Hello from a late night in New York City! I recently flew from New York to Tokyo on a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-1000 in economy class. This is a route I fly fairly often, and I flew it as recently as this past March (For this reason, this will be more of a trip report than a review, if that makes sense). This flight felt quite routine and uneventful, but sometimes that’s what makes a trip good.
I had flight JL3, with a late-night 01:40 departure and an early morning 04:40 arrival in Tokyo.
Heading to JFK
This was everything I packed for this trip. I did not bring a large, checked bag, which made things smooth for both departing JFK and especially my arrival in Haneda.
I vividly remember thinking as I left the apartment that it’s quite a concept that I can pack a couple of bags, hop on an airplane, and be on the other side of the world living a different life, all in less than a day.
As usual, I boarded the Long Island Railroad to go from Manhattan to the airport. The subway (E) is always an option for me, but I just stick to the LIRR for JFK. It’s only a couple of dollars more for a faster trip. I do take the E to go to LaGuardia, though.
I changed to the AirTrain at Jamaica Station. Luckily, a train was arriving just as I got to the platform, and they were very much empty at this hour!
At the Airport
I arrived at the airport at around 23:25, about 2 hours and 15 minutes before departure. Most passengers seem to have already gone through the check-in process before this, which is understandable given the late departure time.
I obviously have the benefit of an apartment, meaning I get to relax inside until I have to go to the airport. But for many who are just visiting New York, this late-night departure is a challenge for killing time before the flight.
And take a look at this, everyone. I almost never see Terminal 8’s TSA checkpoint this quiet!
TSA PreCheck is unfortunately closed at this hour though, so everyone was in the same line. But it didn’t bother me since it wasn’t busy.
Many parts of Terminal 8 have been under renovation to welcome new shops and restaurants. I talk about that more in this post from a few months ago.
I also walked by The Strangers Project display near gate 10. It’s a collection of handwritten personal stories from people all over New York City. Try stopping by if you have a chance; I easily spent 20 minutes reading through each story. It’s quite touching.
I headed to the dark corner of the satellite building, also known as gates 46 and 47. My flight boarded from 47.
My aircraft was JA02WJ, a 1 year old Airbus A350-1000. I flew this same aircraft 4 months ago when returning to New York.
Time to fly!
Onboard
The A350 comes in a 3-3-3 configuration. As I’ve flown this aircraft several times now, I didn’t have any “wow” moments during boarding. It felt more routine.
Before booking this trip, I actually considered taking a more fun route and trying out a different airline, like Eva Air via Taipei or Alaska/Hawaiian via Seattle. I ultimately went with this one just for the convenience of the direct flight.
I sat in seat 51C. I almost always grab a window seat these days, but I went with the aisle on this flight. I booked this ticket 2 weeks out, and there weren’t many window seats left. Additionally, I was prioritizing sleep and comfort on this flight, so I didn’t care much about window views here.
The lights dimmed for takeoff, and we were on our way.
I connected to the Wi-Fi immediately after takeoff, which cost $18.80. More on the speeds and performance later in this story.
I do like Arc, the moving map display by Panasonic Avionics.
Despite it being 03:30 back in New York, we still got a meal. I’m honestly never hungry at this hour, and I always wish JAL would just keep the lights off and let everybody sleep on a transpacific flight that departs at 2 in the morning.
That said, I do love this pasta. I was served this exact, identical meal back in March.
The sun already began peeking out as we approached the Arctic summer, where the sun never sets.
Fantastic Sleep, Weird Lighting, Poor Wi-Fi
I slept for about 4 and a half hours, which is a personal record for me in economy class. I always have trouble sleeping on airplanes (even in premium cabins), so I was really happy about this. The late-night departure time definitely helps.
About a half hour later, the FAs seemed to have turned the cabin lights on by mistake. It turned full white for a little less than a minute before dimming back down to darkness. The cabin lights were also adjusted unnecessarily before being corrected back during the first meal; just sloppy all around on this flight.
We still had about an hour and a half to go til the next meal service. At least the lights turned back off.
Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi on this flight was subpar. I could not get any work done, including writing for this blog. Uploading anything was impossible, and many pages could not load, making internet browsing a challenge.
Ironically, I was to write a review of American Airlines and its new high-speed Intelsat Wi-Fi on their regional jets. I had a fantastic experience with great speeds and connectivity; a vast difference compared to the Wi-Fi on this A350.
Meal 2 and a Bright Cabin
The lights turned on with about 5 hours until landing. Spoiler alert: the lights remained on for the rest of the flight from this point. More on that soon.
This was a full meal service, with a snack and beverage service, followed by a meal with two choices and a dessert. I started off with some juice and received rice cracker snacks, which I did not eat.
The choices were chicken or Irish beef with mashed potatoes. I went with the beef, and it was a fantastic option. The beef was warm and tender, and the mashed potatoes were also solid. The fruit, the soba noodles, and the small salad were nice as well.
Honestly, this was one of the best meals I’ve had in economy class! The chicken looked like a good choice as well. Even compared to my many other Japan Airlines meals from previous trips, this one stood out as tasty and appetizing.
Finally, some vanilla Häagen-Dazs ice cream for dessert.
Weirdly enough, I find that I prefer Japan Airlines economy class meals originating in New York instead of meals originating in Japan. Maybe my stomach appreciates the simpler menus and combinations of foods that come out of US airports; they obviously have less they can do with their menu when they’re outside of Japan.
After the meal service though, the lights never turned off for passengers to sleep. It stayed on, at this light level, for the last 5 hours of the flight. I’m well aware that Japan Airlines starts its prearrival service early (usually 3 hours before landing), but this was the first time the lights were on for a full 5 hours before landing.
A couple of hours later, with 2 hours left til landing? Nope, the lights are still on.
I just had a hard time understanding the point of keeping a bright cabin when the FAs weren’t conducting any service. I wish they would’ve turned back off so that I could get some more sleep, but whatever.
In total, the cabin lights were on for more than half of this 13 hour flight.
Overall Thoughts
We arrived at Haneda on time, where I had one of the speediest international arrival experiences ever.
Overall, I’d say I had a pretty good experience on this flight. The food was fantastic, with my favorite pasta meal after takeoff and the tasty beef and mashed potatoes for the main meal. My only complaint was the Wi-Fi and the cabin lights, which was sloppy all around and remained on for the last 5 hours of the flight. Hopefully, this isn’t a consistent theme with my future trips on flight JL3 moving forward.
All photos taken by the author.
