I recently had the chance to fly on Japan Airlines’ new incredible A350-1000 business class seat, servicing New York’s John F Kennedy Airport JFK to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport HND (JL005). To summarize: I’ve flown quite a few business and first class seats, and I think this product surpasses even some of the first class flights I’ve taken.
This review will encompass the flight experience from start to finish, including my experience with checking-in / checking bags, lounge access, the flight itself, the food/meals, and then provide a rating on my experience (hint: it was awesome).
How I Booked The New Japan Airlines Business Class
Roame’s premium SkyView tool lets you set alerts to monitor for award availability releases. In this case, I had set an alert watching specifically the JFK to HND route serviced by Japan Airlines' new business class. By setting the specific airports and limiting my filters to less than 90k pts each way, I was basically using SkyView to watch for the specific JL5 route.
On December 20, 2023, I got an alert from Roame that a whole bunch of availability for this specific route had just dropped. Since I had set such tight boundaries and filters in the first place, I knew this had to be for the new JAL product.
Given my influx of AA miles from my various loyalty point adventures, I moved fast to book one of these seats. The availability disappeared super quickly, so I was happy to be able to secure one seat flying in May 2024.
Checking Into My JL005 Flight
After trekking in from Manhattan about 3 hours before my scheduled departure, I walked to Terminal 8 and found the Japan Airlines check-in desk located at Area 3 (see the red area in the image below). However, I was greeted by an incredibly deep line of people. Unfortunately, Japan Airlines does not separate its business class, premium economy, Oneworld Sapphire/Ruby, and JMB Sapphire/Crystal members, meaning everyone who had “priority” was shuffled into the same line.
When everyone’s special, no one’s special. This priority lane was nearly as long as the economy class line too; I estimated this would be at least a 30 minute wait.
I *almost* decided to wave the white flag and prepare myself to sit through this line, but then I remembered: I had done so many loyalty point games with American Airlines that I had AA Platinum Pro—equivalent to Oneworld Emerald status. Upon a quick investigation, I realized that the Japan Airlines First Class check in was not only for those flying in first class (I’m in business), but also for those with Oneworld Emerald status, JGC Premier, and JMB Premier status.
With only one person ahead of me, I was able to check in extremely quickly—it only took about 5 minutes. The agent took my passport, looked through a few things, and took my bag. Since I had Emerald, she attached a First Class priority tag on the bag and gave me my Group 1 boarding (business class is typically Group 2). She also let me know that I had access to the Soho Lounge after security and confirmed that my TSA Precheck number was attached.
Post Check In & Security: Going To The Soho Lounge (Thanks To Oneworld Emerald)
With my trusty TSA Precheck that I got through my Chase Sapphire Reserve®, I was able to quickly go through TSA security in maybe less than 3 minutes from start to finish? There was effectively no one in line, so that entire process was quick and simple.
JFK’s Terminal 8 services pretty much all Oneworld airlines, so it’s a very large terminal. After getting through security, I took a right to find the Soho lounge, which is for Oneworld emerald passengers traveling on any international itinerary. JAL business class passengers are only eligible for the Greenwich lounge.
If you’ve ever been to Terminal 8, you know there’s a beautiful model airplane of one of American’s old planes with their old livery.
I spend a lot of time reviewing the Soho lounge in all its glory in a separate article, but to summarize: this was a beautiful lounge. I may have just gotten lucky with my timing, but there were barely any people in this lounge. The aesthetics of this lounge were astounding, with incredible views of the tarmac and a very comfortable design.
While the hot buffet was the same food being served at the Greenwich lounge, there was also an a-la-carte menu where you could order hot food made to order.
I also paid a visit to the Greenwich lounge, which you can also read about. I’ve been to the Greenwich lounge several times thanks to random transcon upgrades when flying between San Francisco and New York, so being able to finally compare the two lounges was nice. The Greenwich lounge is the less exclusive version of the Soho lounge, being designed to accommodate far more people. Notably, the a-la-carte dining at the Soho lounge was a nice touch, emphasizing the higher degree of personalisation the lounge is able to offer for its guests.
Going To The Gate & Boarding JL005
This particular day, JL005 was departing out of Gate 18. From historical reports, it seems like the departure gate can vary, so don’t think it’ll stay consistent from flight to flight!
My plane was situated outside. The A350-1000 is a beautiful airplane and is 7m longer than the A350-900, allowing to accommodate even more passengers than its brother.
After sitting at the gate for a bit, one of the gate agents started pulling out a sign to direct people to their appropriate boarding groups. The flight was unfortunately delayed a bit here due to the inclement New York weather. Here’s how the groups were called:
- Group 1: First class passengers, JMB/JGC Diamond + Premier members, oneworld Emeralds
- Group 2: Business class passengers, JMB Diamond, JGC members, oneworld Sapphires
- Group 3: Premium economy passengers, JMB Crystal members, oneworld Ruby
- Remaining passengers are then boarded by seat/cabin area (rear first)
Getting the final checks before boarding was really simple—I merely had the camera take a photo of me. I didn’t even have to take out my passport. Pretty cool technology overall to help ensure the right passenger is boarding.
Initial Impressions Of Japan Airlines’ New A350-1000 (JL005) Seat: Wow, Just Wow
When I stepped onto the plane, the flight attendant helped show me to my seat. I was immediately impressed by the cabin, which was filled with Japan Airlines’ colors and livery. The mahogany red, light/dark grays, and hints of brown all came together impressively. The individual suite design was evident, with each seat contained inside of its own little “box.”
I was seated in 5K, a window seat with incredible privacy. The seats are staggered in such a way that the arm rests are flip flopped as you go down the rows. This is to allow the business class seat to more easily transform into a lie flat bed (your legs are basically residing under the seat in front’s arm rest area).
After I put my carry on away above me, I sat down to explore the seat. One thing I immediately noticed was how the seat’s footwell was placed right in front of you and not at an odd angle like how Singapore Airline’s business class seats are. In my opinion, this makes for a much more comfortable seating experience. Additionally, the personal entertainment screen was absolutely massive (24 inches, 4K), spanning the entire length of equally large seat.
The ottoman under the footwell was also enormous. I have never seen a business class seat with this much room before. It was incredibly easy to stow my bag under the footwell. I felt as though I could have fit maybe two backpacks in that space with ease.
Oddly, I did notice the ottoman cover was attached with mere velcro... but again, lots of space, and was very easy to comfortably place my feet up to stretch my legs.
My seat also had a beautiful view of the wing and engine outside.
I was also impressed by the seat’s various amenities and tidbits. It was very clear that the seat design had been very well though out. To my immediate left, there was a variety of charging options, which included an international AC charging socket, a USB C port, a USB A port, and a wireless charger?! Crazy! While I never bothered using the wireless charging, it is a very cool concept to have available. There were also little stowage areas available below and above the charging station.
The armrest area also hosted the TV remote and seat controls. I actually really liked the seat controls because you didn’t necessarily have to always hold it down just to switch into a certain position. If you clicked it and held it for a second, it would automatically continue going into the appropriate position.
In terms of amenities, the seat came with:
- A pillow
- Headphones
- Blankets
- Menu
- Amenity kit
- Smartphone cradle
The amenity kit spread was honestly a little bit weak. I was hoping to see some nice lotions etc. that I’ve been accustomed to after flying other business/first classes, but this kit only came with a sleeping mask, toothbrush, ear plugs, and tissues.
I found the cabin to be a little warm, so I put the pillow/blankets away in my personal wardrobe. This wardrobe was a very cool part of the seat, with a sliding door that you could easily put a jacket inside of.
Something really cool was the fact that the seat headrests literally have speakers built into them. When you step away from the speakers, there’s not a lot of audio bleed. I thought this was one of those interesting gimmicks—I used the in seat headrest speaker for about 15 minutes, but resorted back to my airpods for the noise cancellation.
Above, there were two overhead reading lights. If you clicked on the buttons, light would shine down from the top. I also really liked the general purple color of the cabin lighting. Gave a very nice, calming vibe.
Oh, and one more important thing that stands out about this seat: the sliding privacy door! This door is only unlocked after takeoff, but it provides an incredible amount of privacy. Once that door is shut, it’s literally just you and the seat. It’s difficult for anyone to look at you unless they explicitly peek over the top. Huge fan of this feature, and I can finally understand why folks love it so much.
Takeoff: The Business Class Inflight Experience In The New A350-1000 (JL005)
Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of having to sit 2.5 hours on the tarmac before we actually took off. It was raining really badly in New York and the winds were going crazy. Takeoff, nonetheless, was fast and smooth, and we were soon presented with a video on how to use the business class seat.
The First (And Only) Meal Service: Excellent Quality Food
Given our long delay, meal service started quickly after we reached cruising altitude. They started off by giving all the business class passengers a hot towel. I had also spent a good amount of time at this point perusing through the menu.
I had preselected the Japanese menu for my lunch (Washoku), which consisted of a 3 course meal. In my goal to maximize the value of this flight, I, of course, elected for a glass of the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve (retails $60 USD/bottle). This was served to me alongside some delicious warm nuts and olives.
I’m no sommelier or champagne expert, but that was some delicious champagne. Super smooth and had a clean, fruity taste.
Shortly after, the first part of my meal arrived. This was the Irodori Gozen, with jellyfish, chicken, taro, salmon, scallop, and bamboo shoots. A very colorful, flavorful start, with many different notes complementing each other in various ways.
Next was the main course, which consisted of grilled beef and cod, alongside miso soup and steamed rice. I found the rice packaging to be very cute.
Finally, for dessert, I had the mascarpone yogurt mousse alongside a cup of black coffee from the Panama Alto Luna Blend. The mousse was really creamy and had a unique texture to it. The coffee also had a deep, refreshing flavor profile to it. Not too bitter, but also quite complex.
It was here that I realized that Japan Airlines was only serving one full service meal for this flight. However, they have an a-la-carte menu with many delicious options that you can order at anytime during the rest of the flight. I found this approach to be pretty interesting, but hey, no complaints—more food for me!
An Extensive Munch Of The A La Carte Menu: Many Delicious Options
Supposedly, you can order from the a la carte menu at anytime. So, I decided to test that out by progressively ordering nearly every single (food) item from the menu (I am always hungry).
Shortly after dinner service, I ordered a Hideki Matsui beef curry, a special feature of JAL’s A350 line of planes. The curry was a bit cold at the bottom, so I suspected the FAs didn’t heat it as long as they should have, but nonetheless, it was still delicious. There was only two big pieces of meat, so it was a bit lacking in the protein department there.
Later, I decided to try out the Fumiko’s Washoku Plate, which consisted of sea bream, a steamed savory egg custard with lobster, miso soup, japanese pickles, and the cutely wrapped steamed rice. I found the combination of the sea bream and the sesame sauce to be an excellent pairing and used the rice as a vehicle to soak up the sauce. I was also shocked to see actual lobster in the custard—two pieces in fact. I actually ended up ordering this set again towards the end of the flight.
I also decided to combo this meal with the most expensive sake on the menu: the AKABU Junmai Daiginjo (retails ~$100 USD/bottle). The attendant gave me a hefty pour, and I ate away alongside this wonderful sake that had little aftertaste alongside a fruity, sweet profile. Loved the sake!
I was also craving katsu during the flight, so I decided to order the pork cutlet sandwich. In my head, I was expecting something a bit lame, like purely a sandwich with a katsu inbetween it. Instead, I got a beautiful presentation of a pork cutlet sandwich with many other toppings. While the bread wasn’t super crispy all around, the cutlet was incredibly flavorful.
Finally, I ordered the chicken tikka from the international menu for completions sake (I still had plenty of room to eat at this point). I enjoyed the chicken and rice a lot, but didn’t really like the yogurt with raspberry sauce—a little too sweet for me.
A Review Of The Bathrooms In The New A350-1000 (JL005)
There were several bathrooms available in this plane. I’m always curious about plane bathrooms because I feel like they’re another huge differentiators when it comes to comparing business class products.
This bathroom did not disappoint.
Not only was the bathroom clean, it also came with a ton of little amenities like mouthwash, hand lotion, toothbrushes, and cups for water to easily brush your teeth. Furthermore, the toilet had a bidet option. Maybe I don’t fly Asian airlines enough, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a flight with a bidet on it. Pretty cool!
My Overall Rating Of The New Japan Airlines A350-1000 Business Class: 10/10
I rate flights on a few general criteria:
- Food Quality: 9/10
- Drinks Quality: 9/10
- Cleanliness: 10/10
- Cabin Design: 10/10
- Seat: 10/10
- Service: 10/10
For a business class seat, this absolutely knocks competitors out of the water. The all encompassing suite design provides an immense level of privacy and comfort that you cannot find elsewhere. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into the construction of this particular seat, from the way the seat reclines into bed to the various tidbits/gadgets available. Finally, the food and drink selection was amazing. Even though my bar was high, I was always impressed by the food offerings. Although the Drappier champagne wasn’t available for this flight, I still loved the Heidsiek alongside the Akabu sake.
Notably, the service was also fantastic. Whenever there was a need, you merely needed to click the call button and they would come to you within a minute. The FAs also remembered my favorite sake from the menu and gave it to me during my final meal, without me even needing to ask. That type of attention to detail certainly sets this flight apart the others.
