Japan Airlines A350-1000 First Class Review New York to Tokyo Details:

• Date: March 25th, 2024
• Flight Number: Japan Airlines 5 (JL)
• Route: New York (JFK) 1:40 PM – Tokyo Haneda (HND) 5:15 PM
• Aircraft: Airbus A350-1000
• Duration: 14 hours 35 minutes
• Class: First Class
• Seat: 2A
• Miles and Points Redeemed: 80,000 American AAdvantage Miles

Introduction: Japan Airlines First Class A350-1000 Review

In October 2023, Japan Airlines revealed its new long haul international first class cabin, which would debut on its first A350-1000 aircraft. After a few delays in the delivery of the new plane, Japan Airlines’ first A350-1000 entered service between New York and Tokyo in January 2024 on the JL 5/6 frequency. As Japan Airlines takes delivery of more A350-1000s, the plane will eventually replace JAL’s fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs used on most of its long haul international routes.

Since the announcement of Japan Airlines’ new first class seat, I’ve been looking forward to reviewing it. Japan Airlines has one of the best first class products in the sky with excellent service, meals, amenities, and bedding. However, its 777-300ER first class seat (originally introduced in 2008 and shown below) is showing its age, with outdated technology and a lack of privacy compared to the best seats currently on the market.

Japan Airlines’ new first class seat on the A350-1000 looks phenomenal at first glance with a refreshed design, a massive amount of space, large 4K entertainment display, and all the modern tech you’d expect in 2024. Given Japan Airlines has an amazing soft product, I anticipated this may be one of my best first class flights I’ve ever taken. You can view a virtual tour of Japan Airlines latest cabins on the A350-1000 here.

Booking Japan Airlines New First Class with Miles

To book Japan Airlines First Class from New York (JFK) to Tokyo Haneda (HND), I used 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and $5.60 in fees. This is an incredible value when you consider the retail price of this flight can cost over $15,000 one way and other airline mileage programs such as United MileagePlus charge 100K for business class.

Award space is currently sparse but hopefully will get somewhat better over time as Japan Airlines launches this product on more routes. Dallas (DFW) is the second destintation with the A350-1000 followed by London (LHR) later this year.

Japan Airlines First Class Check In New York (JFK)

Japan Airlines operates out of Terminal 8 at New York’s JFK airport. Terminal 8 is used by other One World Airlines such as American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, etc. After arriving curbside at Terminal 8, I followed the outdoor signage for Japan Airlines.

Check-in lanes were available for the various travel classes with a dedicated lane for first class passengers. I was immediatley attended to in the first class line.

The friendly check-in agents quickly processed my checked luggage and also gave me a first class carry-on bag tag. The check-in desk also explained my lounge access, which I’ll outline next.

Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Access New York JFK (A350-1000)

If you are traveling in first class on Japan Airlines out of New York (JFK), you will have access to a number of lounges. As shown below, you can access American Airlines’ Soho, Greenwich, or Admirals Club Lounges. Of the three, the Soho Lounge is the most exclusive given it’s only available to One World Emerald elite members and first class passengers on an eligible itinerary.

The Greenwich Lounge is available to One World Sapphire elite members and business class passengers on an eligible itinerary. While the Greenwich is less exclusive compared to the Soho Lounge, it may still be worth a visit depending on your preferences. I would avoid visiting the Admirals Club lounge given this is just a basic run of the mill domestic airport club.

Just past security in Terminal 8, you’ll find signage for these lounges. The Greenwich lounge is off to the left while the Soho Lounge is off to the right. I decided to visit the Soho Lounge first. Along the way, I admired American Airlines’ logo history and model plane that are on display in the terminal.

The Soho Lounge is a floor up from the main terminal and is accessible via the elevator or the nearby stairs off to the left. You’ll also notice the Chelsea Lounge entrance located here, but this is only available to eligible first class passengers traveling on American or British Airways metal.

Next to the elevators you’ll find signage outling the more specific access requirements.

Japan Airlines First Class Review: Soho Lounge

Overall, I very much enjoyed the couple of hours I spent in the Soho Lounge prior to my first class flight on Japan Airlines. The lounge offers a couple of main seating areas including a bar, dining room, and quieter spaces towards the back.

The key highlight of this lounge for me is the sweeping terminal views offered by seats along the windows. I found solitude in the workspace seats towards the back and plane watched for most of my time here.

My favorites included a Korean Air 747 (hoping to review soon!), Cathay Pacific A350, and an American Airlines Heritage Air Retro livery.

While enjoying views, I also took the time to have a bite to eat. The Soho Lounge offers a good buffet selection as well as an à la carte menu you can order from on your phone. I wanted to save some room to review the food onboard JAL first class so I didn’t try much. Below are some pictures of what was on offer at the buffet during my visit.

Additionally, below are some examples of what you could order from the à la carte menu on your phone (after scanning the available QR code at your table). There was a good selection of drinks, entrees, and desserts.

The Soho Lounge also offers a couple of private phone rooms, showers, and individual restrooms.

Japan Airlines First Class Review – Greenwich Lounge

After the Soho Lounge, I also briefly checked out the Greenwich lounge. While less exclusive than the Soho lounge, there were a couple of things I liked about this space.

I enjoyed looking at the wall art of New York City as I entered the lounge.

I found the main seating area to be busy and the buffet spread wasn’t as impressive as what I found at the Soho Lounge, so I didn’t spend much time there. While the main area was busy, the outskirts of the lounge were virtually empty with great views.

One area I would recommend checking out is The Tasting Room. This is the space that was formally the American Airlines Flagship First Dining facility, which was exclusively available to first class passengers on an eligible itinerary. Now it’s open to all lounge visitors, and you’ll now find what’s been branded as the Brooklyn Brewery. On offer, you’ll find drinks as well as a small bites menu.

It’s a gorgeous space and I was among just a few others during my visit. I have to imagine it gets much busier during the evenings when more American flights are departing for Europe.

The Bridge Bar pictured below is another unique space that looks worth visiting but was closed at the time of my visit.

Overall – American Airlines has done an excellent job with its latest lounge offerings at JFK, and these are spaces I’d recommend showing up early to enjoy prior to your Japan Airlines first class flight. It would be nice if Japan Airlines first class passengers could also access the Chelsea Lounge, which offers a true sit down dining experience and a champagne bar. As of writing, it remains an exclusive lounge for American and British Airways first class passengers.

Japan Airlines First Class A350-1000 Seat Map and Boarding

After spending some time lounge hopping, it was finally time to head to the gate to board my first class Japan Airlines A350-1000 flight. I was beyond excited after waiting over a year since its announcement to try the product. At the gate, I admired Japan Airlines’ impressive A350-1000. The A350 is my favorite aircraft outside of the diminishing quantity of A380s and 747’s still flying in 2024.

Before boarding – let’s review Japan Airlines’ seating configuration on the A350-1000. First class takes the forward part of the cabin with six seats in a spacious 1-1-1 configuration. While this has allowed Japan Airlines to create a larger first class seat, the plane has 2 less first class seats than the 777-300ER. This reduced capacity will diminish available first class award space. Business class takes up rows 3-16 for a total of 54 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Behind that, you’ll find premium economy in a 2-4-2 configuration followed by economy in a 3-3-3 configuration.

If you are traveling solo in first class on Japan Airline’s A350-1000, I would suggest sitting in 2A. This seat is at the back of the cabin so you’ll experience less foot traffic and also be further away from the lavatory and forward galley. Finally, seat 2G faces the other aisle so you have complete privacy in 2A. If traveling with another, you may prefer seats 1A and 1D or 2G and 2K as those seats share the same aisle. However, as I’ll discuss below just one of these seats could easily sit three people, so you could spend time in just one of the seats if you wanted to.

Boarding began right on schedule, and I boarded with Group One as a first class passenger. Group One boarding also includes One World Elite members.

As you may have noticed in the plane picture above, only one jet bridge was in use for boarding so I had to backtrack through the business class cabin to reach the first class cabin. This wasn’t ideal as there were some business class passengers in the aisle already that boarded ahead of me (I know, first world problems :) ). I’m not sure if this is the norm for Japan Airlines at JFK or if one of the jet bridges was inoperative. Outside of this minor hiccup, a wonderful flight awaited!

Japan Airlines First Class Seat and Cabin (A350-1000)

Japan Airlines’ new first class seat on the A350-1000 is incredible. The space is massive with the ability to comfortably sit three people. The main seat measures the largest among current first class products at 48 inches wide and offers two seat belts for sitting next to a partner. You’ll find the main seat offers a center arm rest that can fold up and down.

A third seatbelt is available along the leg rest area in front of the entertainment screen.

While there is seating for 3 per seat, you’ll note that a maximum of one person can be seated during taxi, takeoff, and landing per the seat placard.

Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines 777-300ER first class can sit two people with one in the main seat and one in the leg area, so this steps it up a notch and could allow three to dine together comfortably. Only Etihad’s first class apartment on the A380 comes to mind as another product available that can similarly seat more than 2 people.

I’m not the tallest person in the world at 5ft 8inches, but I could comfortably stretch my legs across the length of the seat with a bit of room to spare.

If you are traveling solo, the extra space on the main seat can be converted into a small table that can be lowered. I like the design choice here as it’s nice to have an area to set a drink or meal item without being trapped by a main dining table if you need to get up.

In addition to sheer size of the seat, I was also stunned at how large the 4K entertainment display is at 43 inches. Looking back on my photos, they don’t really do justice to show how large the display looks in person. ANA’s latest first class suite on the 777-300ER is the only other product on the market to match this display size. Given the large border around the screen, I think JAL could have gone even larger with the display if they wanted to. However, I could see a use case where you are watching something on screen and want the person in the leg rest area to be able to turn around and see the display without blocking the view from others.

Shortly after I located my seat, a member of the flight crew warmly welcomed me and walked me through the various features of the seat. She opened up the baggage area underneath the foot rest area in front of the seat where I could place my bag. You won’t find any overhead bin space in the cabin, which creates an open feel that I prefer but some will dislike having to bend over to grab things from a bag if needed.

With that being said, there are additional storage areas you can utilize in the seat. For starters, there’s a closet space nearest to the aisle with hangers available where you can fit a couple of garments. I placed my jacket here during the flight as I found the cabin to be a bit warm for my taste (you’ll notice the lack of air vents overhead available). The closet also has a large pull out mirror available.

Below the closet, there is a pull out drawer where you could conveniently place your shoes. I appreciate this amenity as I usually take my shoes off right away to wear slippers during my flight. Typically, I have to place my shoes in the overhead bin or have them take up room elsewhere in my seat.

To the left of the closest are a couple of additional storage compartments, one of which held a water bottle. Finally, the counter near the entertainment screen has additional storage space.

In terms of the look, I really like the color scheme and textured design utilized across the seat. It stands out a bit from the more typical gray, black, and blue colors found on other seats. It’s vibrant and warm and feels like a modern version of JAL’s previous generation first class, which had similar colors. The lights above the seat look sharp and the counter space in front of the entertainment display reminded me of the look I like on United’s Polaris business class seat.

To control the seat, you’ll find a number of intuitive switches along the left hand side. These include individual controls for position and recline as well as quick modes for relaxation, dining, and sleep. You’ll also find lighting controls and a flight attendant call button. Above these individual controls, you’ll find a removable tablet with expanded seat controls that I’ll cover in the entertainment overview below.

If you want to adjust the secondary seat, you have dedicated controls on the right hand side for recline and lighting.

Below you can see how the main seat and secondary seat can be invidually controlled. Both can be placed in a lie flat position, which I’ll cover when it’s time to rest.

In terms of privacy, the seat features walls that are about 61 inches high. While not as tall as Emirates latest 777-300ER first class with a floor to ceiling enclosure, the walls and doors on this seat are the second tallest on the market and deliver plenty of privacy. As with other airline seat doors, there is a gap with the floor at the bottom. There are also parts toward the bottom and top that are partially see through and the door doesn’t fully close, leaving a slight gap.

Finally, at the front of the seat is a literature rack which contained a pamphlet on using the inflight wifi, a card outlining the seat features, a duty free catalog, and JAL’s Skyward magazine.

Japan Airlines First Class Amenities Review (A350-1000)

After exploring some of the key seat features, I reviewed the items waiting at my seat. On the storage counter was an amenity kit that was well stocked. The contents included a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouth wash, moisture mask, ear plugs, eye mask, tissues, and a comb.

In addition to the main amenity kit, I was also provided with a Shisiedo Skincare essentials kit for men. This included hydrating lotion, revitalizing cream, and face cleanser.

The final item on the counter was a pair of Bang & Olufsen headphones which is of decent quality compared to some of the cheap headphones you’ll find on other airlines. The headphones could be used in a wired or wireless configuration, although I was most excited to try the built-in seat speakers that I’ll discuss later on.

Shortly after being seated, I was also offered a pair of pajamas and slippers both of which were quite comfortable. I like the first class branding tag that you find within the pajamas.

Finally, my seat had a set of pillows and blankets available.

All in all, Japan Airlines is among the best when it comes to onboard first class amenities and they haven’t skimped on anything important.

Japan Airlines First Class Review Taxi and Takeoff

As the boarding process continued, I was offered a refreshing welcome drink and towel, which were placed on the counter space next to the seat. I asked the flight attendant assisting me if she had flown on this aircraft before, and this was her first time working on it. With the aircraft just entering service in January, it will take time for all of JAL’s flight attendants to get trained on the aircraft. As I’ll discuss, service was fantastic on this flight and I noticed no issues with the crew adapting to a new plane.

Boarding ended with all six first class seats occupied.

As our A350-1000 pushed back from the gate, my eyes were glued outside. To our left was a British Airways 777 and a Cathay Pacific A350. We taxied along Terminal 8, past a number of American Airlines planes, and Terminal 4, where Delta Air Lines is based.

My seat had 2 windows with adjustable dimming. I like the adjustable dimming feature that Airbus offers here where you slide your finger across the scale. I found the windows could get darker than what you’ll find on Boeing, and you have more control over intermediate dimming levels.

On our way to runway 4L at JFK, the safety video was played in Japanese and English.

Just below the tablet holder, you’ll find the safety card for Japan Airlines’ A350-1000.

As we held short for takeoff, I spotted a Kenya Airways 787 and an MNG Airlines A330. I was excited for the 14 hour journey to Tokyo to begin.

We had a smooth climb out, and I enjoyed looking back into the engine and the JAL A350 wing tip behind me.

The tail camera is truly awesome to watch on this 43 inch 4K display.

Japan Airlines A350 First Class Lavatory

Upon reaching cruising altitude, I visited the lavatory to change into my pajamas. Japan Airlines offers two lavatories at the front of its first class cabin, which is a good ratio when you consider you can have a maximum of six passengers seated in the first class cabin.

In terms of the lavatory itself, it’s nothing special compared to the inflight shower you’ll find on Emirates or Etihad and is of average size. With that said, you will find a nice heated seat and bidet available. The crew also kept the lavatory spotless throughout the flight.

Some amenities were also available including toothbrushes, mouthwash, and Clé de Peau products. Throughout the flight, the bathroom was kept extremely clean and tidy.

Japan Airlines First Class Dining Review A350

Japan Airlines first class offers dine on demand and the crew checked if I was interested in eating anything after reaching cruising altitude. Below is the inflight menu on offer. Japan Airlines has a Japanese and Western Menu from which you can choose. For the first meal, I decided to have the Japanese option.

The entertainment system included an option to view the onboard menu with pictures. Seeing what the food will look like is a nice way to help you decide what you want. You can order food directly from this screen, but the service on JAL first is so attentive I never found the need to go this route.

The dining table pulls out from the front storage area and is large enough to share a meal with someone sitting across from you.

To start, I was served an amuse bouche and a glass of champagne.

Next up was the series of small plates. My favorite was the jellyfish with vinegar.

Following the small plates was soup with beef.

The meal continued with the remaining items from the Japanese menu. Everything was presented beautifully and of high quality. I have to imagine the food is even better out of Tokyo than out of JFK.

By the end I was absolutley stuffed but saved a bit of room for the matcha tea pudding and some ice cream. The matcha tea pudding included a cherry blossom, which was a nice touch given I was headed to Japan for the cherry blossom season.

Following the meal, I wanted to also try the Queen of Blue deluxe tea, which was delicious. By the end of the flight, they had run out of this drink so I’d order it early if you’d like to have some.

Overall, the meal and service offering on Japan Airlines first class is top notch across the board. I was always addressed by name despite being served by a variety of crew members. My plates were cleared quickly as I finished courses and drinks were kept topped off. The crew genuinely cared about your experience and would proactively offer to provide a different item from the menu if you didn’t like something.

Even after the main meal service, I found crew members walked through the cabin every few minutes to see if they could be of service to any passengers.

Japan Airlines Tech and Entertainment Review A350-1000

With the exception of wireless charging, these same ports are also on the right side of the seat and in the front near the entertainment display. This is a truly awesome number of outlets and provides a high level of convenience if you have 2 or 3 people sitting with you. Likewise, a headphone jack is available on the left and right side of the seat so you and a partner can enjoy a movie together.

The power outlet on the right of my seat didn’t work for the flight and the crew was proactive and letting me know about the issue before depature. That was a nice touch to not have to discover the issue myself and shows JAL’s high level of attention to detail. With three power ports available, having one inoperative was certainly no issue :)

Beyond the outlets, one feature I was most excited to try on Japan Airlines A350 was the in-seat wireless speakers. This is a first for a commercial airline product and can also be found in business class on this plane. You’ll find the speakers built into the sides of the headrest and you can tilt them closer to your ears. When I first read about the feature when JAL announced the new seat, I was concerned if it would be intrusive to others in the cabin.

However, I am happy to report that when I tested the speakers at full volume I could not hear them as I walked away from my seat so kudos to the engineering work done here. With that said, are they a feature you will want to use?

If you are an audiophile, you’ll probably prefer to use your own headphones. While the in-seat speakers are loud enough to comfortably watch movies and listen to music comfortably, the sound isn’t as rich or full as wearing headphones. A pair of noise cancelling headphones will do a better job of cancelling out the natural cabin noise as well.

Personally, I’m a fan of these in-seat speakers for a couple of reasons. For starters, over-ear headphones can be fatiguing to wear and dealing with cords and/or charging your wireless headphones can be inconvenient. Moreover, I like falling asleep while listening to music but sleeping with headphones on can be uncomfortable. If you are willing to sacrifice some of the sound quality, these in-seat speakers are a great option that maximizes your comfort.

In terms of the entertainment selection available, Japan Airlines is just average. You’ll find a smaller selection of movies and TV shows available than on other airlines so you may want to load up your device with something to watch prior to boarding.

Duty free shopping is also available via the entertainment system and you can directly order items to be delivered to your seat.

In addition to the entertainment options, I was amazed at the sheer number of seat and lighting controls available on the tablet with daylight, dining, relaxation, and sleep modes available.

I also appreciated the options for the dark and light mode on the enterainment display. The dark mode is easier on the eyes when the cabin lighting is turned off.

You could also individually control all the seat lights with three levels of brightness and control the window dimming.

An option is also available to quickly dim or brighten all the windows across pre-set levels.

Finally, I enjoyed using the flight tracking interface to keep track of the journey from New York to Tokyo.

Japan Airlines First Class Review Bedding A350-1000

After my meal, it was time to get some rest. The crew will happily prepare your bed when you are ready to sleep. While Japan Airlines first class seat is massive, you’ll find the mattress cover provided only covers about two thirds of the main seat. In some ways this makes sense, so you still have some room in the seat to get in and out and also have a storage table next to you.

With that said, it is fully possible to lower the secondary seat to a lie flat position to give yourself a larger sleeping surface (it just won’t be covered by the mattress). With the door closed, the bed mode feels massive and private.

What’s also unique about the bedding is that Japan Airlines offers both a firm and soft option available. I selected the soft option. The bedding was immensely comfortable and led to a good six straight hours of sleep.

Anytime I got up to use the restroom, the cabin crew would re-make the mattress.

After fully waking up, I decided to order the french press coffee. It’s delivered fresh with a timer to let you know when it’s ready. I love the first class mug design with the large handle and branding. The coffee was accompanied by some chocolates.

Japan Airlines A350-1000 WiFi – Free for First Class

After enjoying some coffee, I got some work done on my laptop. The dining table provides a large surface area from which to work.

As a first class passenger, you recieve complimentary WiFi. You’ll recieve a voucher code that you can reedem on the WiFi portal. I found the WiFi to be reasonably fast for browsing the web and didn’t experience any disconnections. To purchase WiFi for the full flight (if you are seated in another cabin) was $18.80.

Snack and Arrival

As we continued closer to Tokyo, I ordered a few more items from the menu. First I tried the caviar, which was just okay. The presentation is not as impressive as Cathay Pacific First Class and the waffle bread was a bit stale.

Next up, I tried the ramen which was delicious.

Finally, I had a refreshing fruit plate just prior to landing along with some tea.

After clearing my plate, the flight attendant provided me with a gentle steam face mask. It’s my understanding that this is also given in business class. The purser also came around to each first class passenger to inquire about the onboard service experience and to provide a farewell.

I enjoyed looking outside and on the tail camera during our descent into Tokyo. It was a cold and rainy spring day on arrival.

As we taxied to the gate, we passed by ANA’s Pokémon themed 777-300ER.

Japan Airlines First Class Review (A350-1000) – Pilot Debrief

Overall, Japan Airlines has one of the world’s best first class products on its A350-1000. From a seat perspective, you won’t find a seat currently on the market that offers a better balance of space, privacy, and the highest end tech in my opinion. ANA also offers a stellar first class product on its 777-300ER to/from Tokyo (“The Suite”) but the seat lacks the greater space and seating versatility offered by JAL.

The only other product on the market that I believe holds up to Japan Airlines’ first class is Emirates latest first class product on its 777-300ER. This product offers greater privacy with floor to ceiling walls, top notch amenities, and great food options (including unlimited caviar and Dom Pérignon champagne). I personally give Japan Airlines’ the leg up because I prefer the more personalized and attentive service I’ve had on JAL compared to Emirates, and if you are traveling with others, JAL allows you to easily dine and share the seat with another person.

If you are looking for a specific amenity such as an onboard shower/bar (offered by Emirates and Etihad on the A380), a combinable double bed with another passenger (offered by Singapore Airlines on the A380), you will need to look elsewhere. Otherwise, I think you will be hard pressed to find a more well rounded first class travel experience.