Japan Airlines has received delivery of its 10th Airbus A350-1000. JA10WJ arrived at Tokyo Haneda on Friday afternoon as flight JL8102, following a 13-hour flight from Toulouse, France.
The airline has a total of 13 A350-1000s on order, which are replacing its Boeing 777-300ER fleet. Japan Airlines has been using them as their “flagship aircraft,” which includes some of their best onboard amenities and soft product.
Following this delivery, Japan Airlines will be able to increase its A350 usage on its Paris route, which is currently flown by an A350 every other day, along with the 777. According to the airline, this Paris flight will be exclusively flown by A350-1000s starting on August 27.
The 777s, meanwhile, have been operating on other routes such as flights to Australia, Southeast Asia, and even domestically within Japan. JAL has also retired two of them so far: JA731J and JA734J.
The A350-1000s, which have been in the air for about a year and a half now, offer JAL’s newest and best soft product across its fleet. The aircraft itself is also a comfortable ride in my opinion, offering lower cabin altitude and up-to-date technology. I’m happy to say that I’ll be able to frequent this aircraft between New York and Tokyo for many years to come.
Related: Review, New Japan Airlines Premium Economy on the A350-1000, New York to Tokyo
Where Do JAL’s A350-1000s Fly Right Now?
Currently, the A350-1000s operate to and from the following 5 destinations:
- New York (JFK): Daily service on flights JL3, JL4, JL5, and JL6
- Dallas Fort Worth (DFW): Daily service on flights JL11 and JL12
- Los Angeles (LAX): Daily service on flights JL15 and JL16
- London (LHR): Daily service on flights JL43 and JL44
- Paris (CDG): Every other day on flights JL45 and JL46, daily service starting August 27
Eventually, I expect Chicago (JL9, JL10) and San Francisco (JL1, JL2) to also receive the A350-1000s as additional deliveries roll in.
You can book these flights via award bookings from American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and others. Note that they’re quite competitive and might require some flexibility with your schedule. American Airlines, in particular, opens up award fares 331 days in advance, while partner airlines such as British and Cathay have theirs opened up 355 days and 360 days, respectively. This means that by the time AAdvantage members can get a hold on award bookings, the lucrative first and business class seats have often been scooped up already by passengers booking through other airlines.
I’m expecting to soon begin hunting award fares for business class on this aircraft via AAdvantage, so I’ll have lots of searching and refreshing to do to hunt one down.
Featured image by the author.
