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My Biannual Jaunt to Asia. On JAL Economy Dreamliner, SQ Business & Cathay First

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My Biannual Jaunt to Asia. On JAL Economy Dreamliner, SQ Business & Cathay First

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Old May 21, 2014, 7:38 pm
  #31  
 
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Wonderful report and photos. Yup, anyone with access to Wing F can go into the Cabana (incl. guests of OWEs flying in Y ).
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Old May 24, 2014, 6:08 am
  #32  
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Originally Posted by karaokequeen3
Good update to your TR sir, photos of HK looks top notch ^
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Originally Posted by Top of climb
Nice photos and report. Not sure where you got that little nugget about Cabana access but that's not correct - anyone who has access to the F lounge (F pax, OW emerald or guest) can access the Cabana. It is not restricted to F pax only.
Thanks! I recall reading it in one of the many travel blogs. But nice to know at least that it's available to all passengers. In case I were to make a future visit as a status passenger or guest.

Originally Posted by arlflyer
Just curious, since you mentioned wanting a paper boarding pass (I agree 100% and always go for them - both for logistical purposes and as souvenirs), can you do full check-in at Kowloon Station before boarding the Airport Express? I've only done it at HK Station but I thought Kowloon had it too.

Agree 100% on CX ground service. With all the hype about CX, and given what competitor airlines do for their F passengers, I'm always surprised that there's no differentiation of F pax on the ground whatsoever. In particular the boarding setup is surprising, given that there are only 6-9 F pax who wouldn't take that long to board, and it would be a much nicer gesture then mixing them all in with the various elites.

Great report on CX542. I was lucky enough to fly that same route in F earlier this year, my first flight on the 747 too! Loved it!
Thank you! Yes a full check in is possible at Kowloon station which is very convenient if you have a late departure and no possibility to stove your bags at the hotel. I could of course have checked in there but since I wanted to make use of the full experience I opted to have my BP collected at the First Class counters.

Agreed. I was told by the gate staff that they do have a separate First Boarding lane on flights to Europe and the US but I'd still say that there isn't much effort in escorting each First passenger to the front of the podium.

Originally Posted by marcuslai
Wonderful report and photos. Yup, anyone with access to Wing F can go into the Cabana (incl. guests of OWEs flying in Y ).

Thank you marcuslai I'm glad you enjoyed the report!
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Old May 24, 2014, 4:06 pm
  #33  
 
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Excellent review of JL Y. Indeed I might be forced to endure JL 003 this fall, but it doesn't look too bad.
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Old May 26, 2014, 6:09 am
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by LH4116
The following day I meet up with fellow FlyerTalker, or more accurately aspiring FT legend Short Hair Francis for some coffee. It was a fun afternoon, and he was kind enough to show me around a few places in Hong Kong.

We catch the Star Ferry together back to Kowloon before bidding farewell. It was nice meeting you Francis!
Thank You LH4116, you're giving me too much credit
I'll need to produce ALOT MORE TRs before I have any chance of being an aspiring FT legend
I wish I showed you some of the more hidden places of HKG, didn't really do much that time.

Originally Posted by LH4116
With the boarding pass in hand I head straight for immigrations and security. No priority whatsoever is given to premium passengers which may seem a little strange considering the premium loads out of Hong Kong. The queues were thankfully short and within less than five minutes I find myself at the entrance of The Wing.





The size of the Cabana is equal to the size of most hotel rooms (or Hong Kong Apartments according to Short Hair Francis) and it provides a perfect level of privacy which you’d might need during a prolonged layover. Before making myself comfortable, I order in a glass of Champagne from the passing attendant.
You should consider yourself very lucky for clearing security/HK immigration in 5 Minutes.
Excluding anyone having HK ID cards or E-Channel, the visitor line for exiting can be a B!TCH at times.
As to why there is no premium lines, god knows but it's been that way since the airport open.

As to the Cabanas, well, It's a fair size for a HKG Apartment, certainly bigger than a person living in the Estates.
Anyone in the lower class, the Cabana (~400 sq ft.) can easily operate as an apartment for 3

Last edited by Short hair Francis; May 26, 2014 at 6:14 am
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Old May 26, 2014, 6:16 am
  #35  
 
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Nice thanks for sharing
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Old May 26, 2014, 7:19 pm
  #36  
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Great report! One note: takoyaki aren't squid balls; they are octopus balls
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Old May 28, 2014, 7:47 am
  #37  
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Originally Posted by sriegert
Excellent review of JL Y. Indeed I might be forced to endure JL 003 this fall, but it doesn't look too bad.
Thank you! If you're going to be stuck 12 hours in coachconomy there are certainly worse airlines than JAL. While I have only flown LX and SU in long haul coach earlier, I would say that JAL was easily the best product I've flown in Y.

Originally Posted by Short hair Francis
Thank You LH4116, you're giving me too much credit
I'll need to produce ALOT MORE TRs before I have any chance of being an aspiring FT legend
I wish I showed you some of the more hidden places of HKG, didn't really do much that time.



You should consider yourself very lucky for clearing security/HK immigration in 5 Minutes.
Excluding anyone having HK ID cards or E-Channel, the visitor line for exiting can be a B!TCH at times.
As to why there is no premium lines, god knows but it's been that way since the airport open.

As to the Cabanas, well, It's a fair size for a HKG Apartment, certainly bigger than a person living in the Estates.
Anyone in the lower class, the Cabana (~400 sq ft.) can easily operate as an apartment for 3
Thank you Francis, I'm glad you found the time for stopping by!

Seeing that your recent reports have hit the 100K views mark which is a fairly exclusive club here on FT as only a handful reports have reached those numbers. In my books that's aspirational

It would have been fun to see some more hidden treasures of Hong Kong indeed. As I had to run back and forth to the tailor I wasn't able to venture too far from the centre, which is a shame since I really wanted to explore more of Hong Kong. But on the upside at least I'll have something to do during my next visit.

When I come to think of it, the cabana was actually larger than my studio apartment in Rotterdam.

Originally Posted by Khiaao
Nice thanks for sharing
Thank you!
Originally Posted by oneworld82
Great report! One note: takoyaki aren't squid balls; they are octopus balls
Thanks! Oh yes I'm sorry for my ignorance, of course it was octopus balls. I have a hard time telling those two apart.
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Old Jun 9, 2014, 12:44 pm
  #38  
 
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I'm looking forward to the reports on the last legs from TYO-CDG.
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Old Jun 11, 2014, 8:46 am
  #39  
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January 18th 2014


After a fantastic experience on Cathay Pacific First Class it’s time for a reality check: My dreaded flight home, 10 hours in Japan Airlines Economy.

I wake up at the crack of dawn in my sleeping pod at the Hotel Nihonbashi Villa in Asakusabashi, Tokyo. It’s my second visit to this property, albeit my first sleeping in a capsule and for the reasonable price of 2500 Yen per night it certainly was a good value considering I got a good night’s sleep, as opposed to a nasty hostel. I shower and get dressed before packing up my belongings and taking the subway to Asakusa to meet my sister. After a 10 minute walk in the cold I catch my sister already waiting for me outside her hotel, and so I oblige in my brotherly duty of dragging her ancient and heavy suitcase for the rough 90 minute journey to the airport.

Narita Airport certainly doesn’t have the location on its side and I can’t help but dread those slow and uncomfortable commuter trains you have to catch in order to reach it. Of course you could splurge on a Narita Express ticket, but as we were traveling from Asakusa it made more sense to chose the cheaper Kei’Sei train. Due to some confusion at the station we end up missing one train and are forced to take the next one. As a result we arrive at the airport 45 minutes later than we originally planned.

With roughly 90 minutes until departure we make our way up the escalators to the departures hall of Narita Terminal 2. Finding the right check-in counter turned to be a bit of a challenge since the priority desks were labeled after the dozen different status levels of JAL Mileage bank. It was utter confusion and seeing that I didn’t want to waste any more time running around the terminal, I headed to the first counter that I could find which was the JAL Global Club counter. Oneworld Sapphire cards were thankfully accepted and after having our check-in done manually, the diabolic suitcase from hell was dumped on the belt, yellow priority tag put on, before watching it disappear into the bowels of Narita.

Meanwhile my sister and I made our way towards security and immigration. The airport was fairly quiet at this hour which naturally meant minimal waiting times. For whatever reason the TSA, or well their Japanese counterpart decided to pull me aside for an additional inspection. After having my camera swiped to ensure no explosives are hidden inside, we are finally granted access to the airside section of the terminal. As the Helsinki flight departs from the Satellite we began our long walk towards it.

With roughly 40 minutes to to before boarding we were slightly unsure whether we would have time for a lounge visit, but thankfully the JAL Sakura Lounge was located just opposite of our gate.



Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge Narita Terminal 2 Satellite


The lounge complex is divided into two floors, the upper floor comprising the JAL First Class lounge which is also available for Oneworld Emerald, and the bottom floor comprising the Sakura Lounge for Business Class passengers and Oneworld Sapphire card holders.

The friendly girl at the reception quickly scans our boarding passes before welcoming us into the lounge. At first she points us towards the First Class section before quickly showing us the elevators for downstairs.






View of the main seating areas of the lounge


The JAL Sakura Lounge is very large, spacious and offers tremendous views of the tarmac and lots of natural light, something which appears to be the norm for the lounge in Narita as both the Delta SkyClub and ANA Lounges in Terminal 1 offer similar views. The decoration was very Japanese, incorporating the traditional minimalism in a modern fashion. Color theme consist of earthy tones, untanned wood and brown leather. In combination with the rich daylight it offers a very soothing and comfortable atmosphere.

Seating consist mainly of armchairs of various sorts with generous amounts of table space. As the last USA bound passengers had just left the lounge, the place was very empty and calm which made for a pleasant visit.

Having skipped breakfast earlier in the morning I head towards the food and beverage section in search for something to still the hunger. The food options are fairly limited and consisted mostly of pastries, snacks and sushi. Based on accounts from earlier trip reports there should be a more extensive food area, though I didn’t have time to check it out. The drink selection consist of a beer pouring machine which is an essential accessory of any Japanese Airline lounge, a small selection of spirits, wine and a soda dispenser. Sufficient but not great.




The food and beverage section.




I settle for some egg and eel sushi and a diet coke.


My sister and I spend a good 30 minutes in the lounge, munching on Sushi and catching up on each other’s trips, before it was time to leave for the gate. It was pleasant and I wouldn’t mind spending more time in this lounge.



Japan Airlines flight JL413 Tokyo Narita – Helsinki


Departure: 11.30
Arrival: 15.00
Duration: 10h 30m
Date: 18th January 2014
Aircraft type: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Seat & Class: 49K Economy Class



Seeing how late we left the lounge we arrive at the gate towards the end of the boarding process. The boarding progressed in a very calm and civilized fashion, and at the gate I was hoping and praying for a red light to spare me from the misery that was about to come for the next 10 hours. Boarding is once again made through door 1L which only adds insult to injury as I have to pass by more rows of Business Class before getting to my seat. As painful as it was, I tried not to look up at the passengers seated comfortably with a glass of Champagne in their hand. Soon I reach the confines of seat 49K and unlike Business Class which looked quite empty, Economy was sold out to the last seat.

The aircraft leaves the gate for an on-time departure, shortly after we get settled into the seats. After an elongated taxi which seemed to take us on a lap around the entire airport we finally take to the skies, bound back home to Europe.




Takeoff from Narita.






Cruising altitude is reached roughly thirty minutes into the flight… No we are not flying in space.


Our takeoff and ascent offers some spectacular views of the sky and the landscape. On a daytime flight like this one you are really able to appreciate and enjoy the large windows on the B787. Service begins shortly after cruising altitude is reached, which starts off with a drinks round.




Starting off with a Coke Zero and some rice crackers. Ironically the Coke is catered in Helsinki.


Shortly after the drink round is finished the crew rolls out the meal carts. Two options are available today, a western chicken option or a Japanese seafood option, with the obvious choice being the latter. No menus are distributed but instead the crew holds up a placard displaying the two meal options with pictures and text. I found this rather unique, though it didn’t give me the chance to find out what the meal consists of in detail.




The main meal is served.


Again I am presented with an impressive 7 course dinner, consisting of two starters: A western cabbage dish and a Japanese one consisting of a white fish tempura with pickled radishes. This was followed by miso soup served in a paper cup, and a mixed salad with vinaigrette. Main course consisted of fried fried squid with steamed vegetables, fish sauce and sticky rice. Dessert consisted of fresh fruit and Häggen Dazs ice cream.

Once again everything tasted great and overall this was a very filling Economy Class meal which left both em and my sister very stuffed at the end. My only gripe was the ice cream which was served half molten and in a smaller container than those loaded in Helsinki.

After the meal the cabin lights were dimmed, and I reclined my seat and slumbered for a nap. I woke up roughly three hours later over Siberia.




Overflying the vast expanses of northern Siberia.


The reminder of the flight was spend watching some movies on the IFE, enjoying the beautiful views from the window, chatting with my sister and sampling the different varieties of Japanese candies and snacks available at the self-service snackbar. Considering the fact that it was a daytime flight, I never felt uncomfortable sitting in the Economy seats as they provided a sufficient level of comfort along with the added advantage of the 2-4-1 configuration.




Appropriate choice of film…


Roughly 90 minutes before arrival the meal trolleys were rolled out a second time to commence the pre-arrival meal service. At the time Japan Airlines were running a cooperation with Kentucky Fried Chicken, where a special KFC ”air fried chicken” was to be served on this flight. I’m normally not a big fan of KFC but I couldn’t help but feeling a bit excited about what they were about to serve.






The pre-arrival KFC meal in Japan Airlines Economy Class.


The meal consisted of a green salad with ranch dressing as starter. Main course consisted of fried chicken fillet with a maple walnut cronut or ”biscuit” as it was called on the menu. A cup of coleslaw is served on the side, and a chocolate pecan cake make up the dessert.

The green salad and coleslaw taste nice and fresh, as you’d expect. Though I did find the coleslaw to be a bit too rich for my likings and I ended up only eating half. The chicken was the main event of this course, and while KFC usually serve some processed mystery chicken karkas concealed as a nugget on the ground (or was that McD’s?) the chicken served onboard was actually the fillet itself. The chunks were generous and the fillet was very tender and juicy. As a chicken connoisseur I would rank this high among the chicken dishes I’ve been served on planes. The maple walnut cronut on the other hand was a strange addition to the meal and I wasn’t sure whether to eat it with the chicken or as a dessert, but needless to say it tasted fairly good. The pecan cake on the other hand was a bit too sweet for my likings but I decided to finish it anyway. Overall JAL once again manages to deliver great meals to their passengers in the back.

We begin our descent shortly after the meal service is completed, and after a smooth landing at Helsinki airport we find ourselves back in the same lounge where we were ten days earlier. My sister in particular felt a rather sad nostalgia about the fact that we were heading back to boring old Sweden rather than back to Japan. We have a five hour layover to spend, which passed by quickly before it was time to catch the puddle jumper to Stockholm. We both slept through the 50 minute flight, only to be awaken by the wheels hitting the ground.

As always with Arlanda, the priority bagage never works and our suitcase ended up coming out dead last. With the luggage in hand we head out into the blizzard cold to wait for the shuttle bus to take us to our hotel for the night. By the time we arrived at the Best Western Arlanda Park Hotel we instantly dropped dead into our respective beds and slept for a solid 9 hours.


January 19th 2014


After a great night’s sleep and a steady swedish breakfast, we catch the shuttle back to Arlanda at 10am. I bid my sister goodbye at the SAS domestic check-in counters before making the 5 minute walk to Terminal 2 to catch my Air France flights to Paris and Amsterdam.

The flight itself was very pleasant but uneventful. Though once the service began I quickly remembered why I love flying this seemingly dysfunctional airline. The food.



Very impressive lunch consisting of roast beef and pasta salad. President Brie and pain pistolet to go along, and a nice Sacher chocolate cake as dessert.




Smooth and comfortable flight.


After a quick layover in Paris I catch my connecting flight to Amsterdam, before hopping on the FYRA train back to my soon-to-be ex apartment in Rotterdam.


Next up: Conclusions
LH4116 is offline  
Old Jun 11, 2014, 11:38 am
  #40  
 
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awesome TR - I agree Y is almost doable for a day flight however never suitable for a night flight

Great pics
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Old Aug 7, 2014, 12:43 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by adampenrith
awesome TR - I agree Y is almost doable for a day flight however never suitable for a night flight

Great pics
Thank you! Yes night flights in Y are quite tough, and thankfully I got a row to stretch out on during the outbound.
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Old Aug 13, 2014, 10:58 am
  #42  
 
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Was that angled lie flat on SQ? How bad or good is the angled lie flat and does it hurt your back?
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Old Aug 17, 2014, 9:37 pm
  #43  
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Nice report!

Any pics of the capsule hotel?
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Old Aug 18, 2014, 6:51 am
  #44  
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Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by gunit770
Was that angled lie flat on SQ? How bad or good is the angled lie flat and does it hurt your back?
Seeing that you're a million times more comfortable in Business than in Coach I had no problem sleeping in the seat or any other angled seats for that matter. The seat itself goes completely flat and is only has a shallow angle in relation to the floor. Didn't feel any back pain or sliding during the night.

Originally Posted by TravelerMSY
Nice report!

Any pics of the capsule hotel?
Sadly I did not take any pictures of the capsule hotel. It was quite late at night, and I didn't want to disturb my fellow guests
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Old Aug 18, 2014, 11:20 am
  #45  
 
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Great TR! Which tailor do you use in HK?
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