Trip Report: Japan Airlines 787 Tokyo Narita to Taipei in Business Class (NRT

Just enough time for a full dinner and a couple rounds of mahjong and you're there

PROS

vast, if a bit crowded, lounge with a full dining setup
turn-left boarding
wi-fi
personal air vents
take-what-you-need amenity basket cuts down on waste
small cabin feels quiet and private
Toto Washlet toilets onboard!
Hakushu whisky!

CONS

departs when the airport is at its busiest (6pm)
no pre-departure beverages

HOW I DID IT

14,500 Amex points + $57 for a flight that was retailing for $1900 – not too shabby!

Airport and Lounge

We took the Keisei Skyliner to Narita (when we arrived in Japan we'd purchased the round-trip + 24-hour Tokyo Metro pass ticket package I talked about in this post). The schlep to Ueno from Ebisu on the Yamanote line was a little irritating with all of our bags, but it wasn't rush hour so it wasn't too bad. And it was definitely better than paying US$250 for a taxi.

For international flights I find it tedious to do online check-in considering that it usually won’t result in a boarding pass, nor does it save you a trip to the counter. I decided to not bother with it this time only to be greeted by something I’d never seen before: a split Business Class check-in line with a special lane for those who’d completed online check-in already. It was a lot shorter so I guess I won’t skip that part next time. Oops.

two lines – one for 'already checked' and not

Since this is Japan Airlines’ (JAL) main hub, the lounge was vast – two stories with a separate dining area with a full hot buffet, silence cabins, smoking room, business center, pour your own liquor, free wi-fi, kids room, massage chairs, and a bed. We had a drink and a couple of shumai before heading to the gate.

Lounge

Dining area is upstairs

Liquor

Wines

Boarding and Seat

Boarding was very orderly and we were quickly onboard. This plane has the original angle-flat seats that JAL put in to all of their first 787 fleet - something that shocked a lot of aviation geeks given that fully lie flat was already the standard when these planes were delivered. JAL has since since installed the fantastic SkySuite in their long haul 787s, but these older seats are more than adequate for a flight that’s only in the air for 2 hours and 50 minutes.

There are five rows of Business Class, we were in the third row. Slippers, a blanket, a pillow, and headphones were waiting at our seats. The entertainment options were decent, but I opted for some mahjong instead of a movie.

Three rows of Business Class in the forward cabin

Seat controls

JAL 787 intra-Asia seat

Hooray for personal air vents on a wide-body plane!

Seatback Mahjong

A decent entertainment selection, including Crazy Rich Asians!

In-fight service

There were no pre-departure beverages or towels, despite everything else about our departure seeming completely normal. (The snack bag was delivered later on the meal tray). Shortly after takeoff hot towels and an amenity basket were brought out for us. The meal was served shortly thereafter.

JAL has some of the best food in the sky, and this flight was no different. We had a tasty bento-like presentation of six seasonal bites along with mackerel, halibut, rice, and miso soup. Dessert was vanilla Haagen-dazs ice cream. They offer one of my absolute favoites, Hakushu whisky, so I had that in highball form with my meal.

We began our descent not long after the conclusion of the meal. They served a final cup of green tea just before landing.