The seat is WOW, but not worth the ticket price: review First Class Japan Airlines
I was not supposed to take this flight, it was not scheduled until a few days before departure. However, there are [...]
Japan Airlines
Oneworld
HND
Japan
I was not supposed to take this flight; it was not scheduled until a few days before departure. However, there are seats that are very difficult to reserve with points, and when by "magic" they appear, you have to be quick: it is "now or never."
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- A350/1000
- Class:
- First
- Treat:
- CDG - HND
- Price:
- 136.5K avios + 335€
- Book
And so I booked, almost without thinking about it, this ticket and Then I set out to build an itinerary ULTRA last minute with points, because arriving on December 30 in Tokyo is cool, but if you want to have New Year's Eve at your house together with Marika and Bumba, you have to be able to fit the puzzle pieces together, obviously without plucking yourself.
The simplest solution was to fly the reverse route with Air France: there was a seat at 85k miles on the evening flight and I would return to Linate on the morning flight on the 31st. But this flight would have had so much convenience and zero utility for my project. I was looking for something new to review anyway.
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And at the end came out a mad world tour in 40 hours, and this is only the first installment.
Reservation
This is a ticket that costs about 7/8 thousand euros each way, a price really out of my budget and competing with ANA cost-wise. There are a few ways to book this ticket: the JAL miles are the best, but of course I didn't have them.
Le AAdvantage miles, or the loyalty program of American Airlines: ticket available at a cost of 90k miles and less than $100 fee. I did not have them and could not convert them in any way from RevPoints or Membership Rewards. I could have bought them for little more than 2,000.
The Avios of British I had several in my collective account, but I could also have transferred them from both MR and RP. A little less than 140k, as well as about 340€ tax. And in the end the choice fell on this option, although buying to reserve still remained a viable alternative.
At the airport
Paris, Terminal 2E: finally CDG airport Has decided to reorganize the terminal nomenclature, it was really a chaos, too bad it will only happen in the 2027.
This is where Air France has its own lounge for passengers of La Première, but of course it's only for them, so I and Christian, my American friend with whom I did this madness, got in the passenger line of First Class At the check-in counters.
Row that was the same for all the Emerald oneworld as well as for the top tier loyalty programs of JAL. First feeling, "meh."
Quickly checked in, we got our boarding pass: not even colored, no special envelope, nothing exciting as they do instead Air France, Lufthansa or Singapore Airlines.
And then the directions to the lounge. No escort, no special treatment: you're just another peon (even if you paid 9k euros the ticket). JAL does not have a lounge: had it flown from T1, passengers could have used the one from Qatar, but there are no independent rooms at T2, so hospitality is guaranteed in that of Air France at the gates L. However, nothing special here: there is no dedicated area, no special treatment.
When it's time to board, no one picks you up, no one drops you off. The difference with La Première, Lufthansa o Swiss Is abysmal.
On board
Once you step on board, however, you begin to feel like a lucky passenger: you are in one of the best first class cabins and by far the newest on the market in 2025; only ; only Allegris Is just as young. But then, meh, cubed. The door that is supposed to be exclusive to the 6 passengers of First Class Instead, it is used by anyone and no one stops them.
Which in Emirates, Qatar, Etihad could never happen and that in Air France would be impossible, since it is really closed. A procession where you feel even more like a fish in the aquarium and you can't even close your door, whereas elsewhere you can isolate yourself from the first second you step on board.
There are only 6 First Class seats aboard this A350-1000. The configuration is 1-1-1 and, as in the case of the Emirates Gamechanger, the two central seats have staggered accesses. Row 1 from the left side and row 2 from the right side. It may seem like a detail, but if you are traveling in pairs it is something to consider. I was at the 2A and Chris at the1A.
My suite
You know "The Suite" by All Nippon Airways.? If you have never seen it you can read my review, but here it is evident that JAL took inspiration and then pumped it up to the max: if you have a chance to copy, you have to do it and do it well.
There is really a lot of space and the chair is matrimonial: looks like a narrow version of what passengers find in The Residence.
The first thing that strikes you is the television, practically as large as the wall dividing the two seats.
Structurally, the first-row seat has an extra porthole and is therefore slightly more spacious.
The sofa, because you can't just call this seat an armchair like any other, is really comfortable: you can easily sit two of you without bothering each other.
So much space is not only for people, but also for things. First of all, there are no hatboxes throughout the First Class section, but there is no shortage of space to keep one's belongings. Under the front bench, open the tailgate, there is room for a trolley (my inseparable Level8 never leaves me) and a backpack. Then we have a deep drawer that can accommodate a computer and lots of other stuff, a small compartment where a water bottle sits, and a well.
In addition to this, concealed in the wall structure, each passenger has a personal cabinet with mirror.
On-board technology is at its best. The screen 42" is mammoth; obviously it is not touch, partly because it would be really inconvenient to use it with your finger. Everything is controlled with a tablet: not my favorite solution, but it is a standard in modern cabins.
The thing that pleased me was the choice of the dear, unattainable physical switches For seat management. Of course, then there are touch ones, but how nice to still have toggles and not a Tesla where you go crazy figuring out how to open the gas cap.
Impossible to run out of energy: there are 3 power outlets, three dual USB A and C sockets, as well as the possibility of wireless charging for the cell phone (which I find inconvenient on the plane).
However, everything was not as flawless as it would be logical to expect from such a product. The coffee table, a stand that looks like marble, was broken and held up with tape. This is not INOP damage, but it is something that I do not think could happen in La Première.
Once you sit down and close the door (after takeoff) you feel like you are in your own studio apartment-the closest thing I can think of is the "secret" suite in Emirates, but there you are really isolated from heaven to earth, here you are not.
The novelty aboard the A350 from JAL is technological: IFE speakers are built into the headrest so you don't have to use headphones. But this was a resounding fail and one of the worst technology choices I have ever found aboard an airplane.
The table is large enough for lunch for two without major inconvenience and allows you to get up even when everything is set, which is not taken for granted even in first class.
Turning the armchair into a bed is taken care of by the crew. There's no shortage of space, and you don't feel like you're sleeping in an armchair.
The 6 passengers have two bathrooms available: no shower or space comparable to a A380, but we are on a plane half the size. The Japanese touch can be felt and seen: basic, but it's all there. The bench to use so you don't sit on the toilet, the partition to pull down so you don't put your feet on the floor, and, of course, the Japanese tablet For personal hygiene.
Service
On board you really feel like a passenger of First Class: it doesn't matter that there were only 4 of us, I think even when fully loaded there is no difference in treatment.
In place you already find a cover and two pads. L'amenity kit and a facial treatment Shiseido that I asked to change from man to woman to make it up to Marika for traveling without her. Of course, the content is not comparable to that of Singapore, Emirates or Etihad nor is it as sought after as that of Air France: let's say it is comparable to that of Qatar.
The staff is super courteous but not intrusive. Patient and with enough English not to go crazy in the small on-board discussions.
In place, in an elegant leather case, are. menu and wine list, the voucher for free Wi-Fi, forms to be filled out upon arrival (but they can be done digitally and I recommend it).
When it comes time to sleep, two types of mattresses (or toppers) are offered, one hard and one soft: I chose the former. Slept like a log.
By far, First's cabin and service are worth the price of the ticket.
IFE
The screen is of 42", but because you are so close it seems twice as big.
IFE all in Italian, which is important because then, screen aside, it is the same for all passengers.
The tablet is easy to use and the system is usable in Italian. In this case, the difference with the economy is only the size: content and interface are identical.
There are the two classic cameras of the A350 and are, as always, my companion choice, especially on an almost all-day flight: leaving at 5 a.m. from Paris and arriving at 1 p.m. in Tokyo. There is a lot of content, including in Italian: movies, TV series, music and live channels (only 2: Emirates has 6, Delta 14, better, however, than ITA or Lufthansa who do not have any).
The headphones are B&O, but you can avoid them or pair your own via Bluetooth. The headphones built into the chair are, to quote Fantozzi: "a crazy shit.":
- They do not insulate against noise.
- There is at least 1 second lag audio-video.
- If you are taller than 190 cm, are unusable.
The Internet is the classic Panasonic: okay in 2010, today with Starlink everything else has aged badly. First's passengers are complimented throughout the flight. Steady signal, only slight slowdown in Korea area.
Food & Beverage
Let's get to the point: the food proposal It was NOT from First Class.
Of course you can drink the most expensive champagne ever brought on board: Salon 2015 (minimum 1.200€ a bottle). But there is one bottle per flight, no matter if there are six of you.
The rest is a net downgrade.
You can choose from Japanese or Western menu, but there is no choice of courses. Zero. To my amazement he was not present caviar In neither option.
Impeccable presentation, elegant dishes, but quantity and variety not up to the mark.
The wagyu of the main course was delicious, but the dessert looked like that of a Ligurian trattoria: cake finished, only the orange jelly.
I then asked the attendant why there was no caviar service and, much to my surprise, she said sure enough we have it: the saddest presentation ever on a plane, even worse than Lufthansa.
During the flight, I also tried the Western breakfast: 5-star to 90s boarding house.
Fortunately, I made up for it with wagyu sushi and ice cream.
Flight souvenir. On board, passengers can buy a bottle of Hibiki 100th Anniversary at a truly unbelievable price compared to what you find around Japan (assuming you can find it) and 1/4 of what it costs in the West, A small keepsake and a special gift for a special occasion.
Landed at HND, no assistance: no dedicated lanes, no priority baggage claim. You're just like everyone else.
In conclusion
The chair is important, but Without the service, it's like Pirelli advertising: power without control is nothing. I would never pay 9,000 each way for a product where the service is not up to par. The food offerings are business class, the management of the champagne top is questionable, and the ground treatment nonexistent.
Travel in First Class, but the service is not. So I choose other companies.
Pro
- The chair
- The only bottle of Salon
Against
- The service
- Gastronomic offerings
- Attention to detail
- Zero assistance