JL 787 PEK-HND and SQ 77WN HND-SIN : Is this as good as Y gets?

[yflyer]

Before descent, a snack was served: a choice of either a chicken teriyaki bun, or a Japanese pancake with red bean, called a dorayaki...



I chose the chicken teriyaki bun.



The snack was served along with a full beverage service...



Coffee served in a plastic cup and tray...

[yflyer]

Amenities like toothbrushes and combs in the bathrooms...

[yflyer]

Another fascinating movie on Krisworld at the time was Ants on a Shrimp, which chronicled the experience of chef René Redzepi (Of Noma fame) and his team as they temporarily relocated their restaurant to Tokyo...







Some scenes are not for the squeamish...



Foraging...



They served up quite a feast during their time in Tokyo...



Did they really serve ants on a shrimp? Watch the movie to find out!

[yflyer]

Approaching Singapore...





Landing on a overcast afternoon...



At the gate...



And out in no-time...



Once again, an exceptional flight on SQ, with great hard product, catering, IFE (Plus time-based wifi for a fee) and very good cabin service.

[yflyer]

To sum up, two very good flights back to back on JL and SQ.

Both these airlines have very strong economy class products.

The flights I took would probably be considered medium haul, but I would be very happy flying long haul on these aircraft too. Both the JL 787 and SQ 77WN are exceptionally comfortable in Y.

Catering on these particular flights was exceptional by Y standards. Cabin service was near flawless too on both JL and SQ.

Of course SQ and JL compete head to head on the Singapore to Japan sector. SQ is Star Alliance whereas JL is a member of Oneworld. Perhaps the competition is one factor which has spurred these two airlines towards such service excellence on routes to and from Japan.

So which is better? JL or SQ?

There is very little to choose between them in economy class. Perhaps SQ has a wider program selection on their IFE, and not all JAL's 787's have wifi.

I think JL and SQ are both excellent. Anyway the intent of the TR was not to face-off these two airlines against each other.

I think the main takeaway from this TR is that when choosing a flight, the aircraft type and seating plan does matter.

As I wrote earlier: the right seating plan is half the battle won. And conversely, my personal opinion is that any airline that aims to launch a class-leading economy product is handicapped from the start if the cabin is a 9-abreast 787 or a 10-abreast 777.

UA and CX have recently moved from 9-abreast to 10-abreast on the 77W, and BA will be doing this on selected aircraft and routes as well (But thankfully not so far on the SIN-LHR route).

QF has also gone 9-abreast in economy on their new 787, which is disappointing because QF, of all airlines, should know a thing or two about long haul comfort.

What are all these airlines thinking? Is this the wisdom of the crowds, or collective insanity?

What will the Y cabin be like when SIA launches the 787-10?

More questions than answers at the moment, but at least for now, my preferred Y rides are SQ's 77WN or 77WR with the 2013 products. SQ's A350 and A380 are also personal favourites. And I try to get onto JL's 787's whenever I can too, although they don't fly to too many destinations on my go-to list at the moment.

Thanks for reading!

[loldude333]

Yet another signature yflyer TR......informative, interesting, good photos, opinions and supporting facts stated clearly and cohesively. Ok, the only thing missing was a run or two....hahaha. And of course....you had to mention 3D Maps.

[jammed]

Thank you for another great TR, yflyer! A truly comprehensive compare and contrast, as you dwell over each relevant details between two products. You almost convinced me - just almost - that JCL is a complete waste of $$$, when we have such wonderful Y classes

PS you didn't do a run this time round?

[SQGamespeed]

Another great TR, yflyer! SQ and JL are two of my favourite airlines for Y travel as well, and this TR further reinforces my opinion. Flying between Singapore and Japan is really feels like a best case scenario when it comes to inflight service.

Your seat width picture reminds me of an earlier TR where you used books to illustrate the differences of widths. Now I am curious how that would look like on 10-abreast 777 seats... or on the brand new A350s of French leisure airline Air Caraïbes (which are configured 10-abreast with less than 17 inch width ).

[Tonitan]

A very enjoyable TR as usual! As a food aficionado,so far we have not seen Yflyer visiting any Sushi master In his various TR to Tokyo! Would relish the opportunity to pay a visit to establishment like Sushi Saito or Masuda! Airlines stemming from yield pressure are all looking at cramping their Y cabins and Air Caraibes won't be the only airline with 10 across on their A350. That aside JL's B787 2-4-2 looks extremely spacious & roomy!

[yflyer]

Thank you for another great TR, yflyer! A truly comprehensive compare and contrast, as you dwell over each relevant details between two products. You almost convinced me - just almost - that JCL is a complete waste of $$$, when we have such wonderful Y classes

PS you didn't do a run this time round?

Thanks, jammed! No JCL is not a complete waste of $$$. I would definitely fly F or J if I could! But yes Y can be comfortable too!

Didn't manage to run on that trip. The side trip to Tokyo was too short for me to run!

Yet another signature yflyer TR......informative, interesting, good photos, opinions and supporting facts stated clearly and cohesively. Ok, the only thing missing was a run or two....hahaha. And of course....you had to mention 3D Maps.

Thanks, loldude333!

I haven't been slacking off on the runs...since that trip, I have done a couple of other trips with runs which I intend to post at some point!

Another great TR, yflyer! SQ and JL are two of my favourite airlines for Y travel as well, and this TR further reinforces my opinion. Flying between Singapore and Japan is really feels like a best case scenario when it comes to inflight service.

Your seat width picture reminds me of an earlier TR where you used books to illustrate the differences of widths. Now I am curious how that would look like on 10-abreast 777 seats... or on the brand new A350s of French leisure airline Air Caraïbes (which are configured 10-abreast with less than 17 inch width ).

Thanks, SQGamespeed!

I actually DID take a pic of the 77WN Y seat with magazines on it.



The trouble is that I used the SilverKris magazine, rather than the Krisworld program guide. Turns out the two magazines are different sizes! Who would have guessed...So it wasn't a valid comparison. Will need to take a proper pic with the program guide again so we can do a like-for-like comparison...

A very enjoyable TR as usual! As a food aficionado,so far we have not seen Yflyer visiting any Sushi master In his various TR to Tokyo! Would relish the opportunity to pay a visit to establishment like Sushi Saito or Masuda! Airlines stemming from yield pressure are all looking at cramping their Y cabins and Air Caraibes won't be the only airline with 10 across on their A350. That aside JL's B787 2-4-2 looks extremely spacious & roomy!

Thanks, Tonitan!

No, I've not visited any of the famous sushi masters like Jiro Ono. Apart from price, I think I would be quite intimidated...but I would like to try some of these places one day. jhm and 9V-SIA had some really interesting suggestions for sushi restaurants in another thread. In the mean time, I am looking forward to others on this forum posting TRs of sushi meals at some of these well known places...

Don't expect a TR on a 10-abreast A350 from me any time soon...just the thought of it is enough to make me cringe. I doubt I would book a trip on Air Caraibes if they have that layout! Yes, JL's 2-4-2 on the Dreamliner has a very calm and serene ambience even when full...

[9V-SIA]

Useful TR

It's a pity JL don't fly the 787 to SIN

I'd love to try a 787 with 2-4-2 configuration in Y

[yflyer]

Useful TR

It's a pity JL don't fly the 787 to SIN

I'd love to try a 787 with 2-4-2 configuration in Y

Thanks, 9V-SIA!

JAL did fly the Dreamliner on the SIN-NRT route a few years ago (In late 2012).

Nowadays JAL only operates 767's (With new interiors) and the occasional 777 from Singapore to Tokyo, so the only opportunity to fly JAL's 2-4-2 Y is from Tokyo to other destinations e.g. the USA or other Asian routes like HND-PEK.