boeing 747-400 with the updated livery. We also passed by a TN’s Airbus A340-300 and CX’s A330-300 (B-HLL) heading back to HKG. We took off at 4:18pm and flying time was two hours and two minutes and we climbed up to 39,000ft. I am glad that there is a Western pilot, so I can understand the in-flight announcements. Hot towels were passed out after seat belt sign went off at 4:35pm. The meal service began immediately. It was a one tray affair, but with a full appetizer course, a hot entrée of beef stroganoff with a hint of sour cream and saffron rice, a nice green salad, and some sliced fruits, which include kiwi, watermelon, pineapple, grapefruit, papaya, and grapes. A soft twist roll is also available. From the menus, outbound flights from Tokyo feature Western meals, and on the inbound flights to Japan, a Japanese meal is available. For the shorter Osaka flights, passengers get a cold meal box (Western ex-Japan; Japanese to-Japan). The appetizer is my favorite course. I am disappointed that there is no separate beverage service, but after meals, the F/As kept our glasses filled. I was asked if I want something else to drink. NHK news and “Everybody Loves Raymond” were shown throughout the flight – I guess Raymond Barone is everywhere. I am just curious what the Japanese translations sound like. I think I am the only one, who laughs at the correct spot. Anyway, the amenity basket with combs, eye-masks, and toothbrushes and all these goodies was offered towards the end of service. I was pleasantly surprised. Descent soon began at 5:54pm, and we landed on a cool evening at Incheon’s R/W15L at 6:20pm. We passed by the same Iran Air’s EP-IAA 747SP (it was pushing back) that I saw at NRT. Wow, I don’t realize that IA is running the NRT to Tehran flight via Seoul Incheon. We parked at gate 46, next to a CX’s A330-300 (B-HLK) heading back to HKG.

Here is the menu and wine list!
Western Style
LUNCH / DINNER COURSE
Appetizer
Rosette of Smoked Salmon
Shrimp Cocktail
Smoked Fillet of Beef with Black Pepper
Hot Entree
Fillet of Beef Stroganoff with Citron Flavor
Seasonal Salad
Seasonal Fruits
Table Roll
Coffee or Tea
WINE LIST
Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs Millesime 1996
A sophisticated elegant champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. Fresh and tart, with an expansive effervescence
White Wines
Bourgogne Chardonnay Couvent des Jacobins 2000
France, Bourgogne
Hints of ripe apple, tempered with citrus and mineral notes. Strikes a good harmony with the drier, toasted oak bouquet.
Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnay 2000
USA, California
Flavors of dark-honeyed fruit add dimension to this mature wine. Lightly sweet with a strong finish.
Red Wine
Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2000 Chateau de Mercey
France, Bourgogne
This medium-bodied wine has a lustrous ruby colour and luxuriant mouthfeel. Its crispness lends it firmness.
Chateau Blaignan 1998
Bordeaux, France
An elegant, well-structured wine with an animated bouquet of red fruit! Just enough tannins to keep it soft!
Japanese Sake
Junmai Ginjoshu Kurodajo Otemon (Fukuoka)

June 25, 2003
JL 952 ICN-NRT Lv1335 Arr1600
Boeing 747-300 JA813J
Well, the day started with a much better weather at Incheon. The airport was busy as ever – people everywhere, lines everywhere… I am not kidding you. The peak travel time at ICN must be between 9 and 1pm, and then the evening for the flights to the USA. Well, JAL was running at least four or five flights simultaneously. The J class line was long beyond belief. There was a thirty minutes wait… mind you that JAL has opened every single counters at its own row. There were eight J agents and more in Y. The line at Y extended to the entrance of the airport… it has to announce that the 12:20pm flight will be delayed because they cannot check in everyone yet. The flight did not leave till almost 1:10pm. As expected, there are lines at the security area and at the passport control. They had to stop security for a while because lines at passport control were getting out of control. They also had to let some folks cut the line. Well, I checked in with an agent, which was polite, but could not speak much English. Since my ticket was with AA code-share, she did not check me through to LA. She checked my bag all the way to LAX with clearly JAL flight numbers indicated at the tag, but could not give me the boarding pass from NRT to LAX. She kept on circling the AA number and I tried to tell her that it was also a JAL flight. I gave up and thought that the line at JAL should be fine (How wrong I was!). Well, to give her credit, she tagged my bag with a first class one, but my bag came out last among the JAL priority baggage claim. I really think that this code-share thing with AA was bogus. Well, after passing these hurdles, I went to a nice Bulgogi restaurant – I had a Solong Tong – nice beef stock soup with great kimchi on the side. Then I headed to the Sakura lounge, which was okay – rows of seats facing the window. It was not busy this afternoon or maybe everyone headed to the smoking room. Well, there were few prepackaged snacks and a beverage bar. I had a coke and had some cookies and crackers. Then when boarding began, an agent went around the room and told everyone.

Boarding began at 1:06pm at gate 30. It was a fairly busy flight as expected, but boarding took place in a civilized manner. F/As were greeting passengers and J cabin was almost 100% full. This Boeing 747-300 had the skyluxe seat with personal TV, but it was no “MAGIC” system. Not even a Sky Map! Row 1 was the best with unlimited legroom, but other rows have the normal 45 inches seat pitch. For regional flights, it was fine, but is a scary thing that JAL uses these Boeing 747-300s for their Vancouver and Las Vegas flights. I hope JL has a more comfortable interior for the long haul flights, but I don’t think so. But if you ever fly Boeing 747-300s, get the seats at Row One!
The décor was dated and the bathroom showed its age. The F/As were friendly and polite, but more reserved than ANA. Slippers, headsets, menus, and immigration forms were already at each seat. I love those JAL slippers… I even took my neighbor’s ones since he did not use them throughout the flight and left them there. (Let me tell you those JAL slippers were popular. On my next segment, the flight was not full at all, but all slippers were taken at the end. Of course, I sneaked the pair from the middle seat at the middle of the night, but when I tried to find another pair behind me. They were all gone.) Well, F/A came with newspapers, pillows and blankets after everyone was boarded. Door was closed at 1:35pm and we pushed back a few minutes later. We headed towards R/W15R. We passed by the normal array of KE and OZ planes, with not many other planes, since all European flights left ICN already, and the Asian flights were not here yet. We took off at 1:52pm. Our flying time was an hour and forty-eight minutes.

Seat belt sign was turned off at 1:59pm, and service started with hot towel and then a beverage service with a pack of Otsumami (nuts and crackers). Then the meal tray was delivered, followed by more tea and coffee. Here is the menu and wine list.

Wines
Chablis 2001. Laboure-Roi (Bourgogne White)
Cote de Beaune-Villages 2001, Laboure-Roi (Bourgogne Red)
Dai-Ginjoshu
Japanese Sake Dai-Ginjoshu “Tamanohikari Omachi”

Seoul – Tokyo
Chicken Teriyaki
Sauteed Squid “Korean Style”
Fish Cake
Well, this means two pieces of chicken meats, with some unknown yellow stuff on a tinfoil cup, and then two slices of fish cake

Kobachi
Fried Bean Curd in Sauce
It was nice – a piece of Bean Curd fried with a mushroom gravy on top… but it will be nicer if served warm. Cold fried tofu tastes funny. If you want to do cold tofu, please don’t try it!

Aemono
Mixed Shrimp and Vegetables “Korean” style
Some baby shrimps served with shredded vegetable in a vinegar sauce… is this Korean style?

Main Dish
Prawn & Scallop with Chinese sauce
Steamed Rice
It is a fine dish… nothing to praise about or complaint

Dessert
Prepared Fruit
Pineapple, watermelon, and orange

Beverage
Green Tea

The meal was not too bad, but ANA has a slight advantage here. It seems to have substances than JAL. After the meals, F/As came by with the coffee and tea cart, and only water was offered afterward. Entertainment wise – what is better than more NHK news and some Japanese short programs… sometime you really miss “Everybody loves Raymond.” We began our descent soon at 3:13pm. Things are looking a bit clearer at NRT. We landed on R/W34L at 3:40pm, after a TG’s Boeing 747-400 (HS-TSO with the boat livery and a new APEC sticker at the nose) landed from BKK, and soon parked at a stair gate next to a Qantas’ Boeing 767-300ER (OH-OJA). As I checked earlier, we will arrive at a bus gate, so I am not as surprised as some other passengers.

JL 62 NRT-LAX Lv1720 Arr1115
Boeing 747-400 JA8080
The transit desk is another mob scene. I was in another long line… I just can’t be happier to stand in line for another forty minutes. It is a strange culture – there is a long line – I meant it. Many young folks are connecting to the Australian flights later that night on QF (I assume arriving from the LHR flights). Yet not all six agents were working on checking in passengers. They are doing some other things – they are busy, but I am sure that checking in passengers should be your priority. Then there is no priority desk. When Air Canada next door has a separate J and Y line, it is not wrong to expect JAL to have a separate priority line. Some agents were directing passengers, but I found them to be pretty rude. Oh, what is wrong with JAL? No wonder people are complaining that JAL is getting worst. I guess it is just a bit not prepared to handle the summer crowd.

I headed to the Sakura lounge soon after, which was another disappointment – only packaged snacks and pastries were offered as food. It is your hub airport and you will expect more. Well, I had some cold drinks and headed to my gate, D94. It was a busy day at Tokyo Narita, with many flights heading off to some exotic destinations. The LA flight was pretty full and people are everywhere. Boarding began at 4:57PM and boarding was reinforced with first class, and then business, and then economy class. The order was strictly enforced. F and J class was not full this afternoon – I sat at the first section in the J cabin, and the service thankfully improved a bit here. There was a really cute Japanese male F/A – just so handsome. Well, anyway, there is no pre-takeoff beverage again. Still don’t know why! Slippers, pillow, a wool blanket and headsets were pre-placed at each seat and newspapers were offered next. I did not take part on any of those, as I had my books to read. Boarding completed at 5:28pm, as they were looking for a missing passenger. I think they found her later in the bathroom. Due to the lack of tail wind, we had a flying time of nine hours and thirty-nine minutes and the F/A apologized for our ten minutes lateness. We pushed back at 5:32pm. We headed towards Runway 34L and once again followed the same TG boat 747-400 heading to LAX. We ended up following it all the way to LAX. We took off at 5:45pm and our flight path was fairly straightforward – rather southern course with a straight line across the ocean. We first leveled off at 34,000ft, and then 36,000ft, and then 37,000ft after entering the Bay area.

Seat belt sign went off at 5:52pm, and hot towel came next, with a blue linen to set up our table. The beverage trolley came out and we were offered a plate of amuse boche followed with a pack of Otsumami (nuts & crackers) and a pack of flavored dried Natto (fermented beans). And then dinner was served with the typical one tray affair. And the special rice trolley was rolled out and everyone was offered a bowl of rice (really hot) in a lacquered box. Some powdered was offered to add on top of rice, and a bowl of miso soup was offered to those who picked Japanese meals. It was a nice service. And then it came with cheese, fruit (cantaloupe, apple, and grapes) and dessert cart. Of course, there is the chocolate and digestive service afterward. I was in the bathroom and the F/A did not come back to me. It was not a big deal but the ANA F/As would remember to come back to you. I think NH just wins by these slight margins.

Here is the wine list and menu:
Champagne
Piper Heidsieck Brut

White Wines
Chablis 1999, Laboure Roi (Bourgogne)
Beringer Founders’ Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2001 (California)

Red Wines
Chateau des Belles Graves 1998 (Bordeaux)
R.H. Philips Dunnigan Hills Merlot 2000 (California)
Santenay 1998, Louis Labour (Bourgogne)

Japanese Shochu “Goku”
Japanese Sake Dai-Ginjoshu “Tamanohikari Omachi”

Tokyo to SFO, LOS, and LAS
Western
Amuse Bouche
Foie Gras & Tuna Balsamico Flavor
Crabmeat Canape/ Smoked Salmon “Temari-sushi”

Hors D’Oeuvre
Beef Terrine/Vegetable Terrine/Salmon Mousse

Cold Soup
Fresh Tomato Soup

Salad
Fresh Salad/ Italian dressing

Main Dish (Choice)
We are using beef from Australia
Fillet of Beef with Foie Gras in red wine sauce
Please enjoy your fillet of beef steak, serving a rich sauce made from red wine & foie gras, topped with mozarrella cheese(515 kcal)
Or
JAL Healthy Menu Selection
Grilled Seafood “Pot-au-Feu” style
Grilled assorted seafood (sea bream, prawn, scallop, cuttlefish) serving a estragon flavor soup style, enhanced by ailloli sauce (391 kcal)

Special Bread or Steamed Rice
Dried seafood & vegetable powder topping “Furikake” for steamed rice is also available.

Japanese
Same Amuse Bouche

Hors D’Oeuvre
Sake steamed abalone, Rolled conger eel with Burdock, Roasted Duck Fillet, Braised Prawn
Very nice appetizers… abalone was not tough… the roasted duck is nice. My complaint is that it is too small.

Nimono
Braised Vegetables

Sunomono
Grilled Eel in Vinegar Jelly

Main Dish
Steamed Sea Bass Fillet with Seasme Curd sauce
A nice warm entrée… the sauce was not strong enough, but the bean curd roll on the side was very nice.

Kobachi
Water Shield & Broad Bean

Japanese Pickles/ Miso Soup
Steamed Rice

Dessert
Cheese/Fresh Fruit
Peanut “Blanc-manger”/Fruit Yogurt Roll Cake/Chou Cream Pie
Ice Cream (Japanese brand strawberry flavored)

Beverage
Chocolate

We are pleased to offer you any of the following snacks at anytime
JAL Original snack noodle
Ramen de Sky, Udon de Sky, Soba de sky
Sandwiches

Self-service counter
After the first meal servce, help yourself to a selection of soft drinks and snacks in the cabin.
Snack baskets feature Chiffon cakes, Otsumami, Japanese grass cake, crackers, and pretzel stickets
Bottled water, orange juice, oolong tea and apple juice was also available.

The amenity basket came after meal but then there was some chop and I fell asleep. It was disappointing that the amenity basket was not placed at the counter, like ANA. JAL hid them. The F/As did rounds throughout the night, but did not pay attention to anything. They did not pick up dirty glasses and let them sit until the breakfast times. That is the minor detail that makes me like ANA a bit more. The Skyluxe seats are nice and the SFO/LAX routes feature seats with nicer legroom and more recline. I had a good night of sleep. In terms of entertainment, Magic II was the system installed here with the movies, such as Daredevil, Chicago, and the Hours. There are video games too with sky camera and navigation map. Not much to see since we are over water for the whole flight. Hot towels were handed out two hours prior to arrival, and then the full juice trolley was rolled out, like apple, orange, tomato, kiwi, and all kinds of juices – not just orange juice. There is the blue linen again and then your choice of Western or Japanese breakfast. I had the Western breakfast this time. Here is the transcript”

Western
Grapefruit (half a grapefruit topped with a cherry – not a big fan of grapefruit)

Quiche
Bacon and Sausage
Hashed Potato
(A fine egg and vegetable quiche with a slice of ham and sausage, and then a piece of hash brown potatoes)

Yogurt (Plain)
Croissant
Or
Japanese
Japanese Rice Porridge
Salt Grilled Salmon
Boiled Spinach with Sesame Seed
Japanese Pickles
Prepared Fresh Fruits

The breakfast was another one tray affair, but I don’t think it took more than half an hour to serve the breakfast and to collect the trays. There is a duty free service after breakfast. And then I fell back to sleep until landing. Descent began at 2:57am, and then we landed on R/W24R at 11:24am LAX local time. To my surprise, TG’s Boeing 747-400 boat livery landed right in front of us. We parked at gate 120 at 11:34am.

B747-437B

Excellent report as always Carfield. I was actually at ICN boarding SQ 17 to SIN at the exact same time that your flight arrived and remember seeing the same IranAir aircraft that you mention in the report! A small world indeed.

Swanhunter

Great report Carfield! I'm flying Club ANA LHR - NRT - HKG on Monday so it's good to know what to expect.

freeupgrade

Carfield,

Thanks - I always enjoy your detailed reports. I feel like I am on the flight.

mjm

Carfield,

Excellent report, thank you for taking the time to put it up.

A friend is flying the JFK-NRT route next month and I shall forward him the link to this report.

A side note: When I flew into NRT from SIN last month I saw an IranAir 747 taxiing for takeoff as we arrived at the gate. I grabbed a quick picture and it can be seen at:

http://home.inter.net/mjm/iranair.html

Mike

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FT picture page (hosted by markbach)
My Starbucks City Mug Collection Page
New Zealand Trip Report incl. lots of pictures

dhammer53

Carfield,

I believe mjm's friend is me.

I read the NH part of your report with great interest! Just this week I managed to secure seats upstairs all the way JFK/NRT/BKK.

I was looking forward to enjoying Japanese food (to get me in the mood); but after reading the 'western' selection, I believe you just made the decision easy. I'll tell my wife.

Thanks.
Dan-san

ORDnHKG

Nice report, Carfield !
So I guess both of NH and JL doesn't have amenity kits at all for the transpacific J class ? Instead just have amenity baskets that you have to pick what you want. I did a search on both website only found JL has the amenity kit on F but not J. Looks pretty cheap to me that any airline doesn't offer one in J, as CX has a nice one, and even UA got the kit too.

Jet'Dillo

The beancounters here on FT and at the airlines themselves should love this though as I'd imagine it would cut down on waste of amenity items. People only take what they want and on any particular flight you're bound to have some items left over that you can use on the next flight.

The blue-grey sacks UA is using now is a disappointing downgrade from the neat little leatherette pouches they used to hand out, but I like it better than this "self-serve" concept.

JD

Carfield

Thanks for the kind comments!

Yes, none of the Japanese airlines offer an amenity kit, but both offered a high quality pair of slippers -- no cheap stuff, but nice cotton slippers. I wore them at home and they last for six months. That is nice.

About NRT-SIN flights, they are regional flights and feature a rather disappointing one tray dinner. I want to forewarn you ahead, so so you won't be disappointed. I recommend getting a bite at NRT... You can check out the meal selection at the main ANA website ahead.

Wow, Boeing 747... I saw your SQ's 777 when we headed to the faraway gate spot. That Iran Air is a nice sight and seeing a Boeing 747SP brings back memories...

Have a safe trip!

Carfield

pallensf

Carfield - you've done it again to me!

Another outrageous & superb trip report...

I want your traveling lifestyle...he he he...

With these great reports, I never have to travel ever again - like most other FT'ers have said - reading something of yours is just like being there.



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Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

caseylai

I like these trip report.The good one make me feel like I am almost actually on the plane.this one and one made by tfung are very nice.

Buster CT1K

Great job, Carfield! What did you think of SQ's spacebeds in comparison with ANA's new C product?

Carfield

I have yet to try the SQ spacebed, so I can't compare much.

But when compare to CX skybed, I will CX's seats better, but in general, I am not particularly big fan of these flat beds... the slope is just too steep sometimes. But ANA new seats had a disadvantage because it installed the personal TV on the armrest, which takes up some width spaces.

Carfield

SEA_lurker

Carfield --

Many thanks for yet another very enjoyable and very detailed report. I've been lurking on ft for a long time and always look forward to your reports.

I haven't seen a NW 744 in the new livery yet (not that I want to, because I think it is just too ugly). Strange about the lack of predeparture drinks on the Japanese airlines, I thought only US-based carriers don't bother...

Best regards,
SEA_lurker

ws8n

excellent report. i have a trip coming up NRT-ICN. have a choice between NH, OZ and UA. Will be travelling on C. Any suggestions on which airline I should go with?