Sunday, May 8, 2016

[JAL Japan Airlines 735, Boeing 767-300ER, Economy Class, NRT-HKG] Plans Ruined, Huge Disappointment, 2016 Mini-Mileage Run to Asia Part 3/6

Here's part 3 of my Mini-Mileage Run, 

Huge disappointment, probably the lowest point of my entire trip. 
It felt like being downgraded to a different class, and wasted the remaining hours on the WiFi pass I purchased on the previous flight. 
And most importantly, most of my electronics were near dead after 35 hours of travelling and it's a huge deal that I could not charge them in flight. 

JAL's 787 feature 2-4-2 layout in Economy (not PEY), far above the service standard offered in any other airlines on earth... (Even ANA is converting their 787 into 3-3-3 layout)
I really wanted to try it out... :( 


The best way to overcome sadness and depression is food.
It's a funny contrast with ORD...
I could hardly find anything good to eat at ORD, and now I have a hard time deciding which to eat... because I want them all...

I usually dislike places with a large menu, but I have only 3 hours... the restaurant was about 5 mins walk away from my gate. This place was pretty much my only option.

They have covered many signature Japanese dishes, quite convenient for travellers like me who are spending only a couple hours at the airport between flights. Quality was pretty good.

They are not the cheapest, but at least they don't cost an arm or a leg, it's at the airport after all..
and trust me, they worth every penny.

I chose the sushi set.
Not the crappy sushi you find in a Chinese owned All You Can Eat sushi restaurants in North America.

Real Wasabi, not the fake one you always get.
They don't have the strong chemical bitter spiciness but sweetness.
You can eat it alone.

You have no idea how much I missed Kirin...
The only Japanese beer we have in East coast Canada is Sapporo

Alright, get back to topic, talking about food in Japan can be a separate blog post. 

Flight Info:
Flight:                     Japan Airlines 735
Origin:                    Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA)
Destination:            Hong Kong International Airport (HKG/VHHH)
Departure:               14 April 2016, 1815 JST 
Arrival:                   14 April  2016, 2200 HKT
Duration:                04hr45min 
Aircraft  Type:        Boeing 767-300ER (reg: JA604J, 13 years Old, One World special livery) 
Seat:                       23A Economy Class

Boarding time. 

My ride for leg 3 to Hong Kong. 
There's a 787 next to me heading to TSA.... Sigh. 

Japan Airlines's domestic economy standard before they step up their games with the 787...
Fortunately the seat next to me was empty, I can only get comfortable by sitting diagonally.
I don't recall the last time I saw foot rests on EY seats...
It's going to be a painful 5 hours ride.



In Japan, the ground crew would bow and wave goodbye to every departure plane and passenger they worked with. 
They bowed a couple times, even the tow truck driver pullover the truck, get off, catch up with his colleagues and wave goodbye together instead of just drive off...

One simply gesture put smile on one's face :) 
The push back in Goodbye wave in video: 
 

The take off, I actually fell asleep a couple times while filming this by hand... no idea how i did it. 



First time seeing the updated 777 style 767 cabin design and overhead bins.
I believe they can be found in 767 built after 2003.

Just give you a comparison:
The old style one on AC's 27 years old 767..
from my previous report: [Air Canada 464, Boeing 767-300ER, Business Class, YYZ-YOW]

Packaged wet napkin was distributed shortly after take off.
Not the same warm tower I got from my previous flight ...
I think their short haul standard and long haul standard are different.

As usual, outstanding in flight meal
The cold udon is amazing.

I have never seen this before, can anyone tell me how it works?
self heating tray? or a metal(or stone?) plate to keep my meal warm?
it seems to be able to connect something else with the two metal conducting points.

JAL branded cup

Safety card time,
it looks pretty warn out.

Häagen-Dazs ice-cream specially prepared for JAL

Old IFE,
once upon a time they were the market leader.


Hello good old friend. How much do I miss you?

It brought back a lot of memory,
this kind of remotes were very popular in the 00's and could be find in many planes
AC's A340-500, CX's A330, A340, 747, 777 etc.

One of the very first AVOD IFE system on the market,
I believe they were made by Panasonic.

Just out of curiosity, had anyone actually used the satellite phone and the built in credit card reader?
I remember they used to cost an arm or a leg.  

gaming controller with L1 and R1 buttons

Movie controls and additional buttons,
I almost forgot how to use one...
Most IFE systems have gone touch screen nowadays.

Poor legroom... and foot rests make it worse.

Once upon a time it was the market leader,
now it's a more than a decade dated product.

Approaching HK at night

Not too sure where it is exactly, probably somewhere above the old Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon

The only highway that connects Hong Kong International Airport.

I can see the airport from the forward camera through my IFE screen
It was (and still is) a very cool feature 10 years ago.

getting closer

The landing:

Arrive the gate.

Ohlala, we parked at the furthest gate at the terminal...

A lot of walking..

Looking up to the departure hall

goes up and down...

very high ceiling

and a train ride ...


after about 15 mins, finally arrived the baggage claiming hall.

although HKIA has a reputation of slow baggage delivery, I was a little worried that my luggage was left behind somewhere along the way... but it did come out in about 30 mins.


Here I had begun my 6 days stay in Hong Kong. 

To be continue in Part 4,

The next flight was another highlight of my trip, very likely to be my last time taking Cathay's 747

[Cathay Pacific 542, Boeing 747-400, Economy Class, HKG-HND] 2016 Mini-Mileage Run to Asia Part 4/6


Past Trip Reports:
[JAL Japan Airlines 9, Boeing 777-300ER, Economy Class, ORD-NRT]
[American Eagle 2936, CRJ-200ER, Economy Class, YUL-ORD]

[JAL Japan Airlines 9, Boeing 777-300ER, Economy Class, ORD-NRT] Best Economy Class in the World, 2016 Mini-Mileage Run to Asia Part 2/6

Here's part 2 of my Mini-Mileage Run, 


Chicago signature dish, the "deep dish".. 
taking Pizza to the next level?  ...
No thank you.... 

I settled with some Doughnuts and coffee to keep myself awake...  
as well as charging my electronics 
the Airport offers only 30 mins of free WiFi, although I found a way to make it works longer than 30 mins without paying... 

The Mad Dog I saw earlier is departing. 

Here comes my ride,
Chicago O'Hare's layout is a little bit strange.
Since American Airports do not have a transit-zone, domestic and international flights share the same departure lounge, and terminal 3 which JAL and some One World member use does not have custom and immigration facility, international arrivals have to drop off its arrival passenger at terminal 5 and then go to terminal 3 to pick up departure passengers.

Very inefficient and time consuming...
IAD solve this problem by using the iconic mobile lounges.

I was surprised that it was taxing by its own power, not being towed over. 

I have never been to a departure lounge that can get this close to the plane. 

The 777-300ER is huge with this perspective


Flight Info:
Flight:                     JAL Japan Airlines 9
Origin:                    Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD/KORD)
Destination:            Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA)
Departure:               13 April 2016, 1235 CDT 
Arrival:                   14 April  2016, 1535 JST
Duration:                13hr00min 
Aircraft  Type:        Boeing 777-300ER (reg: JA741A, 4 years Old) 
Seat:                       27K Economy Class


It's too close, my camera isn't wide enough to take a full shot.



Mighty GE-90

The small RJs and narrow bodies in the background make the 777 looks humongous.

fair view

the Legroom is very generous, 34 inches
something you won't see in European and American carriers.

It's pretty much premium economy level on other carriers.

the take off:

Hot towel was provided shortly after takeoff.
premium carrier standard.
not too many airlines still offer this in economy.

All Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER have WiFi installed,
fair priced, and is seemingly provided by German T-mobile (Google keeps redirecting me to their German site)
1 hrs for USD$9.15
3 hrs for USD$12.95
24 hrs for USD$16.80

VOIP is blocked and bandwidth is not enough for streaming videos.
For more details:
http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inter/service/wifi/



Using in fight WiFi to go on Flightaware to track my own flight...
it feels strange.

JA741J? checked. it's indeed my own flight.

Pre-meal snacks with JAL Excursive "Skytime" Kiwi juice.

Japanese always have the best snacks 

Free of Peanuts ... and may contain traces of peanuts... umm.. 


Flying over Manitoba (or Saskatchewan...), the lakes are still frozen.

First meal is served about 1.5 hrs after take off.

Chicken teriyaki, cold soba..
OMG, I have not had a in-flight meal in economy class this good for a very long time.

French White Wine.

Metal utensils   


Japanese pay a lot of attention into little details,
the pillow is specially shaped to provide neck support, similar to the one you find at the duty free.
Although they don't do much... it's still a very nice touch.

The bathroom has a magnify minor, 
could be useful to some. 
Very nice touch.  


Time to dig through the seat back pocket.
The drink menu.

IFE guide and magazine

Duty Free Catalog

Safety Card

Seat feature guide?

the Sky Wider seats.
it has 10 cm more legroom than its competitor and wider?

He looks very familiar but I cannot recall the name.
He appeared in a Japanese TV drama I watched a while ago.

The headphone I did not use, you can see the wear...

this little slot fits my phone perfectly.

The IFE does come with a functional remote... unlike Air Canada...

and a game pad at the back of the remote!

I also made a quick video to show you the features of the seat.


Snack when flying over Bering Sea

I asked for a cuppa...
there was some miscommunication...
One FA gave me a hot one and the other gave me a cold one...
Well, I'm not complaining.

Second meal is served 3 hours prior landing.  
JAL serve 2 full meal and snack on a 13 hours flight while AC and CX serve 1.5 meal on 15 hours flight... It's clear to tell who the winner is here, not to mention the quality.

 The Front EY cabin,
it has only 2 section of EY, total of 14 rows (147) of EY seats.
it shows the "premium" orientation of their target market.
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Japan_Airlines/Japan_Airlines_Boeing_777-300ER_B.php

descending into Narita

The landing:


 Vietnam Airlines's A350!!

 Arrived Narita terminal 2,
Since I'm just transferring, I don't need to go through custom or passport check point.
Only have to go through security again into departure hall.
Long walk to the gate...

Before I got into the terminal, there was a Japanese ground agent on the Jet bridge holding a sign with my name on it... I knew what was going on.

Bad news, very bad news for me.
My flight to Hong Kong has been changed from 787 to 767, seats have to be reassigned.

Although I had found out that through in flight WiFi before she told me in person ... I was still very disappointed as it was the highlight of this trip.

She handed me my updated boarding pass then bowed and apologised on behalf of her company for the inconvenience and disappointment, and ask if I were okay with the seat chosen for me.

Well, you can't really get mad at them with their altitude...

Sigh.

To be continue in Part 3
[JAL Japan Airlines 735, Boeing 767-300ER, Economy Class, NRT-HKG] 2016 Mini-Mileage Run to Asia Part 3/6

Past Trip Reports:
[American Eagle 2936, CRJ-200ER, Economy Class, YUL-ORD]