Trip.com x Japan Airlines Sapphire Fast Track

• Sakura Lounge, Ninoy Aquino International Airport
• JAL078 Manila-Tokyo Haneda (Business)
• Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport
• Sakura Lounge, Tokyo Haneda Airport
• JAL077 Tokyo Haneda-Manila (Business)
• SilverKris Lounge, Ninoy Aquino International Airport

• Flight Timing – JAL078 Depart MNL 23:25 arrive HND 04:45
• Duration – 4hrs and 20mins
• Aircraft – Boeing 787-800
• Seat – 2G
• Cost – SGD$1,727 (return)

As mentioned previously, my SkySuite got swapped out to a Shell Flat Neo which is in a 2-2-2 configuration – not ideal and certainly not the most modern product of the airline but it is what it is.

Pre-boarding – Interestingly enough, boarding was announced by group number instead of by class of travel but priority boarding groups do get a dedicated seating area which was nice. Boarding was on time and very orderly too.

Boarding – all passengers were greeted by the very nice crew upon boarding and once settled into the seat, a crew came by to introduce herself and confirmed / asked for my meal selection as well as preferred drinks to go with the meal. I picked sake and she offered to let me try both to decide. Yay.

Seat – My seat 2G was an aisle seat in the middle section of the main cabin – I picked this as it was the only seat with the neighboring seat unoccupied at the point of seat selection. When I did my online check in, there was also a note that said something along the lines of ‘least preferred seat selected’ and when I clicked on it, it showed that the unrest of this seat was not movable, whatever that meant.

In any case, the 2-2-2 cabin felt better in person than in pics, with no overhead luggage bin directly on top of me which made the cabin feel more specious.

On hindsight, I didn’t remember to check if there was a privacy panel to separate you from your neighbour since I didn’t need it, but I think you maybe feel a bit….exposed if one did.

The seat itself looked less dated than in pics and I thought was very well maintained for its age being the oldest business class seats of the airline (I think). I fit into the seat quite comfortably, and the leg space was plenty sufficient for me.

A blanket, pillow, menu and a bottle of water was placed at the seat upon boarding, alongside physical declaration forms for your completion (not needed if you have already completed the electronic declaration via the Visit Japan website).

In the middle of the section in front is the in-flight literature and what seems like bottled water holder below. And then a hanger on the same structure which was useful for my jacket.

On my left is the console which contained a remote for IFE although the design of it could be better – those buttons were so small so I would always end up overpressing or underpressing which was annoying. There’s a small storage space where the headphones were placed at boarding, though in a rather unfashionable red plastic covering.

But the sound quality was very decent!

On this same side higher up is a reading light, headphone docket, and another small nook which was useful for having my mobile within easy reach.

On the right armrest is the seat control which were thankfully more intuitive although I wondered why the lumbar support only activates when you press on it (so it stops when you lift your finger away).

There are 3 pre-designed positions as shown, and apologies for the bad pictures to show the ‘relax’ and ‘bed’ position – and the bed position is not a flatbed design for those who mind and instead maxes out at a small incline. Thankfully, the design comes with a footrest flap to keep yourself from sliding down (hah).

In terms of charging of devices, there is a 3-pin and a USB at the bottom of the middle console – and I just realized my pics are wonky because of the lighting, sorry!

I wondered for a while where my tray table was – then I found it tucked away on the wall of the left console – pull it up diagonally and it opens up to a middle size surface, with an option for half panel for ease of getting in and out of the seat during meal service.

There were no amenity kit on this flight but the crew came around with a basket for your choice to take – the selection includes eye mask, toothbrush set and ear plugs. They separately offered JAL sweaters too (only for in-flight use – cannot steal!) which was super comfy. I was too slow to take pics of the crew in action during the point of offer so no pics to show for. I later realized that slippers were placed in a small space below the IFE too.

Flight took off on time and were soon in the air.

In-flight Meal – there is a dedicated page for JAL Business Class meals and it all looked very good! The website also allows you to preview the menu by flight number which I thought was cool. The online check in process also allows you to pre-select your choice from the above – and of course I picked the Japanese set.

Drinks on offer can be previewed during the online check in process (nicer pics),,,,

or via the printed in-flight menu (not so nice pics).

The table was set for ‘dinner’ where your choice of drinks were served first with a packaged rice snack.

The set was served on one-tray and everything was delicious and I spent the rest of the meal regretting my overload of beef curry from the lounge. A panna cotta dessert was served separately after they cleared the tray but I couldn’t fit in anymore food by then.

In-flight Entertainment – there were a decent selection of movies though not as extensive as KrisWorld’s but recent shows like Kongfu Panda and Kong x Godzilla kept me entertained enough.

Lavatories – there were 3 lavatories shared between the 2 business cabins and the ones I used were kept quite clean throughout the flight.

Service – I thought service was attentive even though it was a red-eye flight. The crew was actively walking the aisle which it easy to ask for more sake (heh).

I knocked out after my meal and managed to sleep for almost 2hours, without sliding down. This was my first non-flatbed business class sleep and surprisingly it felt okay!

In Summary,

my first JAL business experience checked off, with the food and service passing with flying colors. Too bad I got an ‘old’ seat and I’d imagine the same quality in their newer cabins will feel terrific.

Onwards to the Tokyo Haneda turnaround!