Date: 2017/06/16
Flight: JL29
STD/ATD (Push Back): 1000JST/1044JST
STA/ATA (Touch Down): 1335HKT/1452HKT
Aircraft/Registration: 777-200/JA702J
Class: Premium Economy (award travel)
Seat: JAL SKY PREMIUM
Prologue
Date: 2017/06/16
Flight: JL29
STD/ATD (Push Back): 1000JST/1044JST
STA/ATA (Touch Down): 1335HKT/1452HKT
Aircraft/Registration: 777-200/JA702J
Class: Premium Economy (award travel)
Seat: JAL SKY PREMIUM
Prologue
This is one of my regular, periodic flight between Haneda and Hong Kong. Booking was done on JAL's painful website. Painful because its design is that of typical Japanese-design from the 1990s. As this was an award travel, booking was even more painful.
Pre-boarding
Check-in
Went to the JGC check-in counters which seemed busy, with a tad of a wait. Once again, the lady who printed out my boarding pass took a little time to consult with her computer screen to say/confirm that a special meal had been ordered, and reserved for me. I had called their JGC toll-free number a few days earlier to reserve the Oriental Vegetarian Meal.For a weekday, the security lines were surprisingly short. I went to the priority line anyway but that wasn't much faster, as there were a few people ahead of me.
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| View from 2nd floor of main Sakura Lounge Haneda |
Lounge
Went to the main Sakura Lounge near gate 112. Note: JAL premium economy passengers have lounge access, just like business class.
It wasn't that crowded for a weekday. Perhaps June isn't a peak-season for travels? Like my last visit, I found the croissants from Maison Kayser delicious. The dinning area tends to be busy and crowded. To get away from the crowd, the second floor sitting area is highly recommended. (The photo above was shot a few months prior from the 2nd floor sitting area.)
At the Gate
Since April 2017, gates closest to everything in the main terminal were assigned to long haul flights to CDG, LHR, JFK. JAL seems to care less about shorter flights like this JL29 to HKG. Today's gate was 146, in the farther, less convenient, new extension of the terminal.
Boarding was supposed to start at 0930. At 0937, they announced that boarding had been delayed to 1010. At 0940, the announcement explained that the delay was due to maintenance issue. It's not the first time for these "maintenance issue" delays. After all, these are retrofitted 777-200s.
At 0947, a ground staff walked around the sitting area telling people that boarding won't start for another hour. Thought about going to the Annex Sakura lounge to wait it out. Just to make sure, I went to the gate to confirm the new boarding time. When I got to the gate at 0950, a surface staff said boarding was about t start. So, I went to the priority boarding queue. Note: JAL premium class passengers get the same priority boarding as business class.
Once again, there was a First Class queue though there isn't a first class on this flight. In the end, boarding started at 0954.
On Board
Seats
The "JAL SKY PREMIUM" seats were surprisingly spacious. You can recline, but the seats basically slide you forward. This means the seat-back of the person in front of you will never invade your space. The IFE screen is 12-in as compared to the 17-in in business "Sky Suite III." Overall, it is much less claustrophobic as nothing is in-your-face like that of "Sky Suite III." Moreover, there is storage space underneath the seat in front. In business, one can only store stuff in the overhead locker. Note: window seats are better because for aisle seats, there is a support contraption in the middle of the under-seat storage. See the picture captioned 3-step adjustable footrest. As a 1.75m (~5'10") person, there was plenty of leg room. I could even cross my legs with room to spare.
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| JAL Premium Economy, Oriental Vegetarian Meal |
Food
I'd jumped through the hoops and called the JGC toll-free number a few days prior to order the oriental vegetarian meal. Why call? Because JAL's IT department had been asleep at the wheel for the last decade and special meals can't be ordered via their website. To be precise, one can order a vegetarian meal via an obscure link during the booking process. But once you have missed that obscure, nearly hidden step, one has to telephone their non-toll-free reservation lines to request a special meal. Even when I remembered to use that obscure link to order a special meal, only the 'regular' vegetarian meal could be requested. Anything other than that, like the Oriental Vegetarian I'd wanted, one has to phone them. It's sad but comical.
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| Premium Economy, Economy Class menu. |
The food in Premium Economy is supposed to be the same as that of Economy. But because I'd pre-ordered the Oriental Vegetarian Meal, I got... the same Oriental Vegetarian Meal I got last time in Business Class, but in plastic containers. On closer look there was a difference, the appetizers were less elaborate. And that was it.
Other than the food in plastic containers, the Perrier I'd asked for was also served in a plastic cup. Otherwise, the food, and drinks, down to snacks (おつまみ) they served with the drinks were exactly the same as that of business class. The after-meal tea was in a paper cup instead of ceramic ones. Lastly, instead of the real hot towel, I got a cold paper one in wrapped in plastic.
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| Sweat-and-sour-faux-pork |
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| Appetizers: Vegetarian wraps and assorted pickled veggies. |
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| Desert: White fungus (雪耳,) mango, red dates. |
Service
Once everyone had settled into their seats, the chief purser announced that since we had missed the departure slot, we won't be able to depart till 1050. But then, people were still boarding as of 1038 and doors were closed till 1041. Orange juice was offered during the delay and before the doors were closed.
Before doors were closed, a flight attendant approached me to confirm (again) if I had ordered a special meal. After I said yes, she asked for my name. I replied with my name but she asked for my full name. I found that annoying, as if I was being interrogated and had to let my neighbor know what my full name was. This wasn't the first time time though as I have been asked like that when I'd previously ordered a special meal.
At 1108 while stopped at the apron off RWY05, the captain said that we were on hold for another 5 minutes. I could barely understand his poor English but I think he said the delay was due to heavy traffic around HKG. In the end, full throttle wasn't till 1113.
IFE froze in the middle of my watching "Moonlight." Had to restart the movie.
After lunch, I had to ask for English (black) tea specifically as they only offered Japanese tea or coffee by default. The tea arrived in a paper cup as compared to the ceramic ones used in Business Class.
Service in general was OK. Nothing to write home about. The only thing annoying was how I was interrogated about my full name in exchange for the special meal.
Epilogue
15,000 miles were used on this award-travel flight, i.e. 30,000 return. A return award travel on Business Class would have needed 48,000 miles. Premium Economy has a better value.
If I were paying, the cheapest (restricted) Business Class return-ticket is about ¥60,000 more expensive than the cheapest Premium Economy Class ticket. Again, Premium Economy has a better value.
I especially like the surprisingly spacious, non-claustrophobic seats. I got the same vegetarian food as business class anyway and getting drinks and food in plastic containers wasn't a bother at all. Add on the lounge and priority boarding privilege, JAL's Premium Economy product is superior than its Business Class product on this HND «» HKG route.
I especially like the surprisingly spacious, non-claustrophobic seats. I got the same vegetarian food as business class anyway and getting drinks and food in plastic containers wasn't a bother at all. Add on the lounge and priority boarding privilege, JAL's Premium Economy product is superior than its Business Class product on this HND «» HKG route.
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