20170131: JL26: Hong KonG » HaNeDa

Date: 2017/01/31

Flight: JL26
DEP/Actual Push: 1540HKT/1538HKT
ARR/Touch Down: 2025JST/2004JST

Aircraft/Registration: 777-200/JA710J

Class: Business (Restricted Fare)

Seat: JAL SKY SUITE III

Prologue

This is the return flight from Hong Kong

Pre-boarding

Used the in-town check in at Hong Kong Station.  JAL has one counter there serving all travel classes.  Fortunately, there wasn't much of a wait and check in was completed in a few minutes.

Lounge
JAL customers were directed to the Qantas lounge.  It is spacious, and always empty this time of the day (~14:00HKT)  Ample hot foods and beverages.

At the Gate
Gate# 18 wasn't far from the lounge, or immigration.  Boarding was scheduled to start at 1510.  I got there at 1510 and heard an announcement that boarding had been delayed till 1520.  In the end, boarding started at 1515.

On Board

Seats
The aircraft was a retrofitted 777-200 with the latest "Sky Suite III"  The seats felt surprisingly cramped.  Later, saw from photos, pictures on the web that similar seats on Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Air France, Finnair, etc seem to be more spacious because JAL had optioned to build a platform above the foot rest.  That took more more space and made the enclosed area more claustrophobic.

Food

Had the western meal, The beef in the "Beef Fillet Steak with Barbecue Sauce & Mashed Potatoes" was unusually overcooked.   The rest was fine.  

Service

The business class cabin crew had little to do as there were less than 10 passengers.  And yet, the crew was inattentive and I had to ring for more Perrier.

Epilogue

JAL's business class product to/from HKG is mediocre.  They only have one flight/day between Haneda and Hong Kong. Their only advantage over competitors like CX is that it's cheaper to fly JAL.

Bibliography

http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inter/service/business/seat/skysuite3.html

https://www.jal.co.jp/en/jalmile/jgc/