Review of Japan Airlines flight Beijing → Tokyo in Business

With a bit of luck and the use of Google Translate I was able to book Mark and I on the JAL Maintenance Facility Tour. All dates were completely booked but I checked back frequently and 2 spaces appeared on a date and time that we could use. Getting to the facility was easy using the monorail that runs to Haneda Airport. The tour and access were outstanding and I highly recommend it to anyone who has a stay in Tokyo. The entire tour is conducted in Japanese however it's still worth it to non-Japanese speakers simply for the access to the hangers and tarmac.

We arrived slightly ahead of our tour time and presented our emailed confirmations to the staff at the lobby desk. We were both issued a colored lanyard (pink in our case) with a guest card attached. There is a QR code on the card that you must scan upon entry and exit.


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After scanning and obtaining entrance to the facility we were given a room number to report to. There would be presentation and then time to enjoy the museum before we go to the hangers. The presentation was about 30 minutes. The presentor was a Japanese woman in a JAL uniform and she went over many of the operational branches of JAL from engineering/maintenance, flight ops., IFS, ramp/fueling, fleet, etc. There was an English language brochure to follow along but the slides on the screen were sufficient for me to understand.



The museum has a beautiful collection of models and uniforms with an excellent chronology of JAL's evolution.



There are disused passenger seats on display as well.



There are also various other exhibits based on the functional units that makeup an airline operation.



There was an opportunity to don a JAL uniform for a picture.



We reassembled into the conference room and were broken into smaller groups. Each group was assigned a guide. We had a fantastic guide who was extremely animated and passionate in his presentation of the tour. He led us into a hanger and on to a catwalk high above the floor. Again, all of his narration was in Japanese but the views were excellent.



The first hanger we visited housed a 767-300ER and 737-800.



After a short talk we followed the guide down a window enclosed elevated walkway that led form one hanger to the next. This time a 777-300ER was waiting.



Again a talk ensued but I was just enjoying being this close to this remarkable machine. When the talking stopped we were led to a wall with rows of filing cabinets. The tour guide opened a drawer and began issuing hard hats to all of the guests. Could it be that we were going to be granted access to the floor??? Yes!



We gathered on the hanger floor were we, presumably, discussed the 777. I was still in awe that we were permitted this close.




Our guide noticed a crew pushing a 767-300ER out of the next bay of the hanger and excitedly motioned us to follow him over and we escorted the 767 out onto the ramp like a group of wing walkers.



Standing on the ramp just outside the hanger we were treated to some great views and a further talk. At this point on of the other tour staff who had been serving as a spotter for our group (presumably to make sure no one wondered off) approached us and began speaking English. He asked if we could understand the guide and we let him know we could not. So he took it upon himself to give a private tour and answer questions. It was a really generous gesture. Based on my questions he assumed I worked in the industry and was quite surprised when I informed him I was simply an enthusiast. He let us know that this hanger was for major fault repair like an engine swap and not routine maintenance. The JAL engine shop is at Narita to if an engine goes bad at Haneda the replacement will be trucked across town.



We got a closer look at the 777-300ER before retracing our steps and ending the tour.



Despite the language barriers the tour is an absolute must for any commercial aviation enthusiast. It's free of charge as well.