Flight: Japan Airlines 777-300 — First Class
18 Jan 2015 7.50pm — 19 Jan 2015 7.35am (9.45 hours)
Flight: JL771 (NRT-SYD)
Distance: 4,846 miles
Seat: 2A
On time departure. Arrival at 6.50am.
Introduction
Booked for my annual trip back to Sydney. It’s virtually impossible to get a reasonably priced non-stop flight back to Sydney during January, so I often end up flying via Asia.
Japan Airlines normally uses a 2-cabin craft on the NRT-SYD route, but a schedule change saw them swap in a 3-cabin 777–300ER during January, which gave me the opportunity to try out a cabin I hadn’t flown before.
60,000 AA points. Searched for flight availability and booked through aa.com.
Cabin
Two rows in a 1–2–1 configuration. Overhead compartments.
Seat
Understated, earthy-toned seat with dark brown leather upholstery, and wood-panelling. Ottoman is too far to reach when the seat is in take-off mode. Seat controls are fairly intuitive. Desk is of ordinary size with not a lot of depth.
Technology
USB and power ports are quite far away, but I didn’t have too much trouble getting my Macbook Air power adapter to fit into the power port.
The remote that controls the TV screen has an LCD display.
Onboard wifi was available. Access was complimentary, with a flight attendant handing me an access code shortly after boarding.
Bed
Very comfortable — got a good night’s rest. Two types of mattress pads are available (hard and soft).
Toilets
The toilets are small, but serviceable. In typical Japanese fashion, the toilets have a built-in electronic bidet. Limited amenities are available (toothbrush and toothpaste, and mouthwash). The toothbrushes appear built to be single-use and have tiny heads. The toothpaste is not great. One toilet has a small platform you can fold down so you don’t have to stand on the floor when changing into your pajamas.
Service
Not overly chatty, but very friendly. No issues with English. Quite responsive to requests.
Food & Drink
They offer a Japanese and Western menu. As is typical for a Japanese airline, the presentation is excellent and the food is great. Caviar service is available with the Western menu (but you can also ask to have it served with the Japanese menu).
A box of Jean-Paul Hévin macarons was served just before bedtime.
Amenity Kit
The amenity kit is issued late in the flight, just before sleeping.
The kit bag is a Loewe-branded “hanging style” toiletries bag that contains some contents that you’d only find on a Japanese carrier, like a “moisture mask”.
In addition to the amenity kits, you get a box of Shiseido cosmetic products.
Special Features
- The original Kiwi drink on the menu is quite tasty.
- The crew leaves notes in lavatory for each flight. One lavatory has an English note, and the other has a Japanese note.
In Short…
- This is a Tier 1 product for international first class cabins.
- A very solid experience with typically Asian service standards.
