By Shawn Gallagher
Good morning from Boston! I recently flew Premium Economy on Japan Airlines to Tokyo Narita. This flight was scheduled to be 14 hours long, so the extra space on Premium Economy definitely would help. Keep reading to see what JAL has to offer on this product, and understand if the extra price is worth it or not.
Although this was during peak travel season, the check in line didn’t take too long. It helps that JAL only has one flight a day from Boston. The overall process ran very smooth. Flying Premium Economy also gave me access to a priority lane for security, separate from TSA PreCheck. However, the line eventually merges with the rest of the TSA line, so there wasn’t too much time that was saved from this.
After clearing security, I made my way to the British Airways Lounge. Yes, Premium Economy passengers on JAL get lounge access! Read about the lounge more in detail here, but here are some pictures to give a quick impression.
This was an excellent lounge with many amenities and food and drink options. It’s not the biggest lounge out there, but British Airways did a great job designing it and maximizing the given space.
We were also able to board the plane straight from the lounge!
This was my plane that took me to Tokyo. JA881J, a 2 year old Boeing 787-9.
I was greeted by the friendly flight attendants as I boarded. This is JAL’s Sky Suite Business Class, read about what it’s like on this post.
A Look At The Seat
I had the window seat, 19K.
Waiting for me at the seat was a comfy pillow, the menu, a small amenity bag, and a blanket.
Slippers were also in the seat pocket. I immediately put them on as I seated.
The tray table came down from the seat in front, and it was huge and sturdy. There’s plenty of space to do various things, and I also had more than enough space during my meals.
The seat controls were simple. One for the recline, and one for the leg rest. The seat is a shell seat, meaning the seat falls forward when you recline. This means that the seat in front of you doesn’t come down into your space, but some people also may find the recline to be uncomfortable. I didn’t personally mind it, especially since it was a day flight. However, if it was a night flight instead and I was trying to get some quality sleep, regular recline seats may have been more comfortable.
Below the seat controls was a remote for the IFE. A universal power outlet was also available at every seat.
The legroom was amazing. JAL is one of the best in the world when it comes to legroom, and this yet again did not disappoint. A foot rest was also there, which I found quite comfortable to use.
This is the amenity kit. In it were earplugs, an eye mask, and a toothbrush.
These were the noise-cancelling headphones, which were the same ones I got in their business class before. Unfortunately, these are very poor quality and hardly cancel any noise out.
One last goodbye to the Boston skyline as we took off.
First Meal Service
Meal service began shortly after take off. We were first given these that were labeled “JAL Business Class.” I’ve also received these with the JAL Business Class label on other flights on their economy as well.
We then were given a drink. I went with JAL’s original drink, Sky Time peach and grape mix. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you can tell that this is my go-to drink when flying them. Rice crackers were also offered. I never usually get them but they have a good rep among many travelers.
This is a look at the menu. The meals are the same as those on economy, but there are couple alcoholic drinks that are a Premium Economy special.
This was the first meal, lunch. We had the choice of either BBQ beef stew or chicken teriyaki, and I went with the ladder option. It came with a salad, udon noodles (right box), some burdock and a Japanese-style omelette (middle box), chicken with cucumber (left box), and ice cream for dessert. I couldn’t really tell what the left box was, but it wasn’t bad. Overall, this was a very good meal!
Mid-Flight
The restroom is the same as the one in the economy class cabin. It remained clean for most of the flight.
The lights turned off shortly after the meal service. Snacks and drinks were available in the galley and other parts of the cabin.
I began to get hungry after a few hours, so I ordered some Udon noodles. These were available upon request on the Premium Economy menu. It was nice to have some hot noodles during mid-flight.
This was the actual mid-flight snack, a cheesecake.
The IFE is a 12.1-inch screen. It’s touchscreen, and you can also control it using the remote. The screen is locked into position, but there’s no need for it to tilt as the seats don’t recline back into your seat thanks to the shell design.
Pre-Arrival Meal
We had taco rice, fruit and yogurt as our pre-arrival meal. You can’t go wrong with the fruit and yogurt, and the taco rice was very good as well. This is another meal I would eat again. Great job by JAL with the food onboard this flight!
Thoughts About The Flight
As for this Premium Economy product, I thought the ground experience was phenomenal, and the seat was very comfortable, especially for 13.5 hours. I had all the legroom in the world, and enough space to my sides despite someone sitting next to me. However, don’t expect a luxurious meal or stellar service compared to regular economy. In my opinion, getting Premium Economy through upgrades are much more worth your money than paying for it out of pocket. However, if you really want the extra space and lounge access, it can act as a cheaper alternative to business class.
All photos taken by the author.