Review of Japan Airlines flight from Singapore to Tokyo in Economy

Introduction.

After my brief stay in Singapore, it was time to head back to Tokyo. I initially hoped to fly into Haneda Airport, but the flights were quite full, so I opted for a flight to Narita Airport, which appeared to be slightly less crowded. This review will cover Japan Airlines economy class on a medium-range flight aboard a B767-300.

At the Airport.

I arrived at Singapore Changi Airport at around 6:00 in the morning, giving me about two hours before departure. The JAL check-in area was situated near the far end of the terminal and was relatively quiet at that time. The check-in area had no kiosks but instead the traditional check-in desks.

With barely any queues in sight, the check-in process was smooth, efficient, and refreshingly straightforward. Once the formalities were completed, I proceeded to immigration and then headed to the airside. The entire process was equally efficient, and before I knew it, I had passed through and was ready to explore the airside. The transition from check-in to airside was very seamless.

Once airside, you're immediately greeted by a wide variety of shops, including an array of duty-free stores. From there, the pathways branch out, leading to the boarding gates, lounges and more shops.

I looked through a few shops to pass the time before making my way to the lounge. Conveniently located near my gate, I opted for the Plaza Premium Lounge, which provided a relaxing space to unwind before boarding. However, I'm not really focused towards lounges so I will keep this part short.

The lounge itself was quite spacious, offering a variety of seating options to accommodate different group sizes. However, it was rather busy, and a lot of the seats were already occupied. Fortunately, I managed to find an available table for two, providing a comfortable spot to settle in.

The lounge offered a nice variety of food and drinks, catering to different preferences. There was a buffet area with a range of options, as well as a section for made-to-order meals. Since I usually don't feel hungry in the mornings, I decided to skip the food but helped myself to a small glass of orange juice.

I left the lounge about 20 minutes before boarding began, giving myself plenty of time to reach the gate. Fortunately, the gate was conveniently located just a short four-minute walk from the lounge.

One notable aspect of Singapore Changi Airport, which many of you might already know, is that security screening takes place at the individual gates rather than a centralized location. Personally, I find this setup a bit odd and somewhat inefficient. There was a slight queue when I arrived but nothing significant.

Once through security, there’s ample seating available, along with large windows that offer great views of the tarmac.

Here is our plane! A Boeing 767-300ER, my favorite widebody aircraft!

Aircraft Information.

Aircraft - Boeing 767-300ER
Reg - JA618J
MSN - 35815
Age - 16.6 years

Boarding began shortly after, and the process was carried out in a very organized manner through group boarding. Group 1 was reserved for business class passengers and OneWorld status members, followed by economy class passengers from the back of the plane to the front. As I was seated close to the rear, it wasn't too long until my group was called up.

The friendly crew welcomed me onboard and I made my way to my seat.

Cabin and Seat.

Despite the plane being over 15 years old, the cabin felt surprisingly new and fresh. The seats were the same model used on JAL's newer 787 and 777 aircraft. The cabin was also immaculately clean, and it shows how well the airline maintains its aircraft and the care they put into it.

JAL operates several variants of the Boeing 767 in its fleet, most of which are configured for domestic routes. However, this particular jet was set up in a much more spacious international configuration. With only 199 seats onboard, the plane featured a two-class layout: 24 suite-style business class seats and 175 economy seats. This setup provided more comfort and room compared to the denser domestic configurations.

The economy seats on this plane are quite impressive, offering a width of 19 inches and a generous pitch of 34 inches. Having that much legroom on a medium-range 6-7 hour flight is absolutely insane. The configuration here is 2-3-2, which is why I love the 767. It's very small yet comfortable. Each seat is equipped with a well-sized personal IFE monitor, complete with a remote control for convenience. To the side, there’s a handy coat hook, and the foldable tray table is sturdy and functional. The seat pocket features multiple compartments, offering plenty of storage options. Overall, the seat is extremely comfortable, with thoughtful design elements.

At my seat, I found a small yet soft pillow along with a blanket. Additionally, the seat pocket contained a pair of headphones.

The Flight.

The boarding process was impressively fast. I was amazed by how efficiently and smoothly Japanese carriers handle boarding procedures. Boarding wrapped up in just under 15 minutes and we started pushing back, as the safety video was run.

The taxi time was brief, with only about one plane ahead of us on the runway. Before long, we were in the air.

Once we were in the air, I decided to explore the in-flight entertainment. Initially, it seemed impressive with what appeared to be a vast selection of films. However, I quickly realized that many films were listed multiple times in different sections, which created an illusion of a larger library than what was actually available. Despite this, the content itself was quite decent and offered a good variety. There was also a flight map, which was detailed and had a few different modes. The screen responsiveness was generally fine, though it did become a bit laggy at times, so I used the remote for most of the flight.

JAL offers Wi-Fi for sale on its international flights. There was a pamphlet in the seat pocket with instructions on how to connect, but I forgot to take a photo of it and didn’t remember the exact prices. It was somewhere around $15 though. Since this wasn’t a particularly long flight, I decided not to purchase the Wi-Fi. There was also a magazine in the seat pocket, something not a lot of airlines offer.

The inflight service started around 30 minutes after take-off. We were first served a wet tissue.

For some reason it said business class on it even though we are seated in economy.

After that, there was a pre-meal drink service accompanied by a packaged snack. For my drink of choice, I chose JAL's signature Skytime drink, which is a peach & grape mix juice, which is really delicious. The snack was also very tasty too.

After that, the first meal service started. There were 2 options on this flight:
 
 - Simmered Pork Belly & Leeks over Steamed Rice
 - Chicken Kofta & Vegetables with Tempered Rice
with
 - Couscous Salad with Pickled Dried Radish & Lemon Vinaigrette
 - Potato & Carrot Caesar Salad
 - Sautéed Soy Meat & Eggplant
 - Fresh Fruit
 - Miso Soup (Optional)
 - Drink of Choice

I chose the Simmered Pork Belly Meal, and chose a Coke for my drink of choice. I had intended to get a miso soup, but when the cabin attendant asked me, I somehow ended up saying no by mistake and didn’t have the courage to ask for it again. Oh well.

The presentation of the meal was quite impressive, with everything neatly arranged on the tray. I was pleased to see metal cutlery being used. At first glance, the meal looked very healthy, and it tasted great. The pork was exceptionally tender. My only minor complain was that the rice was a bit dry, but overall, it was an amazing meal!

After the main meal, dessert was served—caramel-flavored ice cream. Caramel isn’t my favorite flavor, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have with another flavor, but it was still good and a nice way to finish the meal.

The rest of the flight was quite uneventful. I took a nap for about two hours and then watched a movie to pass the time.

The cabin crew was attentive, walking down the aisle every 20 minutes or so with a selection of drinks, including coffee, green tea, Skytime, and various juices. I was pretty full, so I didn't take anything, but the level of care and service they provided to passengers was truly phenomenal.

The second meal service featured an apricot Danish, but since I’m not a fan of apricot, I decided to pass.
Shortly after that, we started our descent into Tokyo's Narita Airport.

Arrival and Disembarkation.

Being seated towards the rear of the cabin meant a bit of a wait before I could disembark. During the process, a video about JAL's services played on the monitors. I found it quite enjoyable to watch.

Our gate at Narita was a bit of a long walk to security and immigration though. Nothing too significant though. There were some nice views of the tarmac while walking though.

That's going to conclude this FR. Thanks for reading!