By Shawn Gallagher
On January 24th, 2024, Japan Airlines began passenger flights with its brand new Airbus A350-1000. The flight flew from Tokyo Haneda to New York JFK, flight JL6. JAL has already been operating the Airbus A350-900, but those are only for short-haul domestic flights connecting dense destinations. The -1000 will fly international routes exclusively, starting with New York, and Dallas will be next in the coming months. This new plane boasts a stunning new interior, with all sorts of new features and innovative seat designs. Let’s take a look at what this new plane has to offer.
The A350-1000 is here to replace their aging 777-300ER aircraft. The aircraft has 6 first class seats, 54 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 155 economy seats with a total capacity of 239 passengers. By comparison, the 777-300ER has a total capacity of 244 passengers. The most notable difference between the two comes in premium economy, where the 777 has 40 seats with 5 rows while the A350 has only 24 with 3 rows.
First Class
As we can see, the first class seats look incredibly spacious. A large door ensures full privacy, and the seat comes with a 43 inch 4K TV. It’s something you’d see in a house!
A major new feature are the built-in speakers in first and business class seats. It’ll be interesting to see in person how this works. Of course, passengers still will have the option to use regular headphones.
Tablet remotes and wireless charging add to the modern feel of the seat.
Business Class
Business class also sees a massive change from its previous design. Instead of the 2-3-2 staggered seats on the 777 (2-2-2 on the 787), we now have a 1-2-1 configuration on the A350. Just from this image above, we can see how spacious it is, and also how private it is.
Privacy doors are also included in business, ensuring great privacy. This is something the previous business class designs don’t have.
The seat includes a 24 inch 4K monitor, another impressive feature!
Premium Economy
Premium economy has been upgraded with electric reclining seats, and more privacy compared to its previous version.
Seat pitch continues to be an impressive feature on JAL, with 42 inches. Large dividers between seats provide more privacy.
The leg rest goes up to 90 degrees, which would make it very comfortable when lounging around.
Economy
Economy class on Japan Airlines is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, and it looks like they will keep that reputation with the new A350.
The seat offers 34in/86cm of pitch, keeping the impressive dimensions of the 777 economy class.
The seat also boasts an industry leading 13 inch, 4K monitor. The foldable tray table also comes large.
Concluding Thoughts
Japan Airlines is improving an already impressive interior by a large amount. I can already see that the few weaknesses of the previous design are gone with the A350, most notably the IFE and privacy for aisle seats on business class. As JAL moves on from the 777 and takes in more deliveries for the A350, there will be more and more opportunities to fly this flagship product. I’m looking forward to flying this at some point soon.
Photos on https://www.jal.co.jp