Trip.com x Japan Airlines Sapphire Fast Track

• Sakura Lounge, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (website)
• 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

After my whirlwind 16hr turnaround, I was refreshed enough to make my way back home.

For home ground, Japan Airline’s counters are staffed at all times so technically you can check in anytime you want but I later found out that there are more things to see at the landside of the arrival hall than airside.

Anyways, the lounge was super easy to find but bear in mind that it’s located right at one end of the terminal so do factor extra walking time if the gate is at the other end.

Access – access to the lounge is the same as that at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport:

Operating Hours:

• Sakura Lounge (fourth floor) – 6:00 a.m. – Until the departure of the last flight
• Sakura Lounge Sky View (fifth floor) – 7:00 a.m. – 0:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. – 0:30 a.m.

There is actually 2 lounges I later realized, with a Sakura Lounge Sky View closing earlier than what the last flight needs and in a slightly diff design which i will briefly later as most of my time was spent at the one on the forth floor.

The entrance of the lounge is brightly lit and feels very welcoming.

Seating – this is a huge lounge and offers more than sufficient seating for any group size, with varying sections, configuration, and views so definitely not an issue with finding a place as long as you are that picky.

Food & Beverages – the spread is quite smartly spread out over 2 sections offering similar options but one section larger than the other. There were plenty of hot and cold options and includes the quintessential miso soup and pf course the same delicious beef curry.

Drinks on offer were 2x white, 2x red, spirits, sake, shochu, and the regime of non alcoholic drinks like sodas, coffee, tea, etc. It even had a non-alcoholic sparkling wine which basically converted me back to being an alcoholic.

Lavatories – it was very small for the lounge size and I cannot imagine the queue to use at during peak hours. But they were kept very clean throughout my stay though.

Service – soiled plates were cleared very efficiently but I noticed that some seats were full of crumbs at the edges and tables not wiped down which showed that the team was possibly not diligent enough.

Sakura Lounge Sky View – I popped by just to take a look and saw that the F&B were exactly the same but the seats and configuration were different. I suppose for a change in scenary?

They do make boarding calls at the lounge so for a 0130am flight, you can be assured that you wont miss your flight unless you fall asleep and remain so somehow. This lounge also closes at 0000 so the staff made calls near to closure for passengers to move to the fourth floor.

In Summary,

Definitely a good spot to stone in before a flight! Finally on my way home via the same crazy routing.