May 12, 2025 Monday
HA 823 Seattle to Tokyo Narita Dep1:30pm Arr4pm


Full Photo Album link:
https://photobucket.com/share/b61bcb...f-a47718095bde

I booked this ticket back when Alaska announced the flight. First/Business class was mostly blocked so I mentally prepared to fly in economy. Alaska blocked the “good” extra economy seats Row 11 & 12 the small mini cabin behind first class initially but I still paid for an exit row. Eventually 11J opened up and I paid to sit there. Patience is the key and seat alert from expertflyer is how I slowly move up to first/business class.

After the status match back then, I got two Hawaian Airlines upgrade certificates so I decided to submit a request anyway knowing that I most likely would not get it. Airlines usually invite guests in the premium cabin for these inaugural flights. I was pleasantly surprised to get a confirmed email a few days prior to the flight, but no window seat was left. They basically assigned the seats internally. However I noted that one business class award seat at the 115K level was released about a month or so prior to the flight.

However I noted that most guests in business/first class seemed to be guests of sort or work for various key partners during this inaugural. Some of them knew each other and many of them went straight to sleep after lunch, so I presumed some of them may have to work after arriving at Tokyo.

I arrived airport later than I wanted to, which I regretted. I hope that HA should have sent out an email telling passengers that some ceremonies were expected. I should know better.

Check in was closer to the South Satellite, which most HA flights depart from. They used mostly South Concourse for their flights to Hawaii, but for Tokyo Narita, they use Gate N16, which was noted as a gate used by AA’s short-lived international flights. I presume that Hawaiian Airlines may move its gates and check-in closer to North Satellite after the current renovation is completed. I have to say the check in hall was a mess now.

Hawaiian check in counters were mainly empty as I arrived. The agents were friendly and everyone was excited about the new flight.




Heading to North Satellite from Hawaiian check-in counters was long. I used the Clear Plus lane closer to the South side, as there was no queue at all. Then I used the train stop closer to A gates and then change train once before getting to the N satellite. The inaugural ceremony had already started. The gate area was blocked off for the inaugural flight and there were tons of Alaska and Hawaiian staffs around. I did not take much photo because it was so crowded and you could go to PR sites of both airlines to get more photos.

I focused on the plane itself - N384HA “Hōkūpa’a”
It arrived from Maui the evening before and looked really smart.







Hawaiian will rotate the plane from its current Hawaii to Seattle flight, and the cabin crew also works a Hawaii-Seattle-Tokyo-Seattle-Hawaii rotation too. Hawaiian has no crew base in Seattle for now.

Gate N16/17





I like this Alaska promotion truck – perfect photo for today


Speech by Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci – I was surprised that he was not on this flight.
He announced that Seoul will be next with new cabin service coming soon. Europe will start at 2Q 2026 and he cannot tell us where yet. They still plan to expand the international operation into ten to twelve destinations. Boeing 787-9s will eventually be used.




Then Speech by Hawaiian CEO Joe Sprague, who was on our flight to Tokyo Narita, but I did not see him much after boarding. He was greeting passengers during boarding. He took his seat in economy cabin.




Port of Seattle Commissioner was stuck in traffic and his deputy made the speech for him.



Then you got the typical Hawaiian blessing ceremony and ribbon cutting ceremony.

The ceremony started early, as it allowed media to do a photo shot in the tarmac, as well as on the plane.

There was refreshment available for passengers, but I chose to go to the lounge.



Alaska Lounge was busy as usual, and their lunch spread featured Asian food (Americanized of course), instead of the usual full salad bar and pasta and various American comfort food.



There was table with Onigiri (Japanese rice balls) and mochi (sweet dumplings filled with red beans).






I was not sure if those features will be permanent or just one off for inaugural flights. The rice ball was set up separately so that might be an one-off thing, but I have a feeling that the Asian themed hot meal was permanent. They will possibly switch it to the typical American comfort food in the late afternoon hours.

The lounge allowed some beautiful photo opportunities.






Boarding began at 12:45pm and the first-class cabin was festive.






Special gift for inaugural flight




The service was identical to all Hawaiian international service with a few more choices and a so-called mid-flight snack enhancement.

Pre-takeoff beverage – of course I had to choose the Mai Tai


Menu for the flight


Amenity kit – you were given a bag first and then F/As came around with various amenities for you to add to the bag – a really nice concept; slippers are also available



The F/A actually asked if they can cover our seat with mattress before takeoff. It was a thing with Hawaiian and made the seats less crowded with all kind of amenities.




Flying time was ten hours and forty-eight minutes and the headwind was strong tonight.
The routing was fairly typical – we started at 32,000ft and after passing Port Angeles, we crossed the Pacific and did not see land until we reached Narita. We eventually made it up to 38,000ft.



We took off at 2:03pm from R/W34R.

Yes Hawaiian A330s have no personal TV in business/first class cabin but after takeoff, the F/As will hand out iPad filled with entertainment contents. They include a power cord so they remain fully charged. I declined politely and instead took part at the high speed Starlink WiFi, which was super-fast. There was no complicated login screen, as they are free. You can use it on all your Wi-Fi connected devices.

Bottled waters are also handed out and you are expected to keep the bottle, and the F/As will refill it throughout the flight. They don’t have too many extra bottles available.



Of course Macadamia nuts to serve with your choice of beverage – Pineapple Daiquiri for me





Lunch service was disappointing because the amount of food was small.
I flew Hawaiian to Japan before Covid and recalled a more extravagant experience.
US airlines – come on – you have no more excuses.

Lunch was served in two courses now, which was same as your typical Hawaiian premium cabin service now.










Appetizer and main course were served together – most passengers seem to get their preferred choices.
I chose the Japanese option.

The food was good and I finished everything.

Dessert was then served and now you have an option of having a cheese plate, but not both. Hawaiian should have offered both, just to differentiate from their normal premium cabin experience.

After lunch, the F/As set up a snack station in the galley.








One F/A was always there and they kept on refilling beverages throughout the flight. They definitely picked a top-notch crew for this inaugural flight and my cups were never collected without offering a refill. The service was league ahead of other US carriers. Hawaiian crews seem to manage to combine the Asian and American culture. The service is very Japanese, but at the same time, it has an American warmth to it. It was almost a perfect blend.

The mid-flight ramen noodle was disappointing. It was just a cup noodle served in a plastic bowl.
However most passengers were so hungry that we all took part of it. It was available on request.





I really think Hawaiian needs to offer more fresh food options, like sandwiches. I don’t need warmed sandwiches but don’t mind a turkey sandwich or some kind of slightly healthier option. I should have brought a sandwich.

Seat in full flat position – I made the bed myself




Dinner was served an hour and half prior to arrival. It was another disappointing meal. The salad was delicious but the portion was just too small. There was no bread component, which would have helped. If this is Honolulu to Osaka, it will be fine, but the flight is longer now.







You need to pack food even if you fly business class on Hawaiian.

Descent began at 4:23pm local time and the crews prepped for landing early due to some light turbulence. They collected iPad in business class after the pilot signaled preparation for landing.

The typical farewell gift on most Hawaiian’s medium to long haul flights in first/business class



We landed on a beautiful afternoon at Narita’s Runway 16L at 4:53pm, and parked at gate 62 ten minutes later. We got one of the nice preferred gates for this special flight.

A glimpse for the inaugural ceremony in Tokyo Narita. The mascot waved hello to arriving passengers.




Immigration was surprisingly quiet and the bags came out quickly with priority bags actually coming out first.

In conclusion, it was an amazing experience and I felt pretty emotion, as I saw Alaska slowly expanding through my lifetime. When I flew the inaugural flights from Anchorage to Chicago, I was not expecting the next major expansion into East Coast including JFK, Newark, Dulles, National, and Boston. Then who knew Hawaii was next, and now to Tokyo. Hong Kong is possibly past its prime, but who knows? Alaska is part of OneWorld and Hong Kong is Cathay’s hub. Maybe one day I can fly Seattle to Hong Kong on Alaska painted Dreamliner.

However the onboard product is really a work in progress. It is not even remotely competitive, even compare to Delta One. The seats are really not competitive at all. These Airbus A330-200s are in pretty good shape but need a major cabin overhaul if Alaska wants to compete with the big boys in Asia. The food in business class is disappointing with simply insufficient amount. They need to bring back a full three course meal experience with a more elaborate starter, and the main course needs some help. The dessert cart is a good concept but Hawaiian needs to service both cheese and dessert, even a plate of fresh fruit. The snack cart is a signature Hawaiian Airlines’ feature and I like the Hawaiian themed potato chips and Aloha Mac, but the mid-flight instant noodles are just cheap. Either serve a proper bowl of noodles or go with more American comfort food like grilled cheese and tomato soup, or freshly made turkey and cheese sandwiches. These Westbound flights can be long in the winter, so they need to offer more substantial mid-flight snack and pre-arrival meal. They need to serve another full meal. The salad was nice but you need to serve some freshly warmed breads.

Ben Minicucci promises a new cabin product and I really held him to his words. Unfortunately the current meal cycle will end in August, so if you plan to fly this new service, you need to pack some extra food, as the menu seems to cater for shorter international flight from Honolulu to Tokyo, rather than from Seattle to Tokyo. I love the Hawaiian touch and hope that at least Alaska can hang on to that theme a bit more. It is actually a good promotional opportunity to attract folks to go to Hawaii, which will be important for their Europe flights next year.

Once again, I just to say a personal thank you to the great Hawaiian Airlines’ staff that I encountered throughout the flight. They are the highlight of this flight, despite the imperfect cabin service. They did their best given what the airline provides them. The Alaska and Hawaiian team hopefully can make adjustment immediately, but I look forward to the new enhancement hopefully implemented by the time they start the new Seoul service in September.

Thanks for reading!

Carfield