Day Twenty-One
Japan Airlines Business Class ~ 787-8 ~ Ho Chi Minh City, VN to Tokyo, JP ~ 810a – 400p
Japan Airlines First Class ~ 777-300 ~ Tokyo, JP to New York JFK ~ 630p – 625p

Tan Son Nhat International Airport is Vietnam’s leading international gateway. It is located inside the crowded urban core of Ho Chi Minh City and, like the city, it is fairly congested. That’s not to say it is poorly run, however. Considering how well thought out and organized most big-city Asian airports are, SGN was just slower. On a positive note, plans are well under way to build a new substantially larger airport in the Long Thanh District, located about 25 miles out of the city. That airport is scheduled to open in 2025.

For today however, I had to endure long lines at both security and immigration though thankfully once I reached each checkpoint the process went relatively quickly and smoothly.

My Business Class ticket on Japan Airlines provided me access to either the Apricot Lounge or the Rose Lounge. Additionally, my Priority Pass membership allowed me access to the Orchid Lounge. As I made my way down the concourse, the Orchid lounge was the first one I came to and since I really wanted a cup of coffee – as in right now! – I stopped in there first.

This was a nice lounge – not particularly large but bright and inviting with lots of natural light courtesy of a wall of almost floor to ceiling windows looking out over the tarmac. Opposite the windows was a long buffet counter offering a nice selection of both hot and cold items. I didn’t see anything particularly enticing however and so limited my choice to that cup of coffee I’d so desired.



The Orchid Lounge Buffet


Orchid Lounge ambience


Taking a seat by the window, I briefly flipped through a copy of the International New York Times before collecting my gear and heading down the concourse to the Rose Lounge which was conveniently located right next door to my departure gate.

This was a larger facility with a much nicer spread of food. Indeed, I recognized the layout from my last trip through Ho Chi Minh City four years ago. I helped myself to a small plate of nicely flavored noodles, then found a table and continued with my perusal of the New York Times. Dang! Those noodles are good! Maybe just a wee bit more…



Rose Lounge overview


It was a little after 7:30am when I made my way next door to the gate serving my Tokyo bound flight. This required taking an elevator upstairs, walking 50 yards down the concourse and then taking another elevator downstairs to the gate lounge. Waiting at the gate while gleaming nicely in the morning sun was JA827J, a six and a half year old 787-8 that was the 38th aircraft off the assembly line way back in 2012. This was my ninth flight aboard Boeing’s newest jetliner with all but one of those flights having come aboard eight other airlines. This was a repeat visit with my first flight aboard JAL’s 787 having come last year between Taipei and Tokyo.

There was nobody in the Business Class lane at the podium, so I strolled on down the jetway and into the aircraft without impediment. Two pretty flight attendants greeted me at the door with shy smiles and essentially pointed to my seat right next door at 1A.

JAL’s 787-8 regional Business Class cabins sport an attractive open layout with 42 shell style angle-flat seats configured 2-2-2. There are two Business Class cabins with the smaller forward cabin offering three rows of seats. The seats are upholstered in attractive maroon fabric with a patterned headrest cover providing distinctive accent. At each seat was a pillow, blanket and a pair of slippers. I stowed my daypack, kicked off my shoes and settled in for the flight.

Seatmate arrived shortly thereafter. He was a middle-aged Japanese man who settled in quickly, ignored me and quickly delved into his newspaper. Throughout the flight he uttered nary a word except a brief indication to the flight attendant as to his menu preference. I was reminded of that scene from the movie “Fargo” with the two guys driving from Brainerd to Minneapolis – four hours of complete silence. Well two can play that game, buddy.

Many seatmates aren’t particularly social back home in the U.S. either, where we share the same language and culture. Truth be known, I’m not a particularly chatty guy myself. I mean – it’s not that I can’t be but rather that I’ve always assumed many people don’t particularly care to interact with complete strangers. And if so, I’m fine with that. Between my book of the week, a newspaper or two, my laptop and the airline’s IFE I’ve got plenty to entertain me throughout the flight. In many cases, I actually prefer the silent treatment because I’ve got stuff I’m looking forward to reading or doing during the flight anyway.

Surprisingly, no PDBs were offered – even coffee. A menu was presented however and so I eagerly perused the offerings for this morning’s 2,720 mile five hour and seventeen minute flight up to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.


WINE LIST

Champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve N.V.

White Wine
Viré Clessé 2016
Symphonie Sauvignon Blanc Trocken 2016
CLINE Viognier North Coast 2016

Red Wine
Silver Label 2015 (Monastrell)
Novas Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley
Castle Rock Pinot Noir 2012


It was a little early for alcohol – at least for me - and so I continued on to the meal offerings. Hmm… that’s interesting. Despite our early morning departure, the meal being offered on today’s flight was lunch. No complaints here as lunch is usually a bit more elaborate offering than breakfast. Let’s see what’s on offer:


LUNCHEON

JAPANESE MENU

Bento Box
Deep fried white fish marinated in Vinegar Sauce
Egg Tofu
Burdock dressed with sesame sauce
Poached spinach eel and tofu cake
Vegetable egg cake
Simmered duck
Beef roll with Welsh onion
Smoked salmon and cream cheese roll
Shrimp ball
Simmered vegetables

DAINOMONO

Japanese Style Sliced Beef
Simmered mushroom and vegetables
Steamed rice

KANMI

Marble Cheesecake
Green Tea


WESTERN MENU

Hors d’oeuvre
Dou of salmon mousse
Caprese Salad
Consommé Jelly with Salmon Roe

MAIN DISH

Beef Steak
Smoked soy wasabi sauce, hashed browns, sautéed spinach

Grilled White Fish
Asparagus Carbonara Sauce, ratatouille, mashed potatoes


Bread Basket
Assorted gourmet breads

Dessert
Marble Cheesecake
Coffee * Tea


ANYTIME
Chocolate
Cheese
Fruits

JAL Original Snack Noodle
Champon de Sky
Udon de Sky
Soba de Sky


* * * _  _ * * *


Hmm… very nice. Maybe I’ll try the Bento Box for once. I’ve had more than a few opportunities over the years and have always passed on it, usually due to the inclusion of stuff like jellyfish or some other stewed sea creature. Today’s offerings – with the possible exception of the spinach eel – all seem imminently palatable. Then again, that Western menu looks pretty good as well. In any event, I had plenty of time to think about it.

Shortly thereafter the doors were closed and the flight attendants summarily dispensed with the safety demonstration. As we pushed back, I took in the hum of our giant GEnx engines as they slowly spooled to life. This is an exceptionally quiet engine and the reasons behind that are really quite fascinating.

The “nx” after GE stands for “Next Generation”. These new engines are almost 50 percent quieter than the GE CF-6 or Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines that powered early generation wide bodies. The two factors that contribute most to a quieter operation are the fans and the triangular chevrons at the rear of the engine nacelles.

The fans of the GE Aviation GEnx - which produce 95 per cent of the engine's total thrust – are made from stronger and lighter materials which also help reduce engine noise. There are only 18 blades compared with the 35 found in the CF-6 predecessor that powered aircraft such as the DC-10 and 747. The reduction in blade count is possible because of the advanced three-dimensional aerodynamics of each GEnx fan blade, designed using computer-aided fluid dynamics modeling of the airflow through each of the engine's many fan, compressor and turbine stages.

The chevrons are those things that look like sharks’ teeth at the rear of the engine nacelles. Their purpose is to more efficiently mix bypass air exiting the engine with the outside air. This prevents the two air masses from shearing against each other which causes much of the noise associated with jet engines.

Shortly after takeoff, I reclined my seat slightly and adjusted my in-seat IFE screen to the flight map. Hmm… I see we’ll be heading right over the Philippines. One of these days I’m going to have to pay that 7,741 island archipelago a visit.



Flight Map SGN-NRT


Meanwhile, I was impressed with how quiet the forward cabin of the 787 is. Truth be told, I’ve only once flown Economy Class once on the -87 and I don’t recall whether it was noticeably noisier in back or not. Perhaps that’s because I was on an American Airlines bird and my senses were dulled by the flat grey interior throughout the plane.

JAL’s Shell Flat Neo seats are upholstered in an attractive charcoal grey fabric accented by a colorfully patterned headrest cover. They are exceptionally comfortable compared to many Business Class seats which – in an effort to provide a firm sleeping surface – are better suited for sleeping on than sitting on. The 787’s large windows provide a marvelous view on the world outside and as we leveled off I had the feeling that this would be a very nice flight indeed, ensconced as I was in a comfortable seat high over the Pacific on a gorgeous sunny day.



Cruising high over the Pacific


It was 8:40am when our flight attendant arrived to take beverage and luncheon orders. This is without doubt the earliest I have ever been served lunch either in the air or on the ground. As unusual as it was, I decided to roll with the atypical theme and ordered the Japanese meal - poached spinach eel and all. As for the accompanying beverage, I opted to stay typical and requested coffee to start followed by a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc to be served with my meal.

I have always loved finger foods, so you’d think that the Bento Box with its artful variety of little dishes would be right up my alley. In many ways it was. The presentation was as attractive as it was appetizing with the black lacquered box containing an appealing array of nicely arranged foodstuffs, many of which I was actually able to recognize.



Japan Airlines’ Bento Box
Deep fried white fish marinated in Vinegar Sauce
Egg Tofu
Burdock dressed with sesame sauce
Poached spinach eel and tofu cake
Vegetable egg cake
Simmered duck
Beef roll with Welsh onion
Smoked salmon and cream cheese roll
Shrimp ball
Simmered vegetables


Best of all, most of the items tasted pretty darned good. But hey – take a look at that box – can you recognize which one is the Poached spinach eel and tofu cake? I couldn’t. I mean – there were three different cake type items. Was the eel alongside the tofu cake or mixed in with it? I tried ‘em all but I’ve gotta be honest with you – none of the “cakes” were all that appealing to me. Reckon I’ll stick to Black Forest Cake and the like from now on. The rest of the items were fairly tasty though.

The main dish of Japanese Style Sliced Beef with simmered mushroom and vegetables was very attractively presented on colorful porcelain dishes. The beef was fairly tender and reasonably flavorful and yet I’ve got to admit to more than a bit of envy when looking across at seatmate’s western meal main course of Beef Steak with Smoked Soy Wasabi Sauce accompanied by hashed browns and sautéed spinach. The whole ensemble just looked tastier to me. Next time… A glass of Novas Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile’s Maipo Valley accompanied this dish to positive effect.



Japanese Style Sliced Beef


Dessert was a small serving of Marble Cheesecake. It was presented atop a tasty raspberry coulis that in terms of presentation might have benefitted more from a plate rather than a bowl but hey – it tasted very nice regardless. It was a deliciously savory ending to a pleasant if somewhat early lunch.



Marble Cheesecake


Throughout this flight the service was excellent. The flight attendant working our side of the cabin was gracious and attentive in an anticipatory way. She seemed to sense when we needed something without hovering or fawning. I hope to see her working First Class on a future Japan Airlines flight. I’ve no doubt she’ll be an excellent addition to JAL’s First Class team.

As for the rest of the flight, I took my customary couple of strolls to the back of the airplane. It’s good to get up and walk around. More than good, it’s probably important – especially as we get older and circulation might not be as vigorous as it once was.

It was a hazy afternoon as we descended along the east coast of Honshu Island. The view was pretty and I took a couple of pictures as we approached the coast. Upon review however, I was dissatisfied with the clarity of the shots and later deleted them. Why keep them unless I’m going to fully enjoy them? More to the point – just because the picture was taken doesn’t mean it has to be included in the report – especially if it’s not of appropriate quality. Pass it on…

We parked amidst a group of three other 787s. I thanked the crew for a nice flight, nodded to my seatmate who studiously ignored me and then made my way up the jetway and into the terminal.

JAL’s Terminal 2 at Narita – while nowhere near as modern or architecturally dazzling as many other modern Asian airport terminals – is still a pleasant and well laid out facility with excellent signage which allowed me to easily navigate my way across the terminal and through a security checkpoint to JAL’s First Class Lounge. It was most convenient that my New York bound flight was parked next door at the first gate down from the lounge.