Review of Japan Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo in Economy

introduction

After being closed to non-residents and non-essential international travellers for over two and a half years during the pandemic, Japan finally re-opened its borders in October of 2022. I'd been wanting to go to Japan since moving to the West Coast, as it was a much shorter flight. So I jumped on the opportunity to book for our next available time frame, which would be during our son's February winter break from preschool. 

While there is non-stop Japan Airlines service to Narita from my home airport of San Diego, there were only 3 weekly flights planned for February, which didn't work out for our schedule. We opted to fly from LAX instead, as we often do, where there was a more robust flight schedule and more competitive pricing. JAL flights from LAX were also operated by larger aircraft with a Premium Economy cabin, which allowed us to book a mixed itinerary with Economy outbound and Premium Economy return, whereas San Diego flights are operated by smaller 787-8 2-cabin aircraft. 

It had been a long time since I'd flown long-haul Economy and was actually looking forward to trying out Japan Airlines' 787-9 "SKY WIDER" cabin with only 8 seats abreast vs the standard 9-abreast! 

routing

check-in & lounge

We arrived at the LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) about 3h before departure. The check-in area was surprisingly crowded for a mid-February day. During that time of the morning it was mostly Asia departures, so it looked as if travel to Asia was getting back into full swing.  

The Philippine Airlines check-in queue stretched almost the full length of the terminal, making it really crowded and messy.  

Luckily, the JAL check-in area was very quiet and there was no queue in the First class lane, to which we had access with oneworld Emerald status. 

I had already completed all necessary Covid-related entry requirements online for Japanese customs and border checks, so check-in was quick and easy with a friendly and efficient agent. 

We even got fancy First class Priority tags.  

JAL actually print the lounge to which a passenger has access right on the boarding passes so we had "Qantas First Class lounge" indicated on our boarding passes.

The check-in agent also handed us a paper with directions to the lounge.  

Heading towards security, the regular security lanes are located upstairs to the right and TSA pre-check is upstairs on the left. 

There was no line in the TSA pre-check lanes, whereas the regular security lanes looked to be crowded. 

In my experience, lines at TSA pre-check in TBIT are shorter than other terminals in LAX. I suspect that this is because there is a much smaller proportion of travellers with TSA pre-check access vs those without here in the international terminal whereas that proportion is higher in mostly domestic terminals with a higher percentage of US nationals, who have easier access to obtaining TSA pre-check. 

Once airside we headed to the playground behind the food court so that our 4-year-old could get some time to play and run around before heading to the lounge and then boarding a long transpacific flight. 

We then headed back to the other side of the terminal and up a few levels to the lounge. 

The Qantas First class lounge is hidden away in a corner of the terminal near the connector walkway to Terminal 4. 

The LAX Qantas First class lounge is large and light-filled with a similar chic interior design found at the Sydney and Melbourne QF First lounges. The only thing missing was tarmac views as there are no windows facing that side of the terminal. 

The lounge was pleasantly empty at this hour of the morning, making it feel even more spacious and open. 

A large dining room with table service is located towards towards the rear of the lounge. 

The menu had some nice food options, considering it was breakfast, which is difficult to elevate to "First class" levels. A decent choice of wines, with Australian and New Zealand wines well-represented, naturally. 

The champagne was indeed French, however, with a nice Taittinger on offer. 

Between the three of us, we sampled a decent selection from the menu.

The big breakfast plate 

Strawberry & yogurt and fruit salad

Avocado and salmon toast

Everything was fresh and tasty and service was friendly. 

After breakfast, we found a quiet section to sit until boarding time. 

In addition to the restaurant and bar areas, there are also self-serve snacks and drinks including wine and champagne. 

boarding

We left the lounge about 10 minutes before boarding was due to begin.

We had to pass back through the main central area to arrive at the gate, but it wasn't too far as it was in the main terminal and not the new satellite terminal. 

Boarding was just beginning as we arrived at the gate. With oneworld Emerald status, we were able to board immediately in Group 1. Boarding was well-organised with good signage. 

We passed through the Premium Economy cabin, which we'll be trying for the return flight. 

There are only 3 rows of Premium Economy on this 787-9

We didn't have far to go as we had seats in the first row of Economy.

Seats are noticeably wider than the norm in JAL's uniquely spacious 2-4-2 configuration. Japan Airlines are the only carrier with only 8 seats abreast in Economy on the 787, allowing for 19" (48cm) of seat width between armrests–which is more typical of Premium Economy cabins than Economy. 

In comparison, all other airlines have a 3-3-3 configuration in Economy on 787s, with a much more snug 17" (43cm) of seat width.

As far as the legroom goes, standard rows have a well-above-average 33" (84cm) seat pitch…
compare this to most other airlines' standard 31" (79cm) seat pitch for long-haul Economy. There's no doubt about it, JAL's 787 Economy is as spacious as an Economy cabin can be in 2023.
 
And in the first row, we had even more legroom! 

Fully outstretched legs don't reach the bulkhead wall. 

Looking into the Premium Economy cabin, we had about as much legroom in the first row of Economy as Premium Economy. 

To keep personal electronic devices charged, there are 110v universal power outlets underneath the seats and USB ports in the armrests.

A video on Covid safety measures played during boarding. 

There were blankets, pillows, and headsets at each seat.

My son checked out the children's programming on the in-flight entertainment as boarding continued. The content wasn't particularly extensive, but sufficient.

the flight

Boarding wrapped up on time and doors were closed shortly after. 

We pushed back from the gate about on time. 

Taxi time wasn't too long as we only had 4 or 5 aircraft departing in front of us. 

Including this Tahitian beauty.

Takeoff with views of TBIT. 

We headed out over the Pacific Ocean in a northwesterly direction with views of Santa Monica and Malibu as we climbed out. 

Once above 10,000 ft the Wi-Fi became available. There were instructions to connect as well as pricing in the seat pocket. 

The pricing of $18.80 for the full flight of almost 12 hours is one of the best long-haul Wi-Fi prices I've seen. 
 

You actually have a full 24h of Wi-Fi if you happen to be on an even longer flight. 
 

There's also information on in-flight shopping in the seat pocket with instructions on how to browse the duty-free catalogue from your smartphone. Printed catalogues are also available on request. 
 

Interestingly, JAL are one of the few airlines I've seen that still have a printed in-flight magazine. As an AvGeek, I always enjoy the fleet pages. 

A drink menu can also be found in the magazine. There is a large choice of complimentary non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages available including Japanese Sake and plum wine. 

About a half-hour after takeoff, there is a pre-meal oshibori (hot towel) service. Something that's extremely rare to see in Economy these days, adding to the premium feel of the JAL transpacific Economy experience. 

Shortly after, there is a pre-meal drink service with a packaged snack. 

Let's check out the In-Flight Entertainment while waiting for the lunch service. The IFE interface is available in Japanese, English, Simplified Mandarin, Traditional Mandarin, and Korean (I'm guessing on those last three as I can only actually read the first two).

The IFE content (or lack thereof) is the only somewhat disappointing part of the whole experience. It looked like there were hundreds of films; however, that was a false impression as the same movie is listed multiple times for each language in which the audio is available. In reality, there were only about 30 or so full-length movies.

This has improved since, from what I can tell. I believe that, at the time (Feb-2023), International traffic to Japan was just beginning to pick up and this may have been a vestige of Pandemic-era cost-cutting. Looking at JAL's IFE content offering today (Aug-2023) it's much more extensive.  

Lunch was served with a bit over 10 hours remaining in the flight. 

Menus were available in the online magazine.

My son's pre-ordered child meal was served first, which I appreciate, as I was able to assist him if needed. 

Now that's what a CHML is supposed to look like! Well-presented and actually appealing to kids. Please take note American Airlines…

Chicken nuggets, tater-tots, veggies, potato salad, fruit, and gummy bears. Lots of fun things for kids to eat and a cute smiley-face on the potato salad! So Kawaii!  かわいい ?

The adult meals were also very well-presented and appetising. It's rare to see such an attractive meal tray in Economy–leave it to Japanese carriers! 

There's a salad and THREE sides in addition to the hot main dish–you don't even get that much in Business class on most Western carriers! Miso soup was also offered, but I declined–this is already plenty!

Smoked Salmon & cole slaw, fresh fruit, and soba noodles with mushrooms–all very fresh and delicious. 

There were two options for main dishes, one Western and one Japanese. I went for the Japanese option, which was a delicious curry. 

Ice cream was distributed for desert. 

Japanese green tea or coffee was offered after the meal. 

Still 9 hours to go!

Shortly after the meal service, one of the cabin crew distributed gifts to the children on board. This is such a nice touch, and again, something you don't see on most carriers anymore. 

I think I was more excited about the JAL A350 model than my son was, haha.  

If flying long-haul Economy with small children, I highly recommend getting an inflatable travel footrest/Kids Airplane bed.

My son, who at 4 years of age is already a little too used to fully flat business class seats, was worried he wouldn't be able to sleep on this flight but ended up sleeping for most of the flight with this inflatable pillow!

Some views of the cabin while stretching my legs mid-flight.

More proof that JAL don't pack seats into their planes–there's so much space behind the last row of Economy that you can easily pass through to the other aisle. Typically, the last rows have limited recline being right up against the wall, this is quite the opposite. 

And of course on a Japanese carrier, there are fancy Japanese toilets!

With the Wi-Fi I could follow our flight on Flightradar24–of course I didn't need to since there was a moving map in the IFE, but still it's fun to geek out ✈

Crossing the dateline into the future!

Still 4 more hours to go.

Drinks and snacks, including small sandwiches, were available in the galleys throughout the flight, and cabin crew made several passes through the cabin with water.

About 2 hours before landing, the pre-arrival meals were served. Once again, my son's Child Meal was delivered first and once again it looked very tasty with meatballs and parmesan marinara.

For the adult meals, there was only one option: Rice Gratin with White Sauce & Bacon

Again, tasty, filling, and well-presented, though a bit of a smaller portion than the first meal, as is to be expected. 

Getting closer!

arrival

After 11 hours in the air over the vast Pacific Ocean, we'd finally reached the shores of the Land of the Rising Sun…or, rather setting sun at that time of the evening.

Curtains and bulkheads open for landing. 

Smooth landing and a quick taxi to the terminal with a beautiful winter sunset sky.

Covid entry documents checks, Immigration, and Customs were very quick as I'd obtained all the necessary QR codes ahead of time through the Japan Travel Web "Fast Track" programme. 

In typically efficient Japanese manner, baggage was delivered right as we arrived at the baggage belt after customs–perfect timing. 

Then it was off to the Japan Rail office to collect our JR Green Passes for the week, allowing us unlimited Green Car (First Class) train travel throughout Japan.

Welcome to Tokyo!

This view greeted us as we stepped off the train at Kinshichō Station. 

The view was even better from the hotel room!

Thank you for reading and feel free to ask any questions in the comments below.