Hi, this is Kaz. Recently, I had a chance to fly with JAL business class and ANA business class.
The JAL flight I was on was Narita to Melbourne and it was 787 equipped with first generation Sky Suite.
The ANA business class I used was a flight from Chicago to Narita.
I’m going to compare the big 2 Japanese airline companies’ long haul business class experience.
I’m going to touch on: Lounge Seat Meal And service
Let’s see how the business class experiences are different between these two
JAL lounge in Narita and ANA lounge in Narita are very similar so in this video, I’m gonna compare the lounges business class customers can use when flying out of the US.
ANA business class customers can use their Star Alliance partner, United Airline’s Polaris lounge.Out of 8 cities ANA flies in and out, 4 of the airport has Polaris lounge.
Those who are departing and flying internationally in business or first class are allowed to use Polaris lounge. Thanks to this rather strict rule, people can enjoy better quality time and service at Polaris lounge than other lounges that applies loose policy.
At Polaris lounge, there is a great bar with bartenders who can craft your drink to your liking.
You can enjoy both buffet and restaurant style dining at Polaris.
The breakfast we ordered were very delicious.
Since there are plenty of space among the seats, it doesn’t feel crowded even when I noticed many people had checked in after I first arrived at the lounge.
Having big windows are definitely helping the place look spacious.
JAL is part of One World Alliance so customers who are flying JAL in business class will be able to use American’s Flagship lounge. Just like ANA, JAL offers flights to/ from 8 different cities in the US. Out of the 8 cities, 4 of them has Flagship lounge.
I’ve only been to Flagship lounge in Chicago so I will share the clip from Flagship at Chicago.It feels the seats are clustered together and proximity to the person sitting next to you feels close.
There is no bartender at Flagship lounge so you get to pour the drinks on your own. In a sense that is pretty generous.
All Flagship lounge except for the one in Chicago has a dining room.
I’d recommend Polaris lounge over Flagship lounge so ANA gets my vote for lounge experience.
Let’s talk about seats.
ANA semi long to long haul business class seat configuration is most likely 1-2-1 seat allocation.
You can expect the same seat arrangement regardless of you flight but the seats on 777 and 787-8 seem to be older.
The footrest is not large so you bump your legs to the tray table that is stored when you change your position.
There is a power port near the monitor but there aren’t any place to store your gadgets close to the port.
You will need to place your device on the footrest which is not ideal.
There isn’t a place to put your headset either. I almost spilled my drink few times when I reached to my headset that was on the counter.
JAL business class to/from Europe, Australia, and North America flights seats arrangement in 787 is 2-2-2. This seat configuration is not offered to South East Asia flights .
So, unlike ANA, JAL seat arrangement between business class varies.
Since tray table is stored to the side, the footrest is spacious and you won’t hit your legs to the tray table.
what I really enjoyed about this seat is the partition between seats. When the partition is up, you won’t be able to see the person sitting next to you.
You won’t be able to experience this level of privacy with ANA business class. When the seat is flat, you can’t even see the crews passing by the seat.
Since there is a counter space near the power port, you can keep your divorces there while charging.
There is a place where you can hang your headset as well.
I strongly recommend JAL business class seats over ANA business class seats.
Moving on to the flight meal. Both ANA and JAL offer western food and Japanese food options. I ordered Japanese food in both flights and they are absolutely delicious.
Whether ANA or JAL, I can say that the food will taste good on business class flights.
oth airlines serve Ramen noodles but ANA offers Tonkotsu (pork bone) broth and JAL offers Soy sauce broth. If you like rich creamy taste, you may like ANA Ramen noodles.
JAL disappointed me with the soggy sandwich that I got before arrival but other than that I thought both airlines did a great job with the flight meal they served.
Let’s go over crews’ customer service.
I think it is hard to compare customer service but there are few things I’ve noticed from my experiences with ANA and JAL.
ANA crews are good at listening. They are more passive and their engagement level in a conversation is relatively low but they are good listeners.
JAL crews listen to you as well but they are more engaged. They make the effort to keep the conversation going and asks you questions. They seem to be a great active listener.
’m aware that the only 2 topics I can carry long conversations are around commercial airplanes and credit cards but JAL crews always spice up the conversation.
I get to listen to crews episodes, opinions and learn new things about different routes and aircrafts so I really enjoy the conversation with JAL crews.
So, for those who wants to enjoy the conversation with the crews, I recommend JAL. I am one of them so my vote goes to JAL!
I want to touch on PJs and amenity kits.
You can use a PJ for free in ANA business class flights. I like to relax during my flight so I enjoy this service a lot.
In JAL business class flights, you can use their cardigan but PJs are not available.
I also thought ANA gives pretty impressive amenity kit to their business class customer.
JAL’s business class amenity kit is not that great. Nothing stands out. It seems like a typical business class amenity kit.
Both airlines get 2 votes each and I think you will enjoy your flight when flying business with ANA or JAL.
However, for me, the most important element for a business class flight is the seat.
So if the cost and the route are the same, I would choose JAL over ANA.
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Are you ANA fan or JAL fan? Let me know by adding your comment.
I will see you on the next flight!