Introduction
Update 1: Japan Airlines has now announced the details of its new first class will be revealed on October 2nd.
Update 2: Japan Airlines has now revealed its new first and business class cabins for its A350-1000.
Japan Airlines’ new first and business class cabins are expected to launch in late November 2023 on its A350-1000 aircraft. Given that Japan Airlines already has one of my favorite first class soft products, I’m incredibly excited to see the next iteration of its first class later this year. Let’s delve into what information Japan Airlines has revealed to the public so far and some guesses on what we might see for the new first class.
Below are some images from my recent experience on Japan Airlines existing first class product. While the service and food are top-notch, the seat lacks privacy and the modern technology of its competition.
Japan Airlines A350-1000 Initial Announcement with New First Class Cabin
In February, Japan Airlines announced that the Airbus A350-1000 would launch this year and replace its 777-300ER fleet over time. Japan Airlines has used the Boeing 777-300ER on many long-haul routes to Europe and the United States for nearly 20 years.
In its press release, Japan Airlines noted the following about its new cabins on the A350-1000 – “With the introduction of the Airbus A350-1000, we are developing new cabin specifications for international flights to provide a new unprecedented experience for each and every one of our customers.
The announcement also indicated that JAL’s New York to Handea (JFK-HND) would be the first route to feature the brand new aircraft.
Japan Airlines A350-1000 Summer Updates
Since this initial announcement, Japan Airlines has started to build up excitement for the A350-1000 launch. For starters, Japan Airlines released this video about a month ago, celebrating the history of its various flagship aircraft and the impending launch of the A350-1000 on the New York to Tokyo Haneda route.
Alongside this video, Japan Airlines introduced an official webpage dedicated to its A350-1000. On the webpage are locations for two “Special Movies.” The first has already been released, and I’ve included it below. It shows Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 rolling out of the paint shop from Airbus in Toulouse, France.
The second movie has yet to be released with the tagline “coming soon.” I’m hopeful this second video may include a reveal of the new first and business class cabins, but only time will tell.
Most recently, in August, Japan Airlines shared that the new Airbus A350-1000 is expected to be released in late November, along with some photos showing that the plane now has its engines installed.
It’s neat to see the engine installation up and close!
I’ve also discovered a video of Airbus working on the engine, which I’ve shared below.
Japan Airlines A350-1000 November Launch and Flight Route
While Japan Airlines hasn’t given a specific date for the launch of the A350-1000, the latest they have given us is sometime in “late” November. FlyerTalk members noted in February that Japan Airlines appeared to sell fewer first-class seats on Japan Airlines Flight 5 and Flight 6 between New York (JFK) and Haneda (HND) starting in late October. Japan Airlines currently has a 777-300ER on this route with 8 first class seats, but at most, Japan Airlines was selling 6 seats on this route starting in late October. As a result, we can speculate that Japan Airlines is introducing a new first-class cabin with only 6 seats instead of 8.
Utilizing this logic, I’ve reviewed Google Flights this week and noticed that Japan Airlines still sells more than 6 first class seats on Flight 5 and Flight 6 until November 14th. While I could be wrong, I assume the new A350-1000 won’t launch until after November 14th or after based on how Japan Airlines is now selling seats and the fact that they said: “late November” (likely meaning more than halfway through November). Of course, this is subject to change if the aircraft delivery and launch are delayed in any way.
Japan Airlines New First Class Possibilities
Given that Japan Airlines will likely be going from 8 to 6 first class seats, let’s speculate on what its new cabin might look like. Given the 6-seat capacity, it’s likely they will be arranged in a 1-1-1 seating configuration. Still, I’d love to see something less conventional where there’s one pair of seats next to each other which is ideal for passengers traveling together.
Some existing first class cabins with six seats we can look to for inspiration include Emirates’ latest 777-300ER first class and Qantas Airways’ upcoming A350-1000 cabin.
Emirates has a first class cabin with fully enclosed cabin suites with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors on some of its 777s. This is one of the most private first class cabins in the sky, and I would love to see Japan Airlines introduce something similar. The one downside to this design is that if you are traveling with a companion, all six seats are somewhat isolated in a 1-1-1 configuration.
This year, Qantas also announced new first class cabins for its upcoming A350-1000, including a bed and a seat next to each other. I like the flexibility of this design for sleeping, lounging, working, eating, etc. but I look forward to trying it one day to see if I prefer this to this design compared to the typical seat that converts into a bed.
I’d be thrilled to see something similar to these examples by Emirates and Qantas, given that I think Japan Airlines has some of the best service and food. The airline just needs a more modern seat to match it. With that being said when Japan Airlines announced its new A350-1000, it described the new cabins as being “unprecedented,” which could indicate that nothing exists like it yet on the market.
Japan Airlines A350 First Class Competition
Japan Airlines main competition out of Japan is All Nippon Airways (ANA). Japan Airline’s new A350 will look to compete with ANA’s “The Suite” first class, which was introduced back in 2019. ANA’s suite first class product is certainly more modern and private than what Japan Airlines currently offering, and I assume Japan Airlines is looking to bounce back with something that beats its competition.
I had a spectacular flight from Chicago to Tokyo on ANA’s first suites last year and its currently my most preferred way to fly to Japan from the US.
Speculatively Book Japan Airlines New First Class
While we do not know the exact launch of Japan Airline’s new A350-1000, you could look to make a speculative award booking on the Japan Airlines from New York to Haneda (JFK-HND) for after November 14th (January and beyond might be the safest bet if there’s any delays) on either Flight 5 or Flight 6 (Flight 3 and 4 is not anticipated to get the new first class initially).
Japan Airlines has been releasing some award availability on this route so while award space is slim it’s certainly not impossible to book if you monitor for it. The two best ways to try and book Japan Airline’s new First Class is using American Airlines AAdvantage miles or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
American Airlines charges 80,000 miles from New York to Tokyo plus fees while Alaska Airlines charges 100,000 miles plus fees for the same route. If you make a speculative booking and it turns out not to be on Japan Airlines new first class, you could always cancel it (keep in mind there may be an award cancel or change fee that applies).
Japan Airlines New First Class Pilot Debrief
Japan Airlines announced earlier this year that its new Flagship A350 with unprecedented cabins was coming in 2023. Since then they’ve shown off the new aircraft being worked on by Airbus. Per Japan Airlines, the launch will now be in late November, which I’m speculating is at least after November 14th based on the flights currently being sold.
Given the excitement Japan Airlines is building around this aircraft delivery, I’m expecting something great that will go head to head with ANA’s first class suite and may look something like six seat first class configurations offered by Emirates and Qantas.
Stay tuned for more – I’ll be sure to post the latest on Japan Airlines’ new first and business-class cabins on the A350-1000 as soon as it is released.
