JL C 787 SAN-NRT or AA F SAN-LAX-NRT (with additional r/t LAX-SAN)
 

Hopefully the title is sufficient to get you started on my dilemma!

Wife and I are flying biz class SJU-ORD-SAN (stop for 8 months) SAN-NRT. Just saw some space open up in AA first on LAX-NRT route. In order to make that work out, we would have to book a seperate nested round trip LAX-SAN. So the modified itin would be SJU-???-LAX (stop, separate flights to SAN and back to LAX 8 months later) then LAX-NRT in Z.

The question is, do you think adding another stop en route home from SJU, miles/$ for r/t LAX-SAN is worth the better class of service on AA? on JL? Also, wife will be 6 months pregnant on return from SJU and we'll have a 5 month old on trip to NRT.

I would stay on SAN-NRT non stop. The benefit to avoiding LAX cannot be overstated.

JL for the convenience factor noted above, especially if the SS7 seats will be on that aircraft.

http://www.jal.co.jp/en/newsky/ss7/business/

The 787s don't have the Sky Suites, sadly!

EDIT: They have the Shell Flat Neo seats, details here: http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inflight/inter/business/c_seat/

I wish. They use the shell neo's on the 787's

My wife and I flew JAL65 last week SAN-NRT and I can only say good things about it. Last intercontinental flight was Y on DL to CDG so I don't know that I was able to tell the difference between cabin altitude on 787 vs. flat out being in a better seat with better service but it was a great flight. We had the Japanese fare and the seat is lie-flat albeit on an incline. Came home in F NRT-DFW and the plane was in rough shape (though crew were friendly enough). With the 787's being brand new in addition to being parked for 4 months, they're in really good shape right now.

PM me if you want more specifics but I would say JAL is a pleasant way to go (at least by American standards, not sure they can match Asiana or Cathay from what I've read on here but I didn't have experience with them so no pain there).

I just flew in C for the first time last Sunday on the 787 from HND-SIN (red-eye). As mentioned above, it is the neo-shell and not lie-flat. I am over 6'1". A warning for the tall: there was not enough room for me to totally stretch out my legs in the "sleep" position. I actually found the AA 777 J seat more comfortable for sleeping and slept better from DFW-NRT.

Seats aside, I found the dreamliner nice. They have a walk up bar similar to the AA 77W, but about half the size. The lavatories were very nice and fully automatic. Just place your hands under the sink and water came out. And as always, the food and service on JL was excellent. I also liked the 15.4 inch screens, although as a red-eye I did not use the IFE. There are plenty of compartments for storage and a universal power adaptor too.

All-in-all, a nice experience, but not great for sleeping if you're tall.

I've contemplated taking the SAN-NRT 787 on JL, but those neo-shell seats always have me avoiding it, and choose LAX-NRT on AA instead (be it in J or buying J and using a SWU to upgrade to F)... as much as I want to take a 787 flight (some day).

Now, if JL would put lie-flats in the 787, I'd be changing my routing :)