Flight Report: MNL-HND on Japan Airlines Flight JL 78 (27 September 2023)

In this post, we’ll experience what it’s like to travel with Japan’s flag carrier from Manila to the more centrally located of Tōkyō’s two airports.

Welcome aboard Japan Airlines flight JL 78.

Note: The information set out here pertains only to the specific flight reviewed. Cabin equipment, amenities, meal options and so on may be different on previous or future flights, even if operated by the same airline on the same route and/or under the same flight number.

For the sake of brevity, IATA airline and airport codes have been used throughout this report in place of full names (e.g., “JL” instead of “Japan Airlines”; “MNL” instead of “Ninoy Aquino International Airport”).

This review covers the first, outbound leg (MNL-HND) of a round-trip MNL-HND/NRT-MNL journey. A review of the second, homebound leg (NRT-MNL) will be published in due course.

ROUTE MAP

OVERVIEW

Note: All times are local. There is a 1-hour difference between Manila (GMT+8) and Tōkyō-Haneda (GMT+9).

Flight details

Airline and flight number : Japan Airlines (JL) 78
Route : Manila, Philippines (IATA code: MNL) to Tōkyō-Haneda, Japan (IATA code: HND)
Route type : International
Date : Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Scheduled departure time (MNL) : 23:25
Actual departure time (MNL) : 00:25 (+1) [take-off]
Scheduled arrival time (HND) : 04:50 (+1)
Actual arrival time (HND) : 04:53 (+1) [landing]

Equipment and cabin

Aircraft : Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Manufacturer : Boeing
Registration number : JA845J
Passenger capacity : 30 Business, 156 Economy = 186 Total
Travel class flown : Economy Class
Seat map : Official site (configuration “E12”)

Here’s a picture of JA845J – or as much of it as I could photograph from my poor vantage point – taken at MNL T1 prior to departure.

Delivered in mid-2016, JA845J was refitted in 2019 to its present configuration of 30 Business Class and 156 Economy Class seats. This overhaul endowed the aircraft with JL’s present-generation cabin equipment, which is deservedly well-lauded even for Economy – but we’ll have more to say about that later.

BAGGAGE

My Economy ticket came with a free checked baggage allowance of two pieces weighing 23 kg (50 lb) each, which is the JL standard for this class of travel. Loyalty programme status, special rules for certain routes and other circumstances might yield a different limit for some passengers.

For more details on baggage, please refer to your ticket and the airline’s official website.

AT THE AIRPORT

Origin

JL’s Manila flights operate out of Terminal 1 (T1) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (IATA code: MNL).

Further details regarding MNL T1 are available in a separate Airport Guide.

Check-in and pre-departure

The JL counters at MNL T1 opened about three hours before scheduled departure, marked with a formal Japanese-style greeting. (Note: The following video comes from my November 2022 flight with the same airline.)

Whilst the greeting was appreciated – and even elicited applause from some in the queue – the same couldn’t be said for the pace of the process. Not necessarily slower than what I’d experienced for other airlines; just slow in absolute terms.

JL used seven check-in desks: two for Business Class and high-tier frequent flyers, one bag-drop counter for online check-in, three for Economy Class, and one for passengers requiring special assistance. Slow going across the board, but particularly so for Economy as one of our allocated counters was repeatedly pressed into service as an additional special-needs desk. I also observed that transfer passengers made up a large proportion of this flight’s contingent, which may have contributed to the glacial pace due to extra boarding passes and document checks.

In any event, I was finally checked in and ready to go through the usual outbound immigration/security gauntlet (as described here).

Now every one of MNL’s ageing, badly designed terminals is a dreadful bore, but T1 takes things to a whole new level. It’s claustrophobically small, has no proper restaurants, and offers no real options for leisure. An awful place to be trapped in for more than a couple of hours.

Oh, but don’t worry. It gets worse.

Boarding

This blog’s Airport Guide to MNL T1 has all the details, but in brief: some of the terminal’s gates are worse than others.

That evening, our flight had the misfortune of being assigned to one of the lower-level side gates. These can only be accessed directly via stairs – no escalators, no lifts – and the nearest lavatories are at the top of the steps, not down by where the seats are. If you’ve got an urgent call of nature to answer, you’ll need to dash back up and then descend into the pit again once you’ve finished.

(Side note: Passengers with mobility issues are taken down one level using a lift in another part of the building, and then escorted to the boarding area.)

JL uses a standard loading sequence which can be seen on the following poster. People requiring special assistance are the first to board, followed by high-tier loyalty programme members and Business Class passengers. Economy Class is split into two groups: those seated in rows 50-up, then all the rest.

One other thing you’ll observe on the poster: the estimated boarding time. Our scheduled departure time was 2325, but ground operations were briefly halted due to adverse weather which meant that our inbound plane couldn’t immediately dock at the gate. We had to wait as the expected boarding slot got pushed, and pushed, and pushed yet again.

To be scrupulously fair, JL isn’t to blame for all the problems we’ve discussed thus far. Regardless of airline, whether LCC or legacy carrier, your sub-par experience at MNL is primarily the fault of…well, MNL itself. There’s only so much that can be done if the basic infrastructure is this bad.

So what separates the airline wheat from the airline chaff? Simple: the things they can control, including the onboard experience. Let’s see how JL performed on that front.

ONBOARD EXPERIENCE

Cabin interior and seating

As mentioned above, the Dreamliner that flew me to Tōkyō had been refreshed with JL’s new cabin interiors around four years ago. The result: several hours in the air ensconced within one of the airline’s awesome Sky Wider seats.

The airline claims that these seats offer up to 84 cm of pitch and 48 cm of width on the 787. I didn’t take precise measurements during the flight, but my seat certainly felt roomier than the equivalent on other airlines – considerably roomier, in fact. I’m also pleased to see that rather than squeeze passengers into its Dreamliners like sardines in a tin, JL’s happy to offer a spacious 2-4-2 configuration per row. Apart from translating into more space per person, this means one is never more than a single seat away from the aisle.

If even this amount of space is insufficient, one might consider booking a bulkhead row seat (such as those shown below) for extra legroom.

And if that’s still too much of a squeeze…well, you’ll have to invest quite a bit more to secure one of the semi-private compartments up in the Business Class cabin.

In-flight entertainment

JL’s full-service fare comes with a full-service IFE system. The main visual interface was a touchscreen monitor on the seat back, and a basic headphone set was supplied in every seat pocket.

Not that I made much use of the IFE during this flight. We were in the air for under four hours all told; between mealtime and my desperate attempts to get some sleep (consider the unholy hour!) there wasn’t a lot of time that needed occupying with movies.

In-flight internet

Paid WiFi service was offered on this flight. An instruction card with full details was available in the seat pocket.

You can read more about JL’s internet access option for international flights here.

Amenities

Each seat was supplied with a pillow and sanitised blanket prior to boarding.

The seat pocket contained a copy of JL’s inflight magazine, SKYWARD. Although the articles were mostly in Japanese, there was a limited amount of English content within the covers (including useful references like terminal maps and tips for inflight safety/comfort).

Catering

The evening – or rather, early morning – meal service began about half an hour after take-off.

On relatively short regional services, JL typically doesn’t offer a choice of main in Economy Class. The published September 2023 menu for the MNL-HND route breaks down the meal’s components as follows:

お食事 [9/1-15] カツカレー [9/16-30] ビーフハンバーグ マッシュルームソース シーフードのアジア風コールスローサラダ のり玉子焼き 大根のそぼろ餡 グリーンサラダ ごま醤油ドレッシング フレッシュフルーツ カステラケーキ コーヒー、紅茶、緑茶

Menu [9/1-15] Pork Cutlet Curry [9/16-30] Beef Hamburger Steak with Mushroom Sauce Seafood Asian Style Coleslaw Japanese Omelette with Nori Seaweed Simmered Radish with Minced Meat Sauce Green Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing Fresh Fruits Sponge Cake Coffee / Tea / Green Tea

Here’s the meal as served…

…and with covers removed. The cup contains JL’s signature Sky Time drink, which was my selection of complimentary beverage to go with the meal.

Whilst the lack of choice might be unexpected for an airline of JL’s calibre, I have absolutely no complaints about this flight’s main course. The hamburger steak was juicy and flavourful, something I would have happily paid for rather than simply willing to accept as a free meal.

Special meals (such as vegetarian options) are available to request through the booking management feature on JL’s official website. Another alternative that’s recently been introduced is the “meal skip option”, whereby passengers who do not require an inflight meal can signal their choice through the same booking management page. If you do not intend to eat during the flight, I highly encourage you to avail of this facility to help the airline reduce food waste.

As for something to wash the meal down – well, thirst was a very distant prospect given the wide selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on offer. Each meal tray came with a bottle of water, together with one’s choice of soft drink or tipple. Cabin attendants also did the rounds with coffee and tea for anyone desiring a hot beverage.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

Good service, delicious food, and the best Economy Class seat I’ve had the pleasure of using in recent years. Slight delay in departure aside – which was not even JL’s fault and nearly all made good in the air – I would rate this flight a rousing success.

Given the right price and schedule, I’d fly with Japan Airlines again on this route.

Cheerio.

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