Originally Posted by
ande777emt
JL has significantly better service and seats than all N. American carriers. The shell flat neo is quite comfortable. I would say avoid DL at all costs. Lackluster catering, service, and seats compared to JL. JL's C lounges are also significantly superior to DL at NRT.
Even DL's herringbone leather C seats aren't that great; improvement over the previous craptacular DL C recliner, but I've slept better on the JL Shell flat (2nd gen JL C seat) than the DL flat.
Many people on this board say that totally flat seat >>>>>>>>> not-totally-flat seat. A lot of it depends on how you want to use your time. If sleep is important, take Delta's flat seat and don't worry about their service (you will sleep through it anyway). If you don't plan to sleep so much, might as well take JAL and enjoy the other aspects of the experience
One disadvantage of JAL's seat (versus Delta's herringbone seat) is that you will likely have someone sitting next to you. If you are traveling with a friend or partner, that's fine. If you're traveling alone, the herringbone seat will give you significantly more privacy, and also eliminates the chance of having an obnoxious seat mate who keeps stepping over you, waking you up, etc.