Japan Airlines (JAL)

Check in was handled in a friendly efficient manor, and at my leisure. They even let me choose my seat and print out my boarding pass for my return flight. The flight was quick and comfortable, and my seat assignment was perfect for my needs. When boarding, I noticed the plane was painted as a large whale shark - although, it was a pink whale shark. I mentioned to the flight attendant that I loved whale sharks and have snorkeled around them in the past - I loved that we were traveling in a large pink whale shark. In the middle of the flight she brought me a sticker, they usually give to kids, that depicted the plane. A small thing, but it shows they listen and care.

Bangkok to Tokyo Narita on Boeing 777. Nice Staff. Fresh Salad, Clean Cabin Wide seat and Seat pitch. Clean Bathroom. Impressed with experience. I would not hesitate to travel with JAL in the future.

Travelling from South Korea to Sapporo with limited flight options available, the best deal I could get for flights came with an apparent drawback; the outward leg involved changing airports in Tokyo (from Narita to Haneda). As a retired Senior with plenty of time on my hands, this didn't present as an insurmountable problem. Not having passed through Narita for 13-years and Haneda being a first for me, by contrast, I actually looked forward to crossing Tokyo. The transfer turned out to be quite painless; within 30-mins of arrival at Narita, I had cleared Immigration and Customs and had proceeded downstairs to the JR Station to catch the Narita Express for the 70-min journey into Central Tokyo. After changing trains onto the Keikyu Line at Shinagwa, the overall transfer to Haneda Airport from Narita took about 90-mins overall, with about 90-mins to spare before departure to Sapporo. Surprisingly for an internal flight, the Haneda > Sapporo leg was operated by a wide-bodied Airbus A350-941 with a 3-3-3 seating configuration in Economy and this January afternoon flight wasn't particularly busy. I had selected a seat at the rear of the plane (Row 50) in order to take photos of the snow-covered landscape coming into Sapporo (unobscured by aircraft wings) and the rearmost cabin was virtually empty. Leaving the rain behind in Tokyo, the weather was perfect throughout the flight and coming into Sapporo with the sun low in the sky, close to setting (at 3:00pm in the afternoon!), was picture perfect. No drawbacks ... instead, a most memorable internal flight!

I had one of my worst flights experiences with JAL when I flew from Sydney to Tokyo. The service from staff was ok but the cleanliness and food is below expectations. I was extremely ill after the flight that I was not able to get to my first hotel of choice in the city but rather an airport hotel as i kept having to run to the bathroom. I did send an email to head office but the reply was dismissive and no apologies despite sending them pictures of hair on the pillow and stains on the tray and seats. If you want to fly to Japan only fly with ANA airline, the service, the food and cleanliness has always been way ahead of JAL just a shame the day I traveled flight was full!

Japan airlines (JAL) is one the most greedy and dishonest airlines I have ever dealt with and I have dealt with a lot of airlines in my life. They do any tactic and tricks to get away with their obligations. We bought our tickets through a travel agency (return tickets from Canada to India) at the beginning of COVID-19 crisis and at that time there was no talk of pandemic and lockdowns or even flight cancellations. However, during our trip countries locked down and flights cancelled, and many people had to forget about their flights or ask for refunds. We contacted JAL and they said we cancelled your original return flight, so we asked to reschedule our flights for later dates. Since JAL changed our flights dates, travel agency did not assume any responsibility afterward and we had to deal with JAL directly. After a few weeks we called to make sure our flights are set, but JAL said, sorry this flight is cancelled too and either you have to reschedule or cancel your flights. At that point we had to get back to our country, Canada and had no choice but to get the repatriate flights through government and cancel our JAL ticket. So we requested a refund and now they say since you bought your ticket through a travel agent we can’t issue a refund to you and when contacted our travel agent they said, as soon as JAL changed your flight dates they took over and we have no control over your tickets. We contacted JAL again, at first they agreed that they have control over our tickets however in a subsequent email they sent this: “Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for submitting your refund form to Japan Airlines. Upon review, we regret to inform you that your ticket does not qualify due to the reason below: * Ticket is issued by a third party travel agency” Basically, JAL doesn’t want to honor our tickets and refund us and look for any excuse not to do so. This is the worst and most irresponsible airline I have ever dealt with. If you value your money and sanity, do not fly with Japan airlines, they easily ignore you and look for any excuse to rip you off !!!!!!!!!

I have to say I couldn’t fault jal airlines in any way. Flew in mid March just before the lockdown, and because of this, there was loads of room on plane,had a whole row to myself. All the staff, from check in to stewardesses were friendly and helpful. Food was of Japanese style and served with either chopsticks or proper metal cutlery. Would 110% recommend for the attentive service you get.

Great little exras in premium economy including priority check-in, lounge access, dedicated boarding time, more comfortable seats and sound cancelling headsets to name a few.

This was my first international trip and I did not have any clue as to how the airlines and their staff would be. Travelling with a group on 26th January, 2020 and on my birthday eve I initially enquired from the ground staff if I could carry a small cake inside the aircraft as I wanted to have something sweet as this time I could not a cake. They agreed to it. Finally I dropped the idea as i knew it will be difficult to keep it inside. While just about to board the aircraft I saw the crew dressed in ethnic wear as it was India’s Republic Day. This small gesture from their end will remain with me forever. My inflight experience was equally good as the crew was very supportive and attentive to my requests. I was booked in the economy class and the leg room was good enough to stretch my legs. While returning from Tokyo to New Delhi on JL 749 on 31st January, 2020 I was given a middle seat to which I was not comfortable sitting. While requesting to change the same for an aisle seat or a window seat they happily gave me 2 Premium Economy seats so that one of the group members can also sit with me. I was impressed with the presence of mind and the eye for detail which their staff had. Whenever I travel to Japan it shall be through JAL. One suggestion : If a passenger is travelling with you on his birthday/ anniversary the staff should make it a point to wish the passenger as this will earn you more customers in the future.

We had the opportunity to fly JL in their international first class on a recent visit to Asia. We were the only 2 in a cabin of 8 people. In spite of all the turmoil associated with COVID, the on board service was excellent. Their menu is more comprehensive than a Michelin star restaurant. The FA's were ou going and always there when we needed something. Seats are good sized, although not like some of the other first class carriers like EK ( a little dated in my opinion). In flight entertainment options were limited for a 13 hour to NRT. But, the overall experience was phenomenal! I have flown them in business class before, and their business cabins are also very comfortable and offer privacy and aisle access to every passenger.

My family has been flying with JAL since 2018. Their on board service is always excellent. The cabin crews are extremely professional and helpful. The economy seat is so comfy especially for my 6'5 hubby. The food is fine for my taste as Asian but not to my husband's liking. End of March during the pandemic, we as a family decided to fly back from Indonesia to US since the choices of flights were narrowing down because of the traveling ban from several countries. Thankfully JAL still had some flights to US with reasonable price even though we paid almost twice the price that we used to pay. The flight from Jakarta to Tokyo still had decent amount of passengers meanwhile Tokyo to Boston only had like less than 20 passengers. But man, their crews were still professional. Thank you so much, JAL for bringing us back to our home in the middle of this chaos.

The flight attendants were friendly and the food was good. On the return flight, we were given a make-your-own dish, which was an interesting concept and fun to put together. The in-flight entertainment was great; there was a decent selection of recent movies to enjoy.

It is much easier to put on a light jacket, use a blanket or drink some hot tea to warm yourself up. However when you are hot there's very little you can do to ease the discomfort. The airline both times (to and back) has manage to keep the cabin well above 75 degrees F at the minimum. My traveling partner and myself sweat through the entire uncomfortable plane ride. If you are sensitive to heat, do not ride with JAL, you will be miserable. ANA and Singapore airlines are your better bet as they have always kept the cabin comfortable.

I traveled back and forth from Paris to Tokyo with Japan Airlines and it is by far the best airline I have traveled with. I am a great traveler, since I work in tourism. I found the staff at check-in and on board, welcoming, helpful, attentive and available. The meal trays were plentiful and very good as well as the snacks between each service. Finally the space between the seats is wide, which allows the legs to unfold well, the size of the screen was also perfect. I have traveled pleasantly, I would take over this company without hesitation and for my customers too. FR: J'ai voyagé en aller/retour Paris -Tokyo avec Japan Airlines et c'est de loin la meilleure compagnie avec laquelle j'ai voyagé. Je suis une grande voyageuse, puisque je travaille dans le tourisme. J'ai trouvé le personnel à l'enregistrement et à bord, accueillant, serviable, à l'écoute et disponible. Les plateaux repas étaient copieux et très bons ainsi que les en-cas entre chaque prestation. Enfin l'espace entre les sièges est large, ce qui permet de bien dérouler ses jambes, la taille de l'écran était parfait également. J'ai agréablement voyagé, je reprendrais cette compagnie sans hésitation et pour mes clients également.

It's a good thing to have a great customer service during normal times, but JAL has proven itself worthy even during crisis! I bought JAL flight through a third party that bailed out last min. My flight was rescheduled a day earlier and my connection flight forced me to stay in Japan airport for 2.5 days, and because of COVID, I couldn't get pass through the immigration, and had to stay in the airport, without any restaurant opened! Tried to call the agent and waited for hours for 3 days straight with no avail. I called JAL and they promised to help me contact the agent. With JAL's help, I could get the agent to contact me. They sent me an email saying that the flights I wanted was full, and I need to get an upgrade to business class costing USD5000/person (10,000 for 2). SHOCKING! I then called JAL's customer service to check, and though they mentioned that it is customary for them to only reschedule flight through the agent that we booked in, they would like to help and made an exception. They rescheduled me to a flight I needed. Their in flight crews were really attentive.They came over n translated to us every single time because all passengers are mostly Japanese (at this time, nobody really travels to Japan except their own citizens).During our final flight to Seattle (JL 068), though there were only 9 of us, they were still excellent. They made us origami with our names, and said we could choose whichever seats, extend our seats and relax. JAL, YOU're the best!

I was exhausted, after a long international flight. So, although on one level I appreciated the exercise, on another it was the last thing I wanted. The walk from the bus that brought us from the international terminal to the departure date for the Okayama flight took me almost as long as the flight itself. A long, long way. Admittedly, there were no hassles of check in and security check, since the bus dropped us arirside. In comparison, it was a relief to pas through the electronic gates and settle into my Economy- class seat. Relaxing, too, to know the rhythm and cadence f JAL service. No surprises, nothing unexpected. Just the regular rhythm of good, by-the-book service. Arrival was fast. Small airport. Short wait for luggage. Bus waiting outside. Hassle-free.

There was a lot going on end of Feb and early March and alternation and changes were made a few times during this period. Staff at the North American hotline was patient and very helpful. Up the air, during this critical time, the crew looked after travelers well. I would definitely fly with Japan Airlines again when everything is back to normal.

I was in no particular hurry to get to Haneda, with lots of time before my connecting flights. For once, though, the flight left on time and arrived slightly early. Relaxing, then Service was very good. Kind, thoughtful, gracious. Check-in clerks could not have been more thoughtful seeing that I had a long journey ahead of me. No food, of course, but an entirely predictable, and thus somehow comforting, selection of drinks, delivered with a smile. Plane was only two thirs full, which always helpw people relax. Al in all, then, a good flight.

Excellent service as usual, lovely air and ground crew. Our flight was on time. Definitely recommend.

I am so disappointed with JAL charging a cancellation fee on my ticket from Melbourne to Tokyo in this time of crisis. As Australia announced a travel ban on March 17, my family and I had to cancel our trip to Japan. Upon receiving my refund in my account however I noticed that I was short $1200. Upon contacting the JAL Australia office however, I was told that there had been a cancellation fee applied, as my refund was processed 1 day before their policy update.

We loved our experiences on JAL. Also like ANA a lot but decided to give JAL a go this time as they advertised their awards for Economy Class seats in addition to having a 2-3-2 split on their 767. Not often do you get a 2 seat configuration in cattle class anymore. Everyone we dealt with was fantastic. The seat lived up to our expectations and was miles more comfortable than AC. The cabin was kept spotlessly clean. The service was very quick and attentive. The meals, we thought, were excellent. Washrooms always clean. And available snacks and drinks replenished frequently. Though we waited on hold for 1.25 hours to connect with an agent to rebook our seats back to Canada, the agent was exceedingly helpful and did everything we asked of her and was super friendly about it. We often travel to Japan, usually with ANA to acquire Star Alliance points. Now will choose JAL over ANA, if available and not overly expensive as the seats were comfortable and there was a lot of space around our seat. Thanks!