Originally Posted by
Bryan Schmiedeler
My stepson and wife are wanting to visit Japan over the holidays. There is no FF availability that I could find. For various reasons this is a trip of a lifetime for the both of them.
They will leave December 18 to 23.
They will return January 1 to 5.
They want to stay about 14 days, more or less.
From research I would rank the airlines flying from the West Coast to Tokyo in this order.
1. Singapore (only LAX)
2. JAL (tie)
2. ANA (tie)
3. Delta
4. United
5.Hawaiian
My step son has flown on JAL and loved it. He flew on American Flagship Business and didn't like it.
Any feedback on this order, any airlines to really avoid?
Thanks,
Bryan
I have flown NH, UA, DL, KE recently. I've flown JL, CX and CI in the past.
NH flies The Room on certain days only to SFO.
In general, NH and JL would be a more consistent product. There are many aspects to any business product: food, staff service, seat, bed, etc. In my opinion, if a certain aspect is not 'the best' on either Japanese carrier, then it is at least good. Hence my overall assessment.
UA for me offers the best bed and cabin for sleeping. The bed and the beddings are some of the most comfortable out there. They also keep the cabins cold which is good for sleeping. And if you feel cold, then there is enough bedding to keep you warm. In contrast, Asian carriers will always keep the cabins warm, including ANA and JAL. I have never used a blanket when sleeping when flying on any Asian carrier. Food and service can be quite atrocious on UA. Then again, you have a la carte dining at the Polaris lounge.
DeltaOne beds are also very good for sleeping but beddings are lacking and food is hit or miss.
The DeltaOne bed is a close second in terms of comfort, but the beddings are scarce.
Those are the ones on your list. As for the others I mentioned, KE could be just okay. CI could also be good. I would not recommend CX. StarLux is a rising star so they also might be worth looking into.