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Japan Airlines customer travel guide
		Japan Airlines 4-Star Airline Ranking		Japan Airlines First Class and Business Class Lounge Reviews
		Japan Airlines Economy class seat reviews		Japan Airlines Passenger seat tips
		Japan Airlines First Class and and Business class seat reviews		Japan Airlines Aircraft Seat Maps

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  22 July 2011 by Taesung Jang   (South Korea)

Haneda to Seoul Gimpo Economy class. This flight from HND-GMP was my second flight on JAL since 2003. In 2003 JAL was great, and I was surprised by JAL's service. However, HND-GMP flight recently was just a disappointment. Warm and kind service is long gone. Instead there are lethargic FA's who can't speak either English or Korean. Meal was plain, rice wasn't cooked well, and coffee wasn't hot. The airport and the planes were both very humid and stuffy.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  7 July 2011 by Peter Nelson   (Australia)

SYD-NRT. This was the 4th time I have taken this flight in the past 3 yrs. Each time the flight left and arrived on time. The quality of the flight attendants was exceptional on every flight. The grooming, charm and elegance was equal to the best in the world. The personal service was most attentive and friendly. My wife left a scarf in the plane at Narita and one of the flight attendants found her in the immigration line and returned it to her. The downside is the service products. No menus or amenity packs. The entertainment system is poor, the portions of food are small and the food is barely edible. The red wine is of fair quality but the white wine is almost undrinkable. As mentioned by other reviewers the cabin tends to be warm. If these female flight attendants had a quality product to offer the ranking would be equal to the top airlines.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  1 July 2011 by P Grande   (USA)

LAX-Narita-Hanoi and would not go on JAL again. One reviewer commented on how warm the flight was and I couldn't agree more, so warm I was going crazy and switched into some shorts from my carry on. Poor service as they seem to be catering to those who were Japanese. Entertainment system was old and filled with older movies and few new releases. They got me back alive and in one piece but would not take them again.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  26 June 2011 by Yoahn Kwon   (USA)

ORD-NRT Business class, great looking B777 and nice interior. JAL Entertainment system stands among best airlines. Food was nice especially the curry. Sakura lounge in NRT was also very good, was able to take shower and free massage chair. Business seat was bit narrow but was endurable. NRT-ICN Business class with bad service. Very interesting how different the service was from long distance routes. B767 was also outdated and old. Best of all was their punctuality. Everything was on time and felt very safe in flight.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  31 May 2011 by Diane Johnson   (USA)

I recently flew to Narita from LAX. I will not take JAL again. The most unpleasant part of the experience was how warm it was inside the cabin. Both my daughter and I could hardly stand it. She took off her sweater and hat, and I had to get a wet towel and use it on my face and neck. I had to chew some peppermint gum to calm my stomach. Also, the food was pretty bad Much of what we were offered I wouldn't touch. For the trip back we were prepared and brought food with us.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  22 May 2011 by Roger Stone   (Australia)

SYD-NRT-FRA-NRT-SYD in Premium Economy (plus NRT-SIN-NRT J Class). Excellent aspects were the meticulous cabin crew service, good leg room, seats which allowed sleep, and quiet cabins. Not so good was the food in Premium Economy - minuscule, tasteless portions of poor quality, especially to and from Australia. I can recall wonderful Japanese food, even in basic economy, 10 years ago on JAL. An odd aspect is that JAL seemed not to be able to recognise my OneWorld Emerald details and status until I complained on check-in on each leg. Another odd aspect was the default position of having all window shades closed on boarding and even on take off and landing. Isn't this policy a safety hazard? I enjoyed the First Class Lounges at Narita, Sydney (through Qantas) and at Frankfurt.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  22 May 2011 by Amy Bartlow   (USA)

I flew with my baby who was only 2 months old when we first took JAL. The staff at the airport was nice and helped with everything, including luggage. At the boarding gate, the staff was also there to carry my bags and fold the stroller and put it in a thick plastic bag to protect it! On arrival, Narita and JFK, the staff was there to help me with luggage and also helped me carry the bags through immigration and customs.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  12 May 2011 by David Maerz   (Australia)

SYD-NRT-FRA then CDG-HND-NGS then FUK-NRT-SYD in business class. As a JAL Mileagebank member, able to select preferred seat in advance - 1st row in J class with more room. B777's to/from Australia/Japan/Europe, MD90/B737-800 internally. Friendly courteous service, comprehensive menu with choice of Japanese and Western options. European sectors now have an expanded on- demand 2nd meal service with about 10 options to choose from, any time after first meal service. IFE improved since last year with more movies. Whilst our travel agent booked discounted JAL airpasses for Y class travel in Japan, these were easily upgraded to J class at check-in for Y1,000 each. Great value for the extra room. Did not use the CDG lounge due to a very tight Air France connection from FCO. Sakura lounge at NRT very comfortable with good selection of snacks and hot food, especially at lunch and dinner time. Upstairs bar with barperson able to make a wide variety of drinks. Great value J fares to Europe makes JAL my preferred choice for European travel.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  11 May 2011 by Y Ren   (Australia)

Tokyo Hanada-Beijing-Tokyo Narita in Business class. JAL has a nice first class lounge at Hanada airport, great food and drinks, nice facilities but does not have spa service. Business class seat is more like Qantas domestic business class seat. Hot meal served with good choice of drinks. Cabin crew friendly and professional. AVOD system is okay, does not have great range of movies. JAL uses Beijing airport first lounge at PEK, pretty average for first class lounge.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  25 April 2011 by Y Ren   (Australia)

Sydney-Narita-Frankfurt in Business. Fantastic crew and ground staff, professional and friendly. JAL business class seats are full flat, 2-3-2 arrangement made the cabin really crowded. Sydney-Narita leg using economy headset for business class. Food was beautifully presented but not always tasty. IFE good, not great, after two legs you pretty much finished everything you could watch. Two first class lounges at Narita terminal 2, hardly anyone there middle of the morning. Buffet dinning, spa massage fantastic but only 10 minutes.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  11 April 2011 by Michael Davies   (UK)

Paris - Tokyo Narita Boeing 777. Seats 2-3-2 and originally in the middle. Cabin crew very helpful and found me an aisle seat. Inflight service superb, very personal and attentive cabin crew. Meal choice either Western or Japanese. I chose the former, superb french cuisine, but nearby passenger had the oriental and I wish I had chosen that. In flight entertainment AVOD and could be better - plenty of movie choice but little in the way of TV comedy, sport and documentaries.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  5 April 2011 by B Klug   (Germany)

Frankfurt-Narita on B777. Spotless cabin. Comfy seats and superb service from very friendly flight attendants. Very good meals, lots of drinks between dinner and lunch prior landing.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  14 March 2011 by Fen Chin   (Australia)

NRT-KUL on old 767 in J class. Seat narrow and nothing special. Crew very senior, doing things very slowly. Meal service took over 4.5hrs and really showed favouritism if you are not Japanese. Not worth the money for what JAL is charging for Premium service compared to SQ and CX.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  14 March 2011 by P Harris   (Australia)

NRT-KUL business class on old 767. Not worth the money as the seat was old and the entertainment system quite limited with old screen. The lounge in NRT was packed in the satellite and people were grabbing the food out of the servery as soon as it arrived. The service onboard was chaotic to say the least. Had to ask for something to eat with the drink. The meal service was over 4 hours. Seat not comfortable for over 8 hour flight. Seems that if you speak the language and are male you get better service as all the male business men got bags tagged first class - and this class was not available on the flight.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  8 March 2011 by D Yu   (USA)

LAX-PVG. LAX to NRT was not as expected from Japan Airlines, seat on business class was not a flat bed and being 6'2 is not a good one to sit. They don't have amenity in a bag like other business class but in a basket and FA goes around and let you pick which one you want and all wrap in a cheaply plastic . Food were served in a bento box, looks nice in pictures but not in real food, really disappointed. Love the lounge at LAX and NRT, ate at the lounge in NRT. NRT to PVG as usual same old business class.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  6 March 2011 by M Muhin   (Singapore)

SIN-NRT, HND-SIN. SIN-NRT on a relatively new 767-300 in immaculate condition and service was great. The biggest welcome was big touch screen monitors on every seat - movies and selections were up to date. Cabin crew constantly walking up and down the aisle. Return trip was via Haneda. Same aircraft, similar service provided for the overnight flight. I would consider flying on JAL again after this great and positive experience.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  5 March 2011 by R Wong   (Japan)

NRT-PVG-NRT. B767 outbound and B737 inbound. Old 767 aircraft but exit row so a lot of legroom. PTV on 767 is small. Meal good and crew were helpful and attentive. I was on a new 738 on my inbound flight - cabin was not spacious but seat was comfortable. Huge personal screen with high resolution, service good.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  18 February 2011 by G Dufoyet   (France)

Paris-Tokyo in business. Check in was fast, handled by Air France. Check in staff nice but refused to issue my onward boarding pass with Cathay Pacific (their oneworld partner) to Taipei but a staff in JAL uniform apologized. Seat is not a flat bed, not comfortable at all as you slide down and entertainment system is old and choice very limited. Crew very polite and food is good both quality and quantity. Very strange though that they put some British cabin crew that do not speak French on Paris flights. As I cannot sleep, I was working and the crew kept on refilling with tea and snack. All in all an excellent service but the uncomfortable seat and poor entertainment drags it down a lot.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  7 February 2011 by S Arias   (Vietnam)

NRT-SGN. Good movie options, very friendly and professional staff. My first time with them, totally recommend.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  26 January 2011 by L Side   (UK)

LHR - NRT return B777-300 Executive class. Flight to Tokyo was on the warm side as JAL flights often are. Choice of films OK, but I expected more top billing films - the programme was padded out by many old or b movie films. Food good, but as always a bit limited in choice Beef or Fish, never anything else! JAL shell seats do not recline flat which is comfortable at first, but you find yourself slowly sliding downwards - good for 2 or 3 hours sleep. Return flight much the same, a pleasant experience with excellent service from flight attendants.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  7 January 2011 by V Brand   (Hong Kong)

HKG-HND/NRT-HKG during the holiday period. Flights on time and crew friendly. Crew were not strict with safety regulations - passengers roaming round with seat belt sign on or using footrest during take-off and landing, were ignored by crew who saw what was happening. Food was horrible. I'm no fussy eater, but it was not appealing. I have never seen such small meals served for a 4 hr flight.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  7 November 2010 by Greg Bell   (Australia)

Brisbane to London via Narita. Economy class, and service was excellent and polite. Great food and drink service, and IFE superb. Departing Narita we asked the English flight attendant for Scotch and Dry, which she duly delivered, but warned us that if we wanted another drink of the same, to order it from her, as apparently Dry Ginger Ale is not available to Economy passengers, and none of the Japanese crew would serve it to us! Strange - does Dry Ginger cost more than lemonade? Osaka to Brisbane, we made sure we bought a bottle of Canada Dry to have with our inflight Scotch!

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  3 November 2010 by R Santos   (USA)

BKK-NRT on B767. Check in good, but the lounge was not. Very small and cramped with the smoking room door opened. The flight was fine. Service pleasant and the food good although small in portion. Drink service and midflight snack was also on the small side. Seats fairly comfortable for the 5+ hour flight.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  28 October 2010 by Erik Febryan   (Indonesia)

Jakarta - Tokyo economy class. Check in excellent at CGK. Onboard comfortable with friendly and excellent FAs. For the 7 hour flight, I think this flight needs more food and drink. IFE was old fashioned and small selection of movies and music.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  28 October 2010 by Olivier Ragu   (Japan)

NRT-CDG in Y class on B777-300ER. Crew offered good service, with a good response. Seats were cramped. My feet touched the next seats which is not comfortable for 12+ hour trip. Food quantity and quality is seriously decreasing comparing to a few years ago. Entertainment OK, with AVOD system.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  27 October 2010 by C Dally   (USA)

Chicago to Narita, which was a very nice flight, all things considered. The food was good, service was good and although there was not tons of leg room, I was comfortable enough (I am only 5' 2"). The way back to Chicago from Narita was a nightmare. I had a seat next to my husband, and all was fine at first, till the Asian woman in front of me reclined her seat over halfway. On the flight there, I had mine reclined about 1" and when asked by a Stewardess to move it for the man behind me I did, even though it was not mealtime. This woman would not move at all and the Stewardess would do nothing, and even as a short person I was uncomfortably cramped. I asked the woman and the Stewardess for help, but was ignored by the woman and told by the Stewardess she could do nothing. Then mealtime came, they made her move and after the meal I put my pillow against the window and went to sleep. When I woke up (because I was in pain) her seat was all the way reclined and my legs were all cramped up. I asked her and the stewardess again with no result. I finally went and stood in the back of the plane and refused to sit in that seat unless the woman moved. I talked to the Stewardess, explained that when asked to move I did, explained I was in pain, and said I paid just as much for my ticket as the other inconsiderate woman did. After standing there about 20 minutes, they finally gave me a seat on the other side of the plane (which was a lot more roomy and the people over there were considerate). Nothing would have been done had I not forced the issue, and I did not appreciate being treated that way. I will not fly JAL again, not even in a higher class, that was hands down the worst experience I ever had on a plane. I guess it is a value price if you don't mind being exceedingly uncomfortable for 14 long hours, but I do mind. They only get a 5 because my flight one way was good, but it is still a 50/50 gamble.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  11 October 2010 by Darren Partridge   (Australia)

Japan Airlines Sydney-Tokyo return. The flight is operated by Japan Airlines on behalf of Jalways. The service is polite and graceful. We travelled Premium Economy Class and there was always staff on hand to assist or offer you a drink, soup or snack. Premium Economy seats are quite comfortable and have large tables. The meal service (the same as normal economy class) in both directions was good. I think they need a few more new release movies on their AVOD system and another inch or two of legroom so that it easier to slide out into the aisle when sitting at a window or middle seat.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  20 September 2010 by N Valenti   (Australia)

Sydney-Narita B777. Staff fantastic both on the ground and in the air. Japanese and Western choice for meal, noodles during the flight and snack before landing. I'm 6' and was able to stretch out in the seat however, the seat was a little hard. We got an excellent companion deal which made it excellent value even compared to several premium economy fares.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  11 September 2010 by N Parsad   (USA)

JAL roundtrip from Chicago to Tokyo last week. I could not believe the 777-300ER had no individual ventilation system per seat. Whatever the reason, the result is that the economy section was extraordinarily hot and stuffy where my daughter and I were sitting - to the point where she got sick and had a mild asthma attack. For 12 hours, I was sweating with no relief. The return plane was a bit better but very uneven. It would cool down, only to get hot again for 45 minute stretches. Several passengers, including myself, complained about the poor ventilation and A/C. I walked all over the economy section and noticed that as I walked down an aisle, I could literally feel the temperature change - the uneven cooling was that noticeable. JAL flight attendants heading to Narita were very sweet to my daughter who had to sit in the jump seat in the galley as it was significantly cooler. On the way back to Chicago, the flight attendant I complained to who was serving our side of the economy section was rather argumentative saying some passengers complained they were cold and had extra blankets. Well, hardly anyone in economy had them as it was easy to check. I called her out and asked her to prove this and then she shut up. I happened to casually chat with 3 other passengers on this leg who also complained about the atrocious ventilation/temperature. What is going on here? JAL's food is pretty bad and the section is cramped, but I got what I paid for so no complaints. They were very efficient in their service all around even if the food was awful and the red wine I got had actually turned into vinegar. I shall never fly them again.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  22 August 2010 by Peter Goldsbury   (Japan)

Narita-Amsterdam return, B777-200ER. Boarding very smooth at both airports. Inflight service reasonable, though flight attendants used very basic, even rude, English with customers whom they believed could not use Japanese, which was a sharp contrast to the elegant Japanese used with Japanese passengers. The economy class seats are terrible unless you are a dwarf. They do not properly recline. The seat slides forward as the back reclines, so the legs hit the seat in front: quite unsuitable for a 12-hour flight. Magic III was fair, with a rather limited selection available.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  19 August 2010 by M Henry   (Japan)

Nagoya - Bangkok return. JAL offered very good prices for the 6 hour trip, so that was the main reason it was chosen over Thai Airways. The flight to Bangkok was an early evening flight which was quite reasonable. The plane was clean and recently refurbished, updated IFE and new covers for economy seats. We ordered the vegetarian meal, which was reasonable. The seats were newer and wider, which was a vast improvement on the older planes JAL still uses. Service was fine when you asked for it but FAs were not very attentive. IFE was fine and had some good movies. The plane on the return journey was much older, seats older and narrower design. Not very comfortable, but had plenty of leg space, as my wife and I got exit seats. This flight was overnight and we got little sleep and didn't eat anything as we were too tired. My wife was feeling queasy for the whole flight but the FA who was sitting opposite us went beyond the call of duty and constantly asked if there was anything she could do to make my wife more comfortable - she gave us extra blankets and chatted to us during the flight.

JAPAN AIRLINES customer review :  19 August 2010 by Hugh Johnson   (Australia)

Premium Economy Sydney-Tokyo-New York. Very satisfied with all aspects of the flights. I cannot sleep on aircraft so I try to minimise night flying although impossible on most long haul flights. If one really needs to sleep then the Premium Economy seat will be a challenge as the recline position is not much better than sitting straight up. JAL service is excellent.