Sydney to Tokyo - JAL over QF?

[BARNABY]

Re: JAL SEATING (Sleeping) COMFORT?

I am flying Sydney to Tokyo next January, and have selected JAL over Qantas as my carrier, purely because of the 2 non-stop sectors offered by JAL (not yet booked).
I am now told that the JAL 747-400 KO version has limited leg room and am having second thoughts, as I will be flying overnight on the return section.
Could I please ask for any comments and advice on my dilemna

Cheers
Barnaby

 

[Flashback]

Re: Emirates J Class

I would recommend starting a new thread for that question.

 

[QF WP]

An excellent idea, Flashware, and easy to arrange

 

[jasonja3]

AFAIK, JAL still uses cradle seats on this route. Qantas has the skybeds on the A330's. For any overnight flight, I would opt for the skybed over the cradle seat any day. Note QF60 is a 767 service via CNS so also has cradle type seats.

 

[Wunala Dreaming]

Hello BARNABY,

Your have a number of options for the overnight NRT-SYD flight. You can click on "Image Source" for larger versions of the images.

QF0060 NRT-CNS-SYD (763) - Dreamtime Cradle Seat with PTV

Image Source

QF0022 NRT-SYD (333/332) - SkyBed Seat/Bed
QF0136 NRT-SYD (333/332) - SkyBed Seat/Bed - Operates on select days

Image Source

JL0771 NRT-SYD (744) - Skyluxe Cradle Seat

Image Source

While the JAL Skyluxe seat seems to have good pitch (going by the image) I would personally take the QF0022/QF0136 service from NRT to SYD. Not only will you be able to sleep in the SkyBed, you will have access to AVOD (AVOiD to a certain extent) and a refreshment bar. Also, on select days these flights will be operated by Qantas' new A330-200s (which will start being delivered from Decemeber onwards). QF0060 is another option, but remember there will be a stop in CNS, you will have the Dreamtime cradle seat, and the IFE, while reliable, is dated. If AO crew are still operating these flights, you will find the service to be extremely good.

I would personally choose the SkyBed option on the overnight NRT-SYD service (so I could get some decent sleep), but some people have found that they slide down the bed while sleeping (not in my case anyway). You may find that you will sleep better in a Cradle Seat so your best next option would be JAL (remembering it's a nonstop flight - NRT/SYD compared with the Qantas NRT-CNS-SYD flight).

For SYD-NRT, I suppose the need for sleep won't be a deciding factor in which flight you choose. Many people have found that the Dreamtime seat (available on QF0167 SYD-CNS-NRT) is very comfortable for day flights and that the 767 service via CNS is usually very empty in the J cabin.

If it was me choosing again, I would go for QF0135 SYD-NRT [A330-200/-300] (when available - doesn't operate every day) purely because it's a nonstop flight, has good IFE options and I like sitting in the SkyBed seat on daytime flights. Next choice would be JAL due to it being a nonstop flight.

To be honest, it really boils down to what you want out of the flight. We can give you advice as to what would be a good option, but you really need to factor in what your requirements are and choose the right flight from that.

Cheers