Japan Airlines B777-200 Business Class Sky Suite III NRT-SIN
Japan Airlines introduced another business class seat for their Asia 777-200 aircraft as well as some new 787-9 aircraft. That makes:
Reward Flying has reviewed the JAL Sky Suite twice as well as the Shell Flat Neo, so reviewing the Sky Suite III was anticipated.
Boarding was slightly delayed but didn't impact the arrival time into Singapore. There seemed to be a lot of confusion at the gate as multiple zones were roped off. The #1 zone was for JAL/Oneworld elite and turned out to be the longest line. I was in line #2. We all get there the same time but it didn't help for getting cabin shots of the aircraft.
There are 42 Sky Lounge III seats in two cabins on these 777-200ER aircraft.
I secured seat 4K. The front cabin was almost full for this flight.
These reverse herringbone designed seats are made my Zodiac and are in the Cirrus family. But they are alot different than the Cirrus seat you might be accustomed to.
So far so good.
You can begin to see this pod is much smaller than the standard Cirrus pod installed in Cathay Pacific, American Airlines 777-300ER and EVA Airlines to name a few.
There is an ottoman that is your foot rest and/or storage area for a small carry-on like a laptop bag or purse.
While it was dark down there so it's hard to tell, you can't put anything on the floor.
You need to use the ottoman for stuff so your feet have company when you want your legs supported in any position other than sitting erect.
Why don't you just raise the footrest that every other business class seat has you may ask. Because there is none. The ottoman is your foot rest.
Since the seat is close to the ottoman, again it's a small space, using it as a footrest isn't a horrible thing. The problem is the ottoman is lower than the bottom of the seat and with your legs angling slightly downward there is no support underneath them, meaning all the weight is on the back of your heels.
Notice what's missing on the seat controller.
I just found it this position uncomfortable. Maybe with shoes on it would be different.
The seat reclines to a 78 inch flat bed.
And don't forget, you share the footwell with whatever isn't up in the luggage bin.
So the seat extends flat to be level with the ottoman as most pods do, but it seemed like this ottoman was really low. Therefore it seemed like you were sleeping on the floor.
Was this an issue for someone working on 24 hours without sleep? No. I slept well. But I sure wish they provided one of those Airweave mattresses as the only bedding was a pillow and thin blanket.
Probably the main issue I had with the comfort of this seat was its firmness. The wasn't any cushion.
Yet it had great privacy. The walls of the pod came up to the top of your head, but some of that was that the seat is lower to the ground I think.
Center seats have a small retractable partition.
Like the standard Cirrus seat the aisle armrest is collapsable for more bed width.
And the armrest does open for storage but seems smaller than on a standard Cirrus pod.
On the back of the pod in front of you is a coat hook along with the table tray. Apparently you are limited to using only one of these two features.
The tray folds downs placing it at an angle to how you are seated. So if you hang a coat how to you use the table?
Then swivels to be parallel to you. A nice feature of this is you can push the tray back and exit your seat without having to stow the tray table.
Typical of the Cirrus pod is a compartment for headphone storage. Even better there is a mirror you can probably actually use!
And underneath the door they've solved the Cirrus pod issue of ports inside the compartment by placing a nice easy to access strip with everything you need as well as a reminder of where you are.
The strip has standard power, USB and headphone jack. Well done.
Next to you is the IFE controller that can be used while in its cradle.
While the 17 inch monitor was within reach and is touch screen, not everything was selectable by touch and you had to use the controller. Maybe this was limited to my seat on this plane. Nevertheless I wasn't much interested in anything other than sleep after the meal.
Above your shoulder is a reading light.
You are a long way from the window in these pods as well, assuming you aren't in the center section.
This is your view of the Tokyo area unless you lean forward and look back, at least in row 4.
Leaning forward and looking back.
If you are interested in learning more about this pod, Japan Airlines has a bevy of info on their website including the routes this seat is flown on.
I wasn't able to locate this Chilean Organic wine to understand it's pricing. But I did find the "limited edition" Cabernet from the same vineyard and it was about $15.00.
Well here's my Wagyu that I was looking for on the way to Tokyo. But the preparation as well as cut isn't all that exciting so I move on.
And beef tongue is really good when prepared properly.
Plus one last look at the JAL bento box is too much to resist.
Winter Calm. Interesting.
Simmered Chicken & Vegetables with Soy Sauce
Crabmeat with Soy Starch Sauce
Poached Potherb Mustard, Garland Chrysanthemum & Mushroom in Japanese Broth with Herring Roe & Abalone (quite the mouthful)
Soy-simmered Beef Ginger Flavor
Burdock seasoned with Sesame
Broiled Sardine Sweet Soy Sauce Flavor
Slow Cooked Egg
Vinegared Turnip wrapped with Smoke Salmon
"Namafu" (wheat gluten in dish I assume)
Seared Yellowtail with Grated Radish
Everything was good, some were great, except whatever was wrapped in that green leaf.
Japanese Style Stewed Beef Tongue
Fabulous - too bad is was such a small portion.
Broiled Eel Sweet Soy Sauce Flavor
The Dainomono was excellent.
Finally Kanmi which is a dessert. Japanese Sponge Cake "Castella" with Citrus Hyuganatsu Jam.
It doesn't look like cake. After food and some wine the mind was drifting so frankly I don't remember it.
A simple amenity kit was provided with the basics and Panasonic headphones.
Mood lighting has been added to this 777-200ER
After a couple hours of shut-eye and 24 hours of travel destination Singapore was in view.
Carrier: Japan Airlines
Date: December 2017
Route: Tokyo Narita - Singapore
Flight #: JL711
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER JA707A
Configuration: J42 / W40 / Y154
Seat(s): 4K
On Time: Yes
Reward Flying Rating: 6.2 out of 10 ✈
Cabin:
✔︎There were 26 passengers in the front cabin and due to the pod design it was very private.
Seat Comfort:
✔︎I'm on the fence on these seats and not sure how they would be when sitting for the whole flight due to the lack of a footrest as well as the firmness of the seat cushion. But I would try them again. Without question the ANA staggered business class seat is preferable.
Cabin/Seats Rating: 6 out of 10 ✈
Amenities:
✔︎For an intra-Asian flight an amenity kit is typically all you get. Would have appreciated some kind of a mattress pad.
Meals: Presentation:
✔︎Japanese style meals are always a pleasure to view.
Meals: Quality:
✔︎The food was very good, and dare I say better than on the preceding first class flight?
Amenity/Food rating: 7 out of 10 ✈
IFE:
✔︎It's a decent monitor but I really did not use it. I'd like to know if the touch screen issue was isolated or it just doesn't work with some features.
IFE rating: 6 out of 10 ✈
Flight Attendants:
✔︎The crew was fine. Service was prompt. My flight attendant was Den. She introduced herself and spoke enough English to communicate.
Flight Attendant rating: 7 out of 10 ✈
Aircraft:
✔︎B777-200 This 777-200 was 13.8 years old and #475 built.
Aircraft rating: 5 out of 10 ✈
Tell us about your Japan Airlines experiences. Feel free to leave a comment below.
