Date: 2017/03/19
Flight: JL26
DEP/Actual Push Back: 1540HKT/1538HKT
ARR/Touch Down: 2025JST/2004JST
Aircraft/Registration: 777-200/JA710J
Class: Business (Restricted Fare)
Seat: JAL SKY SUITE III
Prologue
Date: 2017/03/19
Flight: JL26
DEP/Actual Push Back: 1540HKT/1538HKT
ARR/Touch Down: 2025JST/2004JST
DEP/Actual Push Back: 1540HKT/1538HKT
ARR/Touch Down: 2025JST/2004JST
Aircraft/Registration: 777-200/JA710J
Class: Business (Restricted Fare)
Seat: JAL SKY SUITE III
Prologue
Pre-boarding
No bag to check and I had printed out the boarding pass at the hotel. So, I went straight through the formalities.
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
Today's gate was 25. Boarding was to start from 1510. At 1457, when I was already at the gate, they announced that boarding wouldn't start till 1520. In the end, boarding started at 1515.
SeatsLounge
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
Today's gate was 25. Boarding was to start from 1510. At 1457, when I was already at the gate, they announced that boarding wouldn't start till 1520. In the end, boarding started at 1515.
On Board
Today's seat was 11K. Note to myself; this seat has one less window than others. Don't use this seat again. The aircraft was a retrofitted 777-200 with the latest "Sky Suite III" See my previous flight for more details.
Food
I had requested a vegetarian meal at Haneda. Other than the bun sealed in a plastic bag, which was stale, the rest was fresh and tasty.
 |
| Vegetarian Meal |
 |
| Appetizer; mushrooms on mashed potato |
 |
| Main Course: beans, carrots, squash, onions, mash potato |
 |
| A tiny salad. |
Service
The business class cabin was 90% full. The crew was more interested in promoting in-flight shopping. They were so eager to sell that the chief purser interrupted everyone's movies by announcing the start of the in-flight shopping. I wish they wouldn't do that.
In the beginning of the flight, a flight attendant offered newspapers. I asked for English-language ones and she said only "New York Times" and "Japan News" were available. Though I was hoping for Financial Times and/or Wall Street Journal, I took New York Times. A few minutes later, I saw another flight attendant walked past on her way to the main cabin with both Financial Times and Wall Street Journal. It was too late to flag her down so I asked the flight attendant, the one who said they only had NYT and Japan News, for a Wall Street Journal. It took her a few minutes to get one for me.
In the beginning of the flight, a flight attendant offered newspapers. I asked for English-language ones and she said only "New York Times" and "Japan News" were available. Though I was hoping for Financial Times and/or Wall Street Journal, I took New York Times. A few minutes later, I saw another flight attendant walked past on her way to the main cabin with both Financial Times and Wall Street Journal. It was too late to flag her down so I asked the flight attendant, the one who said they only had NYT and Japan News, for a Wall Street Journal. It took her a few minutes to get one for me.
Epilogue
JAL's business class product to/from HKG is mediocre. Their latest and greatest offering of hardware, Sky Suite III is a mistake. 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/
