As a long-time Japan visitor, flying Japan Airlines (JAL) flagship A350-1000 had been high on my wish list. In May 2025, I finally got the chance to experience it on a flight from London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda—travelling in their stunning new business class cabin on board the recently delivered aircraft.
Flight StatisticsFlight Statistics
- Flight no: JL 44
- Duration: 13 hours 32 minutes
- Aircraft Age (as of May 2025): 1 year 2 months
- Frequency: Daily
- Scheduled departure time: 19.20
- Scheduled arrival time: 17.20
- Actual departure time: 20.19
- Actual arrival time: 17.52
Pre-flight
Japan Airlines operates out of Terminal 3 at London Heathrow. Check-in was quick and efficient, with minimal queues across all cabin classes.
Check-in desks at London Heathrow
Once through security, JAL business class passengers have access to several lounges at T3. My personal favourite is the Qantas Lounge, though the Cathay Pacific Lounge is well worth a visit as well. Other options include the American Admirals Club and the British Airways Galleries Lounge. A full review of both the Qantas and Cathay Pacific lounges is coming soon!
Boarding was similarly smooth—no queues for first and business class passengers, and a dedicated jetway was provided for premium cabins, making the process feel seamless.
Boarding from gate 23
Separate jetway for premium passengers
First Impressions
The cabin immediately felt roomy thanks to the lack of overhead bins in the centre aisle and the large, private suites. Waiting at my seat were a pillow, blanket, mattress + topper, and—of course—headphones. Although JAL doesn’t supply pyjamas in business class, you can request a warm cardigan (I skipped it this time). In terms of amenities, an amenity kit, face mask and slippers were provided.
JAL business class suite
The high-resolution TV—quite possibly the largest I’ve seen in business class—dominates the suite wall. A built-in closet (perfect for winter coats) sits above a shoe cubby, so your footwear stays accessible when the seat is in lie-flat mode and the floor stays clutter-free.
The amenity kit is eye-catching. Created by Heralbony, a design house that collaborates with artists who have disabilities, it’s a thoughtful, socially minded touch. Inside you’ll find an eye mask, pocket tissues, a toothbrush set, ear plugs, hand cream, a USB-C cable, and a phone stand.
JAL business class amenity kit
Other amenities provided include an eye mask and lounge slippers.
Eye mask
Lounge slippers
As I settled in, a crew member noticed me taking cabin photos and kindly offered to snap a few of me. She confirmed my special-meal order, asked if it was my first flight on JAL (it was), and handed me a cool towel and welcome drink—though I passed on the beverage.
Cold towel
Cabin & Overall Aircraft
The business class cabin on JAL’s A350-1000 is expansive—taking up more space than any other cabin on the aircraft. There are 54 business suites in total, split between a forward cabin (rows 3 to 7) and a rear cabin (rows 8 to 15). With a 1-2-1 layout, each row accommodates four passengers. I was seated in 13K, which offered a nice view of the A350’s distinctive wingtip, although it did obstruct much of the wider outside view.
Front cabin
Rear cabin
View of the strikingly beautiful A350 wingtip from 13K
JAL have opted for a dark, elegant colour palette with deep red and grey tones. While this made the cabin feel slightly dim even during daylight hours, the sleek, modern design and sense of space more than made up for it.
Directly behind the rear business cabin is a compact premium economy section with three rows in a 2-4-2 configuration, totalling 24 seats. This is followed by a 17-row economy class cabin in a 3-3-3 layout, with 155 seats in total.
Premium Economy
Economy class
At the very front of the aircraft is a small but luxurious first class cabin with just six seats arranged in a 1-1-1 layout across two rows.
Overall, I was surprised by how premium-heavy the configuration is. With only 155 economy seats—compared to Qatar Airways’ 281 on the same aircraft—the layout clearly reflects the premium focus of Japanese carriers like JAL.
Seat
As mentioned above, I was genuinely impressed by the seat overall—it’s arguably a step above what competitors like Qatar’s Qsuite are currently offering. The suite is spacious and doesn’t feel claustrophobic, even with the door closed. I couldn’t see anyone from my seat unless I stood up, which meant privacy was excellent.
The door of the JAL A350 suite
One of the more innovative features is the built-in speakers in the headrest. While the sound quality wasn’t outstanding, the concept itself is groundbreaking, eliminating the need for headphones entirely. The headrest is adjustable to bring the speakers closer to your ears, allowing you to immerse yourself in the content.
Built in speakers in the headrest
The side console is generous in size and well thought out, featuring USB-C charging, a headphone port, a power outlet, and even wireless charging. It’s finished in a sleek black-and-white marble pattern that gives the suite a refined feel.
Side console
A wide range of seat controls allow you to set it to upright, recline, dining, or lie-flat positions. Lighting options include a reading light, a lamp by the seat, and a soft light under the footrest—great for night flights.
Seat controls
Sleeping comfort was excellent. The seat converts into a fully flat bed with a mattress, topper, and duvet provided. After the meal, a crew member offered turndown service, which was a nice touch. The gel-filled mattress was both supportive and comfortable—I ended up sleeping for around 10 hours. At 176cm tall, I had no trouble fitting in, although the duvet could have been a bit longer.
The seat in lie-flat mode. The mattress (beneath the topper) had a gel-like filling making it very comfortable
Meal Service
The main meal consisted of a three-course dinner served shortly after take-off, followed by a dine-on-demand service for the rest of the flight. As someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy Japanese food, I pre-ordered a Muslim meal instead.
The service began with a drink (peach and grape fizz) and a basic salad—undressed and uninspired. I couldn’t help but wonder why something more appealing, like olives or nuts, wasn’t offered instead.
Service started with salad and a drink
The appetiser was grilled vegetables on a bed of rocket, which I found underwhelming. Sadly, the bread and butter on the side was the highlight—though it was served with vegan butter, which seemed a curious choice given that the rest of the meal wasn’t plant-based.
Appetiser
The main course was a mildly spiced chicken dish with Indian flavours, served alongside a mix of vegetables. While it tasted decent and was certainly an improvement over the starter, it ultimately felt more like an economy-class meal presented in business-class crockery.
Main course
Main course was followed by a fruit platter.
Fruit platter
More disappointing than the food itself was the speed of the service. With a scheduled departure of 20:20 (delayed by an hour), I had hoped for a quick dinner so I could get to sleep and start adjusting to Tokyo time. However, dinner dragged on for nearly 2.5 hours. Between courses, plates were cleared after quite some time and I grew increasingly agitated by the end of this. It made me wonder if the crew was understaffed. I think more airlines should adopt the dine on demand policy as it has the potential to reduce workload at key meal times, improving the experience for both passengers and crew.
I slept for most of the flight and woke up around 90 minutes before landing. Upon waking up a crew member asked if I wanted to eat something prior to landing. This time I chose the Japanese vegan curry from the menu (opting to forego my pre-ordered Muslim meal option) along with a fruit and cheese platter. The vegan curry was quite tasty, whereas the cheese and fruit platter was standard. I appreciated the faster pace of this meal service.
I have attached pictures of the full in flight menu at the end of the article.
You can view the inflight menu for your upcoming flight on JAL here: JAL Business Class Meal Service.
Lavatories
There are 3 lavatories in business class. They were kept clean and tidy during the flight. The toilet has a bidet function as well.
A350 business class lavatory
Inflight Entertainment
Inflight entertainment options were rather limited and I could not find anything interesting to watch. I would recommend bringing your own content if you struggle to sleep on planes. The WiFi didn’t work at all during the flight.
Landing
We began our descent during golden hour, offering stunning views of the Japanese coastline and the sprawling Tokyo metropolis.
Amazing views of Tokyo as we come in to land during golden hour
JAL 777 parked next to us
Final thoughts and conclusion
Overall, this was a memorable flight and a strong showing from Japan Airlines. As someone who has been travelling to Japan since childhood, finally flying with a Japanese carrier—especially on their flagship A350—felt like a milestone. The spacious suite, excellent privacy thanks to the sliding door, and the quiet comfort of the A350 cabin made for a genuinely relaxing journey.
That said, there are areas where JAL could improve: the non-Japanese meal options were underwhelming, the slow pace of the dinner service and lack of inflight entertainment options detracted from an otherwise seamless experience. Also, for a 14-hour flight, it’s surprising that pyjamas aren’t offered in business class—especially given Japan’s hospitality culture, where even mid-range hotels often provide them. Interestingly, ANA doesn’t offer these either, so can’t single JAL out on this one!
I booked this flight for 92,750 Avios plus £432.72 in taxes and fees. Roughly three weeks before departure, I found plenty of award availability in both business and first class on the London to Tokyo route. While the surcharges are on the higher side, it felt like a great redemption—especially considering that the same one-way business class ticket was selling for over £5,500 just days before departure.
