Hello Flight-Report #avgeeks. Rewardflying returns traveling across the pacific and back. This trip will start with a favorite and end with Garuda Indonesia's A330 (newest seat) and the highly anticipated Delta A350.
Japan Airlines NRT-SIN New Business Class 777-200 - This report
KLM SIN-DPS Business Class 777-300 Garuda Indonesia DPS-ICN Business Class A330 Delta ICN-DTW Business Class A350 Delta DTW-ORD - No report
Japan Airlines B777-200 Business Class SkySuite III
Japan Airlines introduced another business class seat for their Asia 777-200 aircraft as well as some new 787-9 aircraft. That makes:
Reward Flying has reviewed the JAL Sky Suite twice as well as the Shell Flat Neo, so reviewing the Sky Suite III was anticipated.
Boarding was slightly delayed but didn't impact the arrival time into Singapore. There seemed to be a lot of confusion at the gate as multiple zones were roped off. The #1 zone was for JAL/Oneworld elite and turned out to be the longest line. I was in line #2. We all get there the same time but it didn't help for getting cabin shots of the aircraft.
There are 42 Sky Lounge III seats in two cabins on these 777-200ER aircraft.
I secured seat 4K. The front cabin was almost full for this flight.
These reverse herringbone designed seats are made my Zodiac and are in the Cirrus family. But they are alot different than the Cirrus seat you might be accustomed to.
So far so good.
You can begin to see this pod is much smaller than the standard Cirrus pod installed in Cathay Pacific, American Airlines 777-300ER and EVA Airlines to name a few.
There is an ottoman that is your foot rest and/or storage area for a small carry-on like a laptop bag or purse.
While it was dark down there so it's hard to tell, you can't put anything on the floor.
You need to use the ottoman for stuff so your feet have company when you want your legs supported in any position other than sitting erect.
Why don't you just raise the footrest that every other business class seat has you may ask. Because there is none. The ottoman is your foot rest.
Since the seat is close to the ottoman, again it's a small space, using it as a footrest isn't a horrible thing. The problem is the ottoman is lower than the bottom of the seat and with your legs angling slightly downward there is no support underneath them, meaning all the weight is on the back of your heels.
Notice what's missing on the seat control pad.
I just found it this position uncomfortable. Maybe with shoes on it would be different.
The seat reclines to a 78 inch flat bed.
And don't forget, you share the footwell with whatever isn't up in the luggage bin.
So the seat extends flat to be level with the ottoman as most pods do, but it seemed like this ottoman was really low. Therefore it seemed like you were sleeping on the floor.
(courtesy Aviation Wire)
Was this an issue for someone working on 24 hours without sleep? No. I slept well. But I sure wish they provided one of those Airweave mattresses as the only bedding was a pillow and thin blanket.
Probably the main issue I had with the comfort of this seat was its firmness. The wasn't any cushion.
Yet it had great privacy. The walls of the pod came up to the top of your head, but some of that was that the seat is lower to the ground I think.
Center seats have a small retractable partition.
Like the standard Cirrus seat the aisle armrest is collapsable for more bed width.
On the back of the pod in front of you is a coat hook along with the table tray. Apparently you are limited to using only one of these two features.
The tray folds downs placing it at an angle to how you are seated. So if you hang a coat how to you use the table?
Then swivels to be parallel to you. A nice feature of this is you can push the tray back and exit your seat without having to stow the tray table.
Typical of the Cirrus pod is a compartment for headphone storage. Even better there is a mirror you can probably actually use!
And underneath the door they've solved the Cirrus pod issue of ports inside the compartment by placing a nice easy to access strip with everything you need as well as a reminder of where you are.
The strip has standard power, USB and headphone jack. Well done.
Next to you is the IFE controller that can be used while in its cradle.
While the 17 inch monitor was within reach and is touch screen, not everything was selectable by touch and you had to use the controller. Maybe this was limited to my seat on this plane. Nevertheless I wasn't much interested in anything other than sleep after the meal.
Above your shoulder is a reading light.
You are a long way from the window in these pods as well, assuming you aren't in the center section.
This is was my view of the Tokyo sitting in 4K
Of course you can lean forward and look back.
If you are interested in learning more about this pod, Japan Airlines has a bevy of info on their website including the routes this seat is flown on.
I wasn't able to locate this Chilean Organic wine to understand it's pricing. But I did find the "limited edition" Cabernet from the same vineyard and it was about $15.00.
Well here's my Wagyu that I was looking for on the way to Tokyo. But the preparation as well as cut isn't all that exciting so I move on.
And beef tongue is really good when prepared properly.
Plus one last look at the JAL bento box is too much to resist.
. .
Winter Calm. Interesting.
Simmered Chicken & Vegetables with Soy Sauce
Crabmeat with Soy Starch Sauce
Poached Potherb Mustard, Garland Chrysanthemum & Mushroom in Japanese Broth with Herring Roe & Abalone (quite the mouthful)
Soy-simmered Beef Ginger Flavor Burdock seasoned with Sesame Broiled Sardine Sweet Soy Sauce Flavor Slow Cooked Egg Vinegared Turnip wrapped with Smoke Salmon "Namafu" (wheat gluten in dish I assume)
Seared Yellowtail with Grated Radish
Everything was good, some were great, except whatever was wrapped in that green leaf.
. .
Japanese Style Stewed Beef Tongue
Fabulous - too bad is was such a small portion and rather difficult, no impossible, to eat the sauce with chopsticks!
Broiled Eel Sweet Soy Sauce Flavor
The Dainomono was excellent.
Finally Kanmi which is a dessert. Japanese Sponge Cake "Castella" with Citrus Hyuganatsu Jam.
It doesn't look like cake. After food and some wine the mind was drifting so frankly I don't remember it.
A simple amenity kit was provided with the basics and Panasonic headphones (along with the slippers you've seen too much of).
Mood lighting has been added to this 777-200ER
After a couple hours of shut-eye and 24 hours of travel destination Singapore was in view.
I visited Japan Airlines' First Class lounge in Narita. You can view that report here.
This link is the complete report for this flight on rewardflying.com
See more
Verdict
Japan Airlines
7.1/10
Cabin6.5
Cabin crew7.5
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering7.5
JAL First Lounge
7.0/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering6.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Services6.0
Tokyo - NRT
8.0/10
Efficiency8.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0
Singapore - SIN
9.3/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services9.5
Cleanliness9.5
Conclusion
I'm on the fence on these seats and not sure how they would be when sitting for the whole flight due to the lack of a footrest as well as the firmness of the seat cushion. But I would try them again, however in my opinion the ANA staggered business class seat that flies this same route is preferable.
Thanks for reading. See you on KLM.
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Thank you for this report! I am really surprised at the seat --- would never have known how different it is from the versions used by CX, BR, etc. It seems somewhat "cramped" which is not something I'd ever have expected to say for a reverse herringbone J seat. I wonder just how many more seats JL can fit due to this setup. It also intrigues me given their low-density overall configuration on their 77Ws with the different J seat.
Hi Dreamweaver888, I was surprised too. The photos make them look the same. But it you compare window side front cabin LOPA's of say EVA, Cathay and JAL on their 777's between door 1 and door 2 you get: EVA: 6 seats plus a closet and handicap sized lav CX: 7 seats plus a very small storage area by door 1 JL: 7 seats plus a small lav at door 2. So the difference is they angle the seats differently to fit more in, which is why you are so far from the window. That and the pod is smaller. Of course these have been installed on routes that are about 6 hours so they won't be TPAC or Europe bound. The farthest they fly these to is Delhi. I get why they did it this way. Plus these aren't any worse, and probably better, than Thai's new A350 business class seat. They are more private for sure. Thanks for reading and the comments.
Thanks again! I suppose for 6 hrs max they make sense. I feel that there's a certain point when the pod gets small enough, that high privacy dividers and walls feel claustrophobic. Still find it a major contrast to the "Sky Wider" cabins on the JL 77Ws.
"You can begin to see this pod is much smaller than the standard Cirrus pod installed in Cathay Pacific, American Airlines 777-300ER and EVA Airlines to name a few." -Why? Just.. why? I fail to see the point in this. To make the aisle more roomy? CMIIW, but the business seats on their 767-300ER are narrower than usual as well. Do you know of this?
“The seat reclines to a 72 inch flat bed.” - Eh? Is it just me or must one angle oneself in order to “fit” into the bed more?
“Therefore it seemed like you were sleeping on the floor.” - At that height, you might as well do. Has it anything to do with Japanese design language, being close to the floor when sleeping? I mean, futons are very common in Japanese inns..
"Well here's my Wagyu that I was looking for on the way to Tokyo. But the preparation as well as cut isn't all that exciting so I move on." -Heh. So it's safe to say that you "got beef" with the cut that's offered on the flight? :P
Glad to see improvements on the meals they serve you ex-NRT. Were there no meals served before landing? Or were you making room for KL & GA?
Why? Just.. why? I fail to see the point in this. To make the aisle more roomy? CMIIW, but the business seats on their 767-300ER are narrower than usual as well. Do you know of this?
-I just looked at seatguru (so grain of salt) and the Vantage seats on JL 767 are 25" wide while Delta is 21" wide. That seems like a lot so I don't have an answer for you.
Eh? Is it just me or must one angle oneself in order to “fit” into the bed more?
-Another typo, 78 inches is the correct length. Actually the best thing about the seat was being fully flat, there isn't much room to angle so if you are over 78 inches (198cm) then this seat might be problematic.
At that height, you might as well do. Has it anything to do with Japanese design language, being close to the floor when sleeping? I mean, futons are very common in Japanese inns..
-Maybe, we will see if anyone else puts this seat in. Zodiac has it on their website. It's the Cirrus Long Range while the Cirrus we are accustomed to is Cirrus NG Long Range, of course JL could have modified theirsl.
Glad to see improvements on the meals they serve you ex-NRT. Were there no meals served before landing? Or were you making room for KL & GA?
-Nope, unless I was sleeping which I think I woke up. It was a 1AM arrival so maybe that is why.
Thanks for sharing this report Mark! The new regional JL Sky Suite looks more private than its predecessor but it has less space and is tighter than the J seats on the long-haul. IMO the food looks better than your previous F flight, maybe it is due to the ex-NRT kitchen.
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EVA: 6 seats plus a closet and handicap sized lav
CX: 7 seats plus a very small storage area by door 1
JL: 7 seats plus a small lav at door 2.
So the difference is they angle the seats differently to fit more in, which is why you are so far from the window. That and the pod is smaller.
Of course these have been installed on routes that are about 6 hours so they won't be TPAC or Europe bound. The farthest they fly these to is Delhi. I get why they did it this way.
Plus these aren't any worse, and probably better, than Thai's new A350 business class seat. They are more private for sure.
Thanks for reading and the comments.
"You can begin to see this pod is much smaller than the standard Cirrus pod installed in Cathay Pacific, American Airlines 777-300ER and EVA Airlines to name a few."
-Why? Just.. why? I fail to see the point in this. To make the aisle more roomy? CMIIW, but the business seats on their 767-300ER are narrower than usual as well. Do you know of this?
“The seat reclines to a 72 inch flat bed.”
- Eh? Is it just me or must one angle oneself in order to “fit” into the bed more?
“Therefore it seemed like you were sleeping on the floor.”
- At that height, you might as well do. Has it anything to do with Japanese design language, being close to the floor when sleeping? I mean, futons are very common in Japanese inns..
"Well here's my Wagyu that I was looking for on the way to Tokyo. But the preparation as well as cut isn't all that exciting so I move on."
-Heh. So it's safe to say that you "got beef" with the cut that's offered on the flight? :P
Glad to see improvements on the meals they serve you ex-NRT. Were there no meals served before landing? Or were you making room for KL & GA?
Thanks again for this FR. Cheers!
-I just looked at seatguru (so grain of salt) and the Vantage seats on JL 767 are 25" wide while Delta is 21" wide. That seems like a lot so I don't have an answer for you.
-Another typo, 78 inches is the correct length. Actually the best thing about the seat was being fully flat, there isn't much room to angle so if you are over 78 inches (198cm) then this seat might be problematic.
-Maybe, we will see if anyone else puts this seat in. Zodiac has it on their website. It's the Cirrus Long Range while the Cirrus we are accustomed to is Cirrus NG Long Range, of course JL could have modified theirsl.
-Nope, unless I was sleeping which I think I woke up. It was a 1AM arrival so maybe that is why.
Thanks for reading Razza, see you on KLM soon!
The new regional JL Sky Suite looks more private than its predecessor but it has less space and is tighter than the J seats on the long-haul.
IMO the food looks better than your previous F flight, maybe it is due to the ex-NRT kitchen.
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