Coathanger

Great side by side comparison, tng11!

Haven't flown the Japanese carriers yet, but that changes next year with a few flights booked on JAL, including one sector in F.

Your review has me in eager anticipation.

mad_atta

Great comparison, thanks tng11. I'm fascinated by the Japanese culture of perfectionism and how that manifests itself in a premium cabin, so this comparison really hit the spot for me. You're lucky to be able to sample both products - and we're lucky that you took the time to write such a thorough report.

I did finally get to try ANA F (a long-cherished ambition) in 2012, on ORD-NRT in the old product. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but found something slightly sterile about the experience. (On the same trip, we also flew LX F PVG-ZRH, also on their old product, and overall it was a better experience - mostly because they injected a little more personality into their perfectionism.)

Much as I love ANA, I think they really need to fire all their cabin designers and hire some new ones. Both the current F and J products have such a clinical look about them which I find very disappointing. Your description of the First Square as looking like a cubicle farm is so accurate. And who on earth would design a suite in such a way that it blocks two out of your three windows? Just bizarre! JL's cabin looks so much more inviting, and private enough if you ask me. The obsession with closing door suites is a little misguided in my opinion.

RTW4

I totally agree with your assessment.. The JAL western food is excellent and the choice of fine champagnes really is nice.. Also , I speak a bit of Japanese so it was very easy to communicated on both JAL and NH.. they are my favorite carriers...

tng11

JALPak: Is it really necessary to make 3 individual posts about some minor factual inaccuracies I might have made about your beloved JAL that were kind of irrelevant to the central point that JL F was better than NH F?

Thanks Paella747!

Thanks Coathanger! You won't be disappointed - both of these Japanese carriers have service nailed down perfectly, even on a bad day.

Thanks mad_atta!

I agree 100% with your assessment about cabin design here. My favourite F cabins are not Suite products (aside from SQ Suites, my other top are LH A380 F and QF A380 F which don't have closed doors.) The NH F design is puzzling to say the least, as the boxing in around the window doesn't really add any value, except to function as a console for the entertainment and seat controls, and the storage space around the seat is rather limited. And it definitely feels clinical - there aren't any of those warm and soothing colours and textures in the cabin like many carriers successfully pull off in their F cabins.

What really makes a crew shine to me is the right balance of professionalism and personality. ANA did that well on my last JFK-NRT flight, and JAL did it as well this time. Both of these carriers have the professionalism part nailed down perfectly, so the last part is a real bonus. ^

RTW4, all things considered, I think ANA and JAL do an excellent job for being a Japanese carrier and interacting in English. I'd imagine they'd be more personable in Japanese. ^

AndrewE

Thank you for this excellent report.

I agree with your conclusion, I would give JL a slight nod. As an aside: My two JL F flights were exNRT (to ORD and JFK) but my one NH F was exJFK. I went for the western options on all three.

deniah

Same. Incredible sense of aesthetics and attention to detail. Really love that about their culture. ^

Seat 2A

Dang! I've gotta figure out a way to get myself into JAL First someday! Thanks for the great comparison, tng11! Here's wishing you many more flights up front!

CDKing

Id say start with the US Airways Mastercard before they stop taking new sign ups. 40K miles for the $89 annual fee plus 1 purchase. I'm hoping US and AA miles merge before a devaluation. I have done ANA F twice and would be cool to experience JAL F. I'd do it Ex Japan as well to maximize the experience

tng11

Thanks AndrewE!

Indeed deniah, that is why I love almost everything about Japan and enjoy every visit there. The Japanese sense of aesthetics really focuses on being simple, understated and practical, combined with flawless and efficient execution.

Thanks Seat2A! Just do it - lie, cheat, or steal to get onto JL F one day. I think they are the most underrated F product out there, by comparison to CX F which is rather overrated (I say that as someone who's ethnic origin is Chinese too!) If it wasn't for the poorly aligned connections in NRT when coming from HKG, I'd choose to route with JL every time! (Though this time, I made the best of an overnight layover, using it as an excuse to party all night and get some sushi in the morning)

Next up in February is EK F from HKG-DXB-DFW - which is a polarizing opposite to both NH and JL with all the bling-bling and in your face luxury.

You are lucky in the U.S. to have access to AA or US miles... I have to accumulate through SPG or convert my Aeroplan miles to AA/US and take a haircut in doing so (but it has been well worth it so far converting my Aeroplan balances to AA at about 0.68, or 0.82 during some promotional periods.)

iluvdoco

Fantastic trip report! Glad I booked JL F, the Western food menu looks amazing, although it doesn't seem like they rotate the menu choices? I'm pretty sure I've seen that Wagyu beef option from TRs dated a few years ago?

will2288

Great report, thanks for doing this. I think this format is well suited when comparing two airlines on the same route.

It is nice to hear a TR from female perspective.

iluvdoco

Is the food substantially worse when flying the reverse route? e.g. ORD-NRT or JFK-NRT?

tng11

Thanks iluvdoco! It would appear from previous TRs that ex-Japan flights have had the "Luxury of Caviar" appetizers and the Wagyu steak (albeit in different preparations depending on season) as cornerstones of the menu.

Though I haven't flown ex-USA JL F, previous TRs and my experience of NH F on JFK-NRT would seem to indicate a marked difference in quality. Not to say it isn't still very good, it's just that when stacked up against each other the ex-Japan catering is simply the very best I've ever had in international first class (only for NH and JL who clearly don't skimp on quality of the ingredients - LH was just okay by comparison.)

Thanks will2288! Though I am not a female - I would agree with the lack of female perspective in TRs!

Duke787

Great report tng11! I've had the pleasure of riding on NH F before (though old F to IAD) and thought it was fantastic despite the old F seat. I'm on JL F for this first time this upcoming spring (ex-NRT to JFK) so I'm looking forward to comparing the service (also on CX F for the first time that trip so excited to see how both JL and NH compare to CX F)

SanDiego1K

Terrific report, tng11. I really appreciated the side by side comparison.