JAL Dreamliner Business Class — Flight Report

Date: 2020-02-02

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The Route

London Heathrow T5 → Frankfurt — JAL7821, operated by British Airways. Aircraft: Airbus A380 (Rolls-Royce engines). Flying time: 1 hour 6 minutes.

Frankfurt → Tokyo Narita — JAL408. Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Scheduled: 11 hours 20 minutes. Actual: 10 hours 50 minutes.

We chose the Frankfurt connection specifically to fly the 787 Dreamliner, having discovered it on a previous Japan trip and immediately preferring it to other long-haul aircraft.

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Departure: Boxing Day at Heathrow

The date was 26th December — Boxing Day in the UK.

Boxing Day (a British tradition): on Christmas Day, aristocratic households held their celebrations. On 26th December, the household staff received their Christmas box — a gift or money bonus — and were given the day off. The name has stuck for 200 years.

In practice today: the 25th and 26th are both public holidays in Britain. On Christmas Day, almost everything closes — supermarkets, most shops, and all public transport including the London Underground and buses. Movement around the city is essentially restricted to taxis and cars, driven by people who do not observe the holiday. We were driven to Heathrow by our son.

Heathrow was busy despite the date. The Christmas tree in Terminal 5 still stood — in Europe, the Christmas season runs through to January 6th (Epiphany).

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Heathrow T5: Plaza Premium Lounge

After security, we used the Dragon Pass card (formerly Priority Pass — a global lounge access card included with certain premium bank accounts) to enter the Plaza Premium Lounge at T5.

The lounge is open to any traveller for £40 per person for 2 hours. Using Dragon Pass, our access was complimentary.

Food: The lounge was serving a full Christmas buffet — roast turkey, stuffing, roast vegetables and potatoes, alongside the standard sandwiches, salads, bread, muffins, and biscuits. A proper Christmas lunch, unexpectedly, in an airport.

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London to Frankfurt: BA on Airbus A380

A 15:10 departure. Unusually for Heathrow, a remote gate — we boarded by bus to the aircraft steps, climbing up into the A380 from the tarmac. In 30 years of using Heathrow, this was the first remote boarding we had experienced there.

BA European service: No complimentary meal service on BA's European routes — the model is similar to a domestic LCC. Marks & Spencer food and drinks are sold on board: sandwiches, snacks, hot drinks. Also available: collaboration menus designed by London restaurant and gastro-pub chefs.

Full flight. Captain announced 1 hour 6 minutes flying time — faster than scheduled.

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Frankfurt: JAL Sakura Lounge

Arrived at Frankfurt at 18:00. We still needed boarding passes for the Narita flight, so we were looking for a transit desk — and found the JAL Sakura Lounge along the transit corridor.

We walked in to ask about the transit desk. A German member of staff answered in fluent, polished Japanese: "We can help you with that right here." A welcome surprise.

The lounge already felt like Japan: washlet toilets in the bathrooms, Japanese spoken at every counter, and a menu that combined German and Japanese options.

Food highlights:

• German venison stew (seasonal)
• Vegetable Wellington (pastry-wrapped)
• Soup station with miso alongside Western options
• Rolls, salads, cold cuts, cheese, fruit
• Rosé sparkling wine and a well-stocked bar

Special feature: A collaboration with muku (無垢), a ramen restaurant based in Frankfurt — a special chicken curry available exclusively in the lounge. We ate it. Then ate seconds. The best moment of the transit.

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The Upgrade

While eating the curry, we checked our boarding passes. The class designation read: Business Class.

We had purchased Premium Economy.

Both of us had been upgraded. This does happen — but in 30 years of flying between Europe and Japan, this was the first time. We boarded after families with children and passengers requiring assistance — as Business Class passengers — and found two seats in JAL Sky Suite 787.

The smiling did not stop for some time.

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Boeing 787-9: What Makes It Different

The 787 uses cabin pressurisation and humidity technology that keeps moisture levels significantly higher than conventional aircraft. In a standard long-haul cabin, the air is extraordinarily dry — skin, nasal passages, and eyes all feel it. On the 787, none of this was present. Breathing felt normal. Skin stayed comfortable.

Higher cabin ceiling. Larger overhead bins. Windows that dim electronically (no pull-down shade) to reduce glare without blocking light.

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The Seat: JAL Sky Suite 787

Configuration: 2-2-2. Side seats are staggered so every seat has direct aisle access. Our centre-pair seats had a partition with a small window — closed, it creates a semi-private enclosure for two. Open, it's a connected space.

Seat dimensions: At the upright position, one of us (160cm) could not reach the footrest with feet flat. The seat is that long.

Amenity kit: Packaged in a Beams Japan select shop original pouch. Contents: moisture face mask, toothbrush set, eye mask, earplugs, tissues, Mentarm lip cream.

On boarding, the cabin crew took our coats to a dedicated closet. Pre-departure drinks: orange juice or champagne.

Noise-cancelling headphones provided. Long-haul engine noise essentially disappears.

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The Food: Business Class JAL Meal

First course (identical for both menus): Cauliflower panna cotta with truffle oil, smoked duck, and marinated mushrooms. Served while drinks were arranged.

Western menu:

• Starter
• Main: Beef with lotus root and king oyster mushrooms — lotus root adding texture and crunch to the braised beef
• Dessert and coffee

Japanese menu (two courses):

• First course: Authentic Japanese cuisine using European-sourced ingredients, served in individual courses
• Second course: Yellowtail and daikon with tomato — unusual flavour combination, fresh and light; hot rice cooked onboard; matcha mousse and green tea

Both menus are supervised by internationally active top Japanese chefs. The Japanese menu was, without question, the better airline food we have eaten — comparable to a good restaurant meal.

An open bar throughout the flight. Sake, wine, whisky, beer, cocktails. Japanese beverages sit alongside European ones. After years of BA economy on this route, the contrast required some adjustment.

After the main meal, food is available on request until 90 minutes before landing — noodles, salads, rice bowls, a Japanese breakfast set.

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Full Flat Bed

After dinner: the seat converts to a full flat bed. An Airweave mattress (stored in the overhead bin) is placed over the seat. Cushion pillow. The cabin crew facilitate the conversion.

Husband (189cm) could extend fully flat — just.

Slept for four hours.

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Other Details

JAL Sky Time: Woke mid-flight and requested a glass of JAL's signature in-flight juice — a pale green kiwi drink, exclusive to the airline. Refreshing and unusual.

Out-of-stock notice: An item from the in-flight shop catalogue was unavailable. The chief cabin attendant came personally to apologise. The fact that this was tracked and escalated to the CA chief means passenger requests are logged and shared across the crew team — a small but revealing detail about service standards.

Healthy ramen: A late-flight order: JAL's collaboration with Kyushu Jangara ramen — an entirely vegetable-based broth and noodle dish, topped with a round of grilled yuba (tofu skin). Delicious, and suitable for all dietary requirements.

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Arrival

Landed at Narita. Walked off the aircraft without leg swelling — shoes slipped on without effort. After decades of long-haul in economy, the physical difference was immediately apparent. Business class on a long flight is not a luxury in the usual sense; it is a medical quality-of-life choice for the day of arrival.

We now understand why people make it a priority.