After doing a bit of lounge hopping in Toyko Narita’s Terminal 2 it was finally time to board my flight to Hanoi as part of my Hanoi for a day trip. At this point I had only had a few hours of sleep and was in that strange place between inebriated and hungover. If I’m honest, I drank far too much on my Japan Airlines First Class flight to get from New York to Tokyo. Then, after just a few hours of sleep, I decided the only logical thing to do was to drink more in the various lounges in the Tokyo Airport. Great idea no doubt…
Anyway, as night fell over Tokyo it was finally time to go to Hanoi. I was exhausted and the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. With that, I must say, of all the flights I’ve taken over the past three years, this is the one I remember the least of. The moment I sat down in my seat I fell asleep. I woke up about halfway through the flight in the seated position, reclined, and when back to sleep. Needless to say, I didn’t get the whole JAL Business Class flight experience, but I can say that JAL’s Sky Suites are incredibly comfortable and a great place to catch a few hours of sleep.
Boarding The Flight To Hanoi
Our flight from Tokyo to Hanoi departed from the Terminal 2 Satellite Building. So, about an hour before boarding I made my way to the building to wait in the lounge.
Japan Airlines has a Business Class lounge located in the Satellite Building, but as I maintain OneWorld Emerald status I opted to visit the First Class portion of the lounge. After spending some time I left the lounge and made my way to our departure gate.
Unlike other airports I’ve been to, when I arrived everyone was seated and patently waiting for the flight. As I wanted to be among the first on board the aircraft I lined up. When I took my position in line a gate agent directed me to instead find a seat in the gate area.
After a short wait we were called to board the aircraft, at which time I was able to board with other OneWorld Emerald customers.
Japan Airlines Sky Suite Business Class
After handing my boarding card to the gate agent I was directed through the gate door toward the jet bridge. As we were boarding a 787-9, all passengers were directed toward the L2 boarding door. For the flight to Hanoi I selected seat 7K, a window seat in the aft business class cabin.
Japan Airlines Sky Suite is also know as the Apex Suite and is arranged in a 2-2-2 layout. The window seats are staggered to allow all passengers to retain direct aisle access.
This is a unique design that I actually quite like. the design also creates a small cubby behind the window seat for the aisle seat passengers.
The middle seats are simply a 2-2 layout in which passengers sit directly next to each other. However, the divider is quite long so you don’t actually see the person next to you.
Generally when traveling with someone I’d always recommend selecting seats in the middle section. With the Sky Suite design, I think people traveling together would be perfectly happy with either window or middle seats.
Japan Airlines Sky Suite Business Class Cabin
The window seats, which I selected for the flight to Hanoi, are staggered when compared to the aisle seat. This allows window seat passengers direct aisle access by passing through a very narrow aisle in front of the aisle seat next to you.
I like this design, but I’m not sure it deserves the praise I’ve read about in the past. In fact, I’d argue the Sky Suite is nearly identical to British Airways’ Club World design. The only difference is that all of the suites face forwards and appear a significantly more modern. When I took my seat along the window I found the suite to be a bit narrow, albeit quite comfortable.
I also didn’t love the narrow aisle window passengers have to pass through to get to the window seat. If I were a larger passenger I’m not sure that I’d be able to squeeze into the window seat at all.
While I love the window seat, if I were to fly this product on a traditional 10+ hour flight, I’d most likely select an aisle seat.
Japan Airlines Sky Suite Business Class Seat
When I eventually settled into my Sky Suite window seat, the first thing I noticed was the massive in-flight entertainment screen in front of me. The screen is just out of reach when buckled into the the seat and features a small shelf under the monitor. Under that shelf is the fairly large cubby which houses your feet while reclined.
Luckily, as with most modern business class seats, there is an in-flight entertainment remote located just next to you along the center diving wall.
Below the remote are both a traditional power outlet and a USB outlet which are located at the far end of the divider. In the picture below you can see just how narrow the walkway to the aisle really is.
Finally, seat controls can be found right next to you when seated. There were far too many buttons for me to understand given my state of mind. In the end, I only needed to use two of the buttons on the entire panel. The raise the center divider button and the lie-flat button. They worked just fine and I was extremely comfortable to say the least.
The center divider must be down for taxi, take-off, and landing, but unlike British Airways, you don’t see the person next to you at all.
Finally, at the top of the divider wall is a personal reading lamp which was exceptionally bright.
Before long, the boarding process was complete and we were finally on our way to Hanoi!
Departing Tokyo
Just prior to pushback the flight attendants passed through the cabin to pass out moist towels.
Next, a very matter-of-fact safety video played as we taxied toward the departure runway.
Immediately following the safety video I was able to put on a movie and went right to sleep. I slept completely through takeoff and well into cruise before I woke back up still in the seated position.
Japan Airlines Sky Suite BEDD In-Flight Dining
When I awoke we were about a hundred miles from Tokyo and I took a few minutes to browse the in flight dining menus. Similar to Japan Airlines First Class, business class menus are also branded with the “BEDD” moniker.
As the flight from Tokyo to Hanoi is significantly shorter than the 14 hour haul from New York, the BEDD menu was also much more condensed. Of course, the menu opened with a note from Japan Airlines introducing you to JAL in-flight dining.
The next set of pages introduced you to the various chefs and curators who designed the in-flight dining options.
On the following menu pages I found two meal options. A Japanese set and a western set. In general I was advised to stick to one set when ordering. However, I did ask for options from both sets on my prior flight which didn’t seem to be an issue.
Finally, at the back of the menu are “anytime” options which you can order at any point in the flight.
As I flipped through the menu nothing exactly caught my eye. So, instead of eating I decided to recline my seat into a bed and get another few hours of sleep.
A Quick Snack
After a few hours of sleep I woke up with about an hour left in flight. The moment I sat up a flight attendant came to my seat to ask me if I wanted anything. At first I passed, but she insisted, so I ended up accepting a cup of noodles as a snack.
The noodles arrived shortly thereafter and were quite tasty. Of course, these were pre-packaged noodles, but overall they proved a great snack. As I finished the flight attendant again insisted I try the dessert. So, I obliged and few minutes later a chocolate mousse arrived with spiced chocolate on top.
The spiced chocolate toppings were a bit odd, but packed a ton of flavor. I ended up not finishing the dessert as I simply wasn’t hungry after the feasts in both JAL First Class and the various lounges in Tokyo.
Japan Airlines Sky Suite Lavatories
With around 30 minutes left in flight I decided to quickly visit the lavatory; for the review of course.
Inside, I found a space which felt incredibly familiar on the 787. The basic layout of the lavatory is identical to most 787s flying today. The lavatory lacked the various amenities found in first class, but did come complete with a few dental sets and mouth wash.
Most impressively however, is that the Japan Airlines Business Class lavatory also features the bidet toilet found in First Class.
Just next to the seat of the toilet were the various bidet controls found in First Class.
I have to admit, I can’t think of any other airlines that offer bidet toilets in Business Class.
Japan Airlines Sky Suite Amenity Kit
After a quick stop in the lavatory I arrived back in my seat and decided to quickly browse the Sky Suite amenity kit offered on the short flight to Hanoi.
The amenity kit was simply a cloth pouch with the familiar JAL branding also found on the Sky Suite seat covers.
Inside the kit was a toothbrush set, a moisture mask, ear plus, and an eye mask.
The kit also featured an “eye refresher” pouch.
Most amenity kits come with lotion, etc., but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many face specific products in a single amenity kit before. Overall the amenity kit was great, I only wish I had found the eye mask sooner!
Arriving In Hanoi
As we descended into Hanoi the cabin crew dimmed the interior lights and instructed passengers to prepare for landing.
As we continued our approach into Hanoi I continued to watch a few final minutes of a movie and finally take a look around the cabin.
The first thing I noticed when I looked around is that the window seats in Japan Airlines Sky Suite arrangement are especially narrow. Given that the design is squared off you don’t feel as constricted as you might in a reverse herringbone arrangement, but it’s not much better. That being said, the high walls of each seat make the cabin feel especially private. The seats feel even more private as everyone is facing the same direction. With a rearward facing layout you occasionally make eye contact with other passengers. In Sky Suites, there is almost no way to make eye contact with another passengers while seated.
I also really appreciated the design of the cabin. The color contrast between the off-white walls and the darker seat cushions and lower part of the suite help make the cabin feel very inviting. I also appreciated the squared-off design of the cabin. The squared-off approach made the cabin feel more unique compared to the familiar rounded pods which have become synonymous with Business Class.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was pretty impressed with Japan Airlines Sky Suites on the 787-9. I must say however, that in the past all I’ve read is glowing praise for these seats. However, I’m not sure the seats are as excellent as others make them seem. The seats, especially the window seats, are quite narrow, the seat itself and bed aren’t any more comfortable than other business class seats, and the in-flight entertainment options are actually very limited.
With all of that being said, I’d happily fly Japan Airlines Sky Suites again. Personally, I can’t wait to try this product out on a much longer flight so that I can really get an appreciation for it.
However, if given the option, I’d much prefer the seat found on American’s 787-9 or Qatar Airways A350-900. While I appreciated the privacy of JAL’s Sky Suites I also found them a bit too closed off. If I were to spend 14 hours in that seat I’d bet by the end I would feel a bit too claustrophobic.
