I have just returned to London from a fairly brief (6 days) trip to Tokyo. I have done this trip 7 times, 3 times with BA 3 times with JL (all J) and once from LAX with AA in F.

The one thing that BA wins fairly comfortably is the seat. Flat bed v slope always going to be the Flat Bed. AVOD is better on BA also, so 2- 0 to BA.

So it seems one-sided? Not a bit of it. And the game is also changing early next year.

Although the food has improved on BA LH, I'm afraid there is still a gulf between BA J and JL J.

There are a multitude of options for food on JL, and I'm not just saying Japanese and English options. Even thought the seating is high intensity on the 777, the second meal can be brought to you at your requested time, although they do try and steer people to a specific time. One really good service aspect is that when they are clearing away first service, CC specifically ask if you would like to be woken for second service or if you would like to be able to sleep up to 40 mins before landing. This is a nice touch and it is noted on the service sheets.

Foodwise, not only was the choice of food good, but the quality and cooking of the food was first rate. Normally I avoid steak on planes as it tends to have the texture of shoe leather and cooked until it pleads for mercy. I had UK fillet steak on the way out and Japanese Wagyu fillet steak on the return. It was delicious, and cooked to perfection - the rare side of medium.

Wine choice wasn't extensive, but a reasonable Medoc Bordeaux was enjoyed with the steak.

So how is the game changing?

From January 2013, there will be new cabins on the 700-300ER. I had a look at the brochure in the upstairs JL First Class Lounge. At first I thought the J cabin was a copy of club. It's similar, with one facing and one rear facing, but that's where the similarities end. The seats look wider, and as the seating is 2-3-2 rather than 2-4-2, I suspect this will be borne out in experience.

When this comes into effect and I have heard that it will be on the NRT - LHR route first, I'll choose JL over BA.

The normal First class JL lounge was overcrowded as it often is this morning NRT time. It was politely suggested to us that we might like to use the upstairs lounge as it was quieter. The staff went further and insisted on guiding us to the desk, and my colleague and I thanked her for her assistance.

There was only one other person in the lounge and so I made use of the two machines: firstly the beer machine, and then the massage chair. There are a few there that you can use, and they are better than the elemis ones at LHR. They rock as well as massage. After that excitement I poured myself a glass of Promis (a pretty good tuscan wine from the same house as Magari), and leisurely made my way to the plane when boarding was called.

The two steaks I had though - better than anything I have ever had on BA including in F, and wouldn't have been out of place in a good restaurant. It was more than that though. The service was great throughout. Never over fussy, never subservient, just polite, and proactive.

When JL introduce those new seats, it will be a landslide if the standards of food stay the same (they say they are improving this also). Is there cream tea? No, and I don't mind cream tea, but there are a myriad of options for the second service from NRT - LHR - 6 of them hot. There was slightly less choice from LHR - NRT but as the flight is geared for sleeping - and I chose to sleep through the second service - this wasn't an issue.

ETA - I also looked at the proposed new F and Y+ seats in JL's new cabins. Excellent.