SkyTeam777

I have an overnight JL flight MEL-NRT that departs at 1245am. Is there a full dinner service and then breakfast before landing? Or is there no service after takeoff besides drinks and then full breakfast before landing? I prefer the former rather than the latter, but would like to know before boarding.

Dave Noble

That is a question which the JL forum should be able to answer

DownUnderFlyer

[mod hat] Fully agree. I am moving this there. [/mod hat]

CPH-Flyer

Also asked and answered here.

JAL plan to start MEL service

Carfield

Japan Airlines post their menus on all cabin classes online.

Here is their current menu for September and October in business class:
http://www.jal.co.jp/inter/service/m...709_201710.pdf

They basically offered some tapas after takeoff and then a hot meal prior to arrival. However, they have an extensive on demand snack service including noodles, sandwiches, rice bowls, and light snacks.

For economy and premium economy class, the menu is more bare. They only serve you a pastry after takeoff, and then breakfast prior to arrival.

http://www.jal.co.jp/inter/service/m...709_201711.pdf

I don't think the Japanese airlines are cheap but their redeye flight offerings are very weak. I think it has to do with their cultural protocol and wants to minimize services during these late night hours. For first and business class, you get some choices for rice bowls, sandwiches, and noodles, but sadly for premium economy and economy class, they offer little after takeoff.

Carfield

nikkoap92

I just had this flight. Literally, I ate everything on the menu except for the sandwich. After taking off, I believe no one except me had the late snack. Well, it is really different to other airlines though. The whole premium and the economy cabin was dark because people went straight to sleep. The business cabin was light on for almost 90 minutes and I didn't know why. Later I guess that because I was eating, so the crews did not turn off the cabin light. For PY and Y, only snack bag was served after taking off. PY can get JAL instant noodle and Y has nothing. I was on J and my friend was on PY and he said the breakfast was disgusting.

CPH-Flyer

As the flight has a scheduled departure at 11:45pm, the actual dinner time would be around 12:30am. How often do people normally have dinner at that time?

JALPak

Daily for those AAward grAAbbers

nikkoap92

I had 7.30pm flight from NRT-SYD and not many people had dinner also.

CPH-Flyer

I was more thinking about when not flying.

It surprises me that people are so disappointed about the lack of a dinner at a time where they would never start dinner at home. Sometimes I do grab a late snack if I have not managed to get dinner or any food during the evening. But exactly that a snack, not a full meal.

LTN Phobia

The meal pattern works fine as far as I'm concerned. It's a late night departure (and you can't even say "well it's daytime at the destination" in this particular case, so it's a "genuine" later-night departure).

It's a very small amount of tapas in J shortly after departure. Not many people took that. Then it's breakfast - which is a rather large breakfast though and makes up for the small amount of food served upon departure IMO. There are also options to take noddles etc. from the snack menu during the flight if you wish but I didn't notice anyone taking it.

ChampagneSocialist

I think it's more that people are paying for a full service airline so they general expect to be served hot meals, usually a “main meal” shortly after takeoff and a “breakfast” or “snack” shortly before landing. At least that's what I've tended to experience in longhaul from years of flying between Asia and Europe (granted I am not Japanese). On such a flight crossing timezones, timings of dinner, lunch and breakfast tend to be messed up anyway.

​​​​​​On a related note (and acknowledging the point about considering crew burden), the new Tokyo - London Heathrow flight departs at 2:45am, and JAL have opted to open the lounge to all Y passengers instead of providing full service on board. This sounds like a win win for JAL, crew and passengers alike. (maybe not J or F passengers )

CPH-Flyer

There are indeed some expectations when people go flying, but those are the ones I find odd. People need an extra meal in a day at an hour they would normally never eat just because they are in a plane? It is not rational.in my view.

And I don't really buy the adjust to the arrival time zone from take off argument. The midnight departures from Japan to California should then serve breakfast after take off, and the morning departures a midnight snack. Anyway, Melbourne does, as pointed out above, not have a time zone issue to tackle.

By the time the open the lounge for the economy passengers on the London flight, the lounges are normally so empty that I am sure the C passengers will not mind. The OWEs will not be affected.
​​​​​

SkyTeam777

I just took this flight, and the FA was surprised I wanted curry and noodles after take off. I chose to sleep until landing, and she was, of course, most gracious and kept my wine topped up. Oddly, no bedding was provided unless you asked, which was disappointing.

CPH-Flyer

The Air Weave mattress is in the overhead bin, ready and waiting. They normally don't unpack it and make the bed unless you ask.. Of course one needs to know that.