Japanese domestic flights are fun. I recently boarded a quick 1-hour flight from Tokyo Haneda to Osaka Itami on Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787-8 with a domestic configuration.
I’ve flown this route many times in the past, including in First Class, so I more or less knew what to expect. There were no surprises.
Still, there was a lot that went into it despite the short flight, and I had a good time. Let’s go over my trip.
Booking
This flight was the second leg of my ticket coming from Chicago O’Hare.
I booked this trip using my big stash of American Airlines AAdvantage miles, as booking a partner award ticket is one of my favorite ways to use my AAdvantage miles. The full ticket from Chicago to Osaka went for 80,000 miles, plus $5.60 in fees.
I could’ve simply ended this ticket in Tokyo, but it wouldn’t have cost any extra to book an additional leg to Osaka. This is because partner award tickets booked via American Airlines are region-based, meaning it costs the same 80,000 AAdvantage miles whether I book a ticket to Tokyo, Osaka, or anywhere else in Asia Region 1 as marked by American Airlines.
I decided to take advantage of this (no pun intended) and spend some time in Osaka before flying back to Tokyo, on a separate ticket booked with Japan Airlines miles.
Checking In
I spent the night at the Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport, which is located by Terminal 3. There are no free trains/people movers at Haneda Airport, so I had to take a shuttle bus over to Terminal 1.
My flight was Japan Airlines flight JL113, with a departure time of 10:35 a.m. and an arrival time of 11:45 a.m.
I arrived at the terminal about 2 hours prior, since I skipped the hotel breakfast and was going to eat in the lounge instead.
Passengers in First Class, along with Oneworld Emerald status holders, can use the special First Class entrance for check-in.
I neglected to take a photo inside, but here’s what it’s like from a previous flight out of this terminal:
Security is also done inside that room. It was an easy process.
This was during a busier travel season towards the end of December. Times like that are when airline status and premium cabins become particularly useful, as you’re able to avoid long lines at check-in and security, as I did right here.
I then went up a set of escalators to go to the lounge.
Japan Airlines Diamond Premier Lounge, HND
First Class and Oneworld Emerald passengers get access to this lounge. Oneworld Sapphire passengers get access to the Sakura Lounge.
I’ve written a more detailed review of this lounge in this post.
This wasn’t my first time in this lounge, so there were no surprises. It was the same experience as last time. Food options are quite limited, which is something to be aware of if you’re a first timer. It’s closer to a Priority Pass lounge.
There’s a small dining area to the right-hand side (relative to the entrance), which had some onigiri (rice balls), bread, soup, and other small snacks.
The lounge had a solid drink selection, including several different options of Japanese beer.
I sat down and had a light breakfast.
I’ve never seen this lounge packed. It’s not a huge space, but the entry requirements must make it just right (Oneworld Emerald), and there’s another one of these lounges on the other side of the terminal, which I’m sure is also a help.
This isn’t a spectacular lounge by any means, and I don’t think it’s one you should go out of your way for. However, it’s still a nice space to relax if you have a little bit of extra time before your flight.
READ: Review, Japan Airlines Diamond Premier Lounge, Tokyo Haneda (HND)
Boarding
My aircraft of the day was JA846J, a 6-year-old Boeing 787-8. This is one of JAL’s four 787s in a domestic configuration, which seats 291 passengers.
I got to gate 17 about 10 minutes before boarding, and already saw a line of group 1 and 2 passengers.
They split group 1 into two lines. Not pictured in the image below is a massive group 1 and 2 queue behind me.
Boarding began right at 10:15, and passengers zoomed through the three available machines and walked with purpose down the jetbridge.
Onboard
I grabbed seat 1K, the window. First Class was full on this day (and so was the rest of the plane).
These seats are by a Japan-based company Jamco, which you don’t find a whole lot of around the world.
Facing me was a smallish IFE screen:
A pair of noise-cancelling headphones was waiting at my seat. A pair of slippers and a small pillow were also there.
The seat controls were to my left. A remote control for the IFE was also there, which is necessary since the screen is quite far away. A universal power outlet was also located back here, in addition ot a small cubby for storage.
Flight attendants went around asking for drinks to go along with the meal as the rest of the aircraft was boarding.
We also got a special Christmas dessert on this flight. More on that later.
It was a rainy, crappy day all over Japan. We took off on time, however.
This is a small First Class cabin with just six seats. The airline’s Airbus A350-900 has 12 seats.
Meal Service
Given the short flight time, meal service began immediately after the seat belt sign went off.
We were served lunch. The main was chicken, and came with rice and other small bites. I got my favorite JAL Skytime peach and grape juice mix to go along with the meal.
In addition to the meal, we were also served a special Christmas cake, since it was Christmas Eve. This was only served on the 24th and the 25th.
The meal was great. The main dish (chicken) was nice, and the Christmas cake was a nice add-on. I think it’s fantastic that we get served all of this on a flight that’s barely an hour.
We began our descent right around when I finished my meal. Soon enough, we were already approaching Osaka.
Concluding Thoughts
We landed in Osaka on time despite the bad weather.
As I said in the beginning, Japanese domestic flights are fun. This was only a short 1-hour flight, but there was a lot that went into it, from the dedicated check-in, the lounge, to the meal.
Despite the convenience of the bullet trains in Japan, I always like to fly between Tokyo and Osaka. This flight definitely reminded me of why I prefer doing so.
All photos taken by the author.
