Review of Japan Airlines flight Tokyo Ōzora in Economy

Airline Japan Airlines
Flight JL1189
Class Economy
Seat 21A
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 01:40
Take-off 05 Oct 14, 12:55
Arrival at 05 Oct 14, 14:35
JL   #9 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 173 reviews
seahyile
By 2344
Published on 9th March 2015
Hi all, I decided to do an FR on a rather interesting domestic flight I took back in October 2014. This was a trip to Hokkaido, Japan and the routing is as follows. I will cover just the domestic sectors as I find these airports have rarely been reported.

Outbound: SIN-HND on CX via HKG,
HND-MMB on JL1189

Inbound: AKJ-HND on JL1100
HND-SIN on CX via HKG

JL1189
Route: HND-MMB
Depart : 12.55pm
Arrive: 14.35pm
Aircraft: B737-800, JA344J

Some background, the 2 domestic sectors in Japan was redeemed using my BA Executive Club Avios, for just 4500 Avios one way and a little $3 in taxes. Round trip was only 9000 Avios and $7! If I were to purchase with cash, it would easily cost 15000 JPY ($125 USD) one way.

Some touristic shots of Tokyo during my stay

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Asakusa Temple
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View of Tokyo Sumida River
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Ueno Ameyayokocho Shopping District
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Japan's vending machines never fail to impress!
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Off to Hokkaido! Getting to Tokyo Haneda Airport via JR Yamanote Line and Tokyo Monorail.
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Airport signage for directions to terminal depending on destination.
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Care for a cup of coffee?
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JAL FIDS of Domestic flights of the day. My flight, JL1189 scheduled to depart at 12.55pm. Seems like this will be a rather full flight with only a few empty seats left as displayed by the triangle symbol.
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Haneda Domestic Terminal Viewing Gallery
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JAL B777-300, JA8944
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A collection of JAL tails, with both old and new livery!
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JAL1189 Flight display. Flight time for today is 1:40, with sunny weather in Memanbetsu, Hokkaido awaiting us.
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Our plane for today's flight. Some precipitation during this time before the flight
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For this flight, no food was served. Only light refreshments were offered once throughout the flight. JAL doesn't provide any biscuit or pastry this time. I did not take pictures of the drink in this flight.

Boarding time
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In-seat shopping guide, domestic inflight magazine, B737-800 safety card and airsickness bag.
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Flight route progress shown
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Wing shot. The winglets look really classy here.
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Approaching the eastern coast of Hokkaido. The descend into MMB begins soon.



Last look at my seat. Comfortable for a short flight.
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JA344J
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Memanbetsu Airport advertises Shiretoko National Park to tourists here. It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan. It is rumoured that bear sightings are common during certain months of the year!
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Baggage reclaim
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Abashiri Prison, probably the best attraction in Abashiri City
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I visited the departure area of MMB airport before leaving. Shown here are JAL's daily flight schedules out of MMB.
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Delectable Japanese cuisine at one of the cafes at the departure floor.
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Potato Farm is a must-try and must-buy in Hokkaido!



MMB airport's viewing deck. This is a quiet airport with few jets unlike the hustle and bustle in Haneda


[BONUS- Tourist Shots of Abashiri]
[Abashiri Prison, Cape Notoro, Glasswort viewing]


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Verdict

Japan Airlines

7.1/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering7.0

Tokyo - HND

8.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness9.0

Ōzora - MMB

9.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

Overall, this was a pleasant experience on a short domestic flight to Hokkaido. Crew are pleasant and the seat was comfortable. However, I felt JAL could have done better in terms of catering. Maybe a snack could be provided together with light refreshments, as a traditional FSC. Cost-cutting seems to be quite obvious in this aspect.

Tokyo Haneda Airport:
Immigration is fast and many food options available in the airport. Easy to navigate around with clear airport signage.

Memanbetsu Airport:
Small airport that is well furnished with the essential amenities required.

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