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Osaka Itami <--> Tokyo Haneda - 251 miles; about 45 minutes; 777-200.
Pictures of the comfortable leather seat are on JL's website - 2-2-2 configuration - 14 pax in total.
There are special F check-in counters (which OW EMD can of course use). The HND F check-in is next to a dedicated F security checkpoint (again, OW EMD can use) which opens directly into the lounge. Definitely my most pleasant security experience as a group of people very politely took my bags, odds and ends; put them into trays and presented them back to me at the other end. There didn't appear to be any special security at ITM for F but nevertheless, all of the Japanese pax are well trained - e.g. removing keys, coins etc at tables before security (with lots of small plastic trays helpfully provided) - so security is very quick anyway.
HND has the JAL Diamond Premium Lounge (for F / OW EMD) which is okay but not memorable. No natural light, no food (other than rice crackers), no computers and no free wifi (from what I could tell) - basically, a pleasant relatively uncrowded place to sit and wait for the flight.
ITM has the JAL Sakura lounge (open to F/J and OW EMD/SPH) which is one of the few lounges where I preferred to sit in the main terminal (and I left early) - the lounge was uncomfortably warm, rammed full of pax and IMO gloomy with no natural light.
However, it has to be said that for most (non-transit) pax the lounges are not meant to be places to spend a lot of time. The JL domestic flights accept check-in up to 15 minutes before departure and boarding 10 minutes before departure.
Boarding for JAL domestic flights is carried out in the following order - (i) pax with special requirements, e.g. those with children; (ii) JAL FFP top tier, OW EMD and F pax; and (iii) everyone else. Unlike in the UK (at least), boarding is very efficient - everyone knows his/her place in the boarding order and only goes to the gate when it's their time.
(I also flew two JL domestic Y (35 minutes; no trolley service; newspapers and blankets offered) and two JL domestic J (45 minutes; trolley service of drinks; newspapers and blankets offered)).
On boarding both my JL F flights, I found on my seat's arm rest a JAL bag with (i) for one flight, a box of Italian coffee (something called e tricaffee) and a bottle of Heisdieck Monopole; and (ii) for the other flight, a bottle of Japanese sake in a small wooden box. I was told that they were to celebrate the JL domestic F's first anniversary.
The menu for the flight is handed out to each pax individually. Coats are taken and hung up. Help to stow bags is offered. Newspapers, blankets and cushions are offered. Slippers and headphones are in the seat already. A hot towel is offered. The food and drink order is taken. No pre-flight drinks. The equivalent of the IFS goes round to greet each pax.
After takeoff and the seat belt light turning off, the crew change into pink aprons and get to work and present to each pax on a tray (not a trolley in sight) the food and drink ordered. Drink top-ups are provided. I didn't want to eat anything on both my flights and each time was given by the crew a bag with a box of chocs (from the French restaurant L'Alliance in Tokyo) to take away.
Prior to landing, everything is cleared up, coats given back, more hot towels and the IFS comes round again to each pax to say thanks for flying JAL.
Both my JL F flights were full (14 pax) and even with short flight times of 45 minutes, the crew were amazingly efficient and coordinated and no request seemed too much bother (even, e.g., a pax having had noodles etc asking for seconds of sandwiches and a coffee). Lots of bowing too (which I know KeithMEL would particularly enjoy
). I noticed on my JL flights that the crew use a number of hand signals to communicate with others further down in the cabin adding to the feeling of everything being carried out with the minimum of fuss and bother.
Pictures of the comfortable leather seat are on JL's website - 2-2-2 configuration - 14 pax in total.
There are special F check-in counters (which OW EMD can of course use). The HND F check-in is next to a dedicated F security checkpoint (again, OW EMD can use) which opens directly into the lounge. Definitely my most pleasant security experience as a group of people very politely took my bags, odds and ends; put them into trays and presented them back to me at the other end. There didn't appear to be any special security at ITM for F but nevertheless, all of the Japanese pax are well trained - e.g. removing keys, coins etc at tables before security (with lots of small plastic trays helpfully provided) - so security is very quick anyway.
HND has the JAL Diamond Premium Lounge (for F / OW EMD) which is okay but not memorable. No natural light, no food (other than rice crackers), no computers and no free wifi (from what I could tell) - basically, a pleasant relatively uncrowded place to sit and wait for the flight.
ITM has the JAL Sakura lounge (open to F/J and OW EMD/SPH) which is one of the few lounges where I preferred to sit in the main terminal (and I left early) - the lounge was uncomfortably warm, rammed full of pax and IMO gloomy with no natural light.
However, it has to be said that for most (non-transit) pax the lounges are not meant to be places to spend a lot of time. The JL domestic flights accept check-in up to 15 minutes before departure and boarding 10 minutes before departure.
Boarding for JAL domestic flights is carried out in the following order - (i) pax with special requirements, e.g. those with children; (ii) JAL FFP top tier, OW EMD and F pax; and (iii) everyone else. Unlike in the UK (at least), boarding is very efficient - everyone knows his/her place in the boarding order and only goes to the gate when it's their time.
(I also flew two JL domestic Y (35 minutes; no trolley service; newspapers and blankets offered) and two JL domestic J (45 minutes; trolley service of drinks; newspapers and blankets offered)).
On boarding both my JL F flights, I found on my seat's arm rest a JAL bag with (i) for one flight, a box of Italian coffee (something called e tricaffee) and a bottle of Heisdieck Monopole; and (ii) for the other flight, a bottle of Japanese sake in a small wooden box. I was told that they were to celebrate the JL domestic F's first anniversary.
The menu for the flight is handed out to each pax individually. Coats are taken and hung up. Help to stow bags is offered. Newspapers, blankets and cushions are offered. Slippers and headphones are in the seat already. A hot towel is offered. The food and drink order is taken. No pre-flight drinks. The equivalent of the IFS goes round to greet each pax.
After takeoff and the seat belt light turning off, the crew change into pink aprons and get to work and present to each pax on a tray (not a trolley in sight) the food and drink ordered. Drink top-ups are provided. I didn't want to eat anything on both my flights and each time was given by the crew a bag with a box of chocs (from the French restaurant L'Alliance in Tokyo) to take away.
Prior to landing, everything is cleared up, coats given back, more hot towels and the IFS comes round again to each pax to say thanks for flying JAL.
Both my JL F flights were full (14 pax) and even with short flight times of 45 minutes, the crew were amazingly efficient and coordinated and no request seemed too much bother (even, e.g., a pax having had noodles etc asking for seconds of sandwiches and a coffee). Lots of bowing too (which I know KeithMEL would particularly enjoy
). I noticed on my JL flights that the crew use a number of hand signals to communicate with others further down in the cabin adding to the feeling of everything being carried out with the minimum of fuss and bother.
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