Review of American Airlines Flight 26 on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Tokyo to Los Angeles

Quick take: Lie-flat business-class seats are always a plus, though these now-dated seats probably need to be replaced.

Pros

• Access to Japan Airlines’ excellent lounges.
• Seats are lie-flat and comfortable enough.
• Friendly service and an on-time departure.

Cons

• Due to the unique configuration, seats and footwells are tight.
• Service was warm, but not quite up to the standards you might find on international airlines.
• American Airlines’ catering doesn’t hold a candle to Japanese carriers.

Though many flyers might opt for a flight on Japan Airlines or All Nippon Airways when visiting Tokyo, the ease of booking flights on American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines using their own frequent flyer programs’ miles or applying elite upgrades to flights on their metal might be reason enough to choose a U.S. carrier.

That was my value proposition when I needed to fly from Japan to California one-way this fall after a cruise. I earned 175,000 Loyalty Points with American Airlines last year and chose two systemwide upgrades as one of my rewards. I figured a long-haul flight from Japan to the U.S. was the perfect opportunity to use one of these certificates, and it actually cleared. That’s how I ended up enjoying the flight back to the U.S. in business class rather than economy.

Here’s what it was like flying American Airlines’ 787-8 Dreamliner, and why you might (or might not) want to consider it on a trip to or from Japan.

Related: Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage

How much does business class cost to book on American Airlines?

Flights between the U.S. and Tokyo are relatively expensive, and it doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re booking close in or longer out at this point. Perhaps that’s why American Airlines is planning on deploying bigger planes on the route between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) next summer. The cheapest round-trip tickets available at the moment cost $848 in economy and a whopping $4,500 or more if you want to fly in business class.

I also searched high and low for mileage redemptions, but the most affordable tickets I could find cost 61,000 AAdvantage miles and $49 round-trip in coach. The least expensive business-class tickets required a whopping 305,000 miles plus $49. I do occasionally see saver awards for as few as 60,000 AAdvantage miles one-way in business class, but those awards are increasingly difficult to secure.

Here is the range of round-trip cash and award rates on flights between Tokyo and Los Angeles over the next several months.

My last-minute one-way fare from Tokyo to Los Angeles and then on to San Francisco in October cost $1,027.70 in economy. I then bought an upgrade to premium economy for $528 (in case I wasn’t able to use one of my systemwide upgrade certificates). I earned a total of 12,261 Loyalty Points and award miles for the flights as an American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum member.

My upgrade cleared four days before my flight, but I only realized it when I checked on the reservation and noticed I no longer had a seat assignment. I never did get a notification from American, which was unusual.

Unfortunately, I was not refunded the cost of my upgrade to premium economy after I was cleared into business class. To me, though, it was worth paying the extra (nonrefundable) money as a kind of insurance that no matter what happened with my systemwide upgrade, I wouldn’t have to fly all the way across the ocean in coach.

Both cash fares and mileage redemptions in American Airlines business class to or from Asia include free seat selection, two checked bags up to 70 pounds each, one carry-on and one personal item.

Related: How to use American Airlines systemwide upgrades

Checking in to and boarding business class on American Airlines

American Airlines operates from Terminal 3 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND).

There were 14 check-in counters, and all but three of them had agents helping customers when I arrived four hours before my flight to Los Angeles.

Three of the desks were for Priority passengers and three were for Main Cabin passengers; the rest were either bag-drop stations or other customer service stations. There were 11 kiosks where passengers could perform self-check-in.

Interestingly, there was also a biometric screening station, although it didn’t appear to be working.

Even though I had conveniently checked in for my flight online and gotten a boarding pass via the American Airlines app, I still wanted to see what it would be like checking in at the counters. I waited just one minute before a friendly woman asked for my passport. There were very short lines for the economy passengers, too.

The agent didn’t mention any lounges, although I knew I had access to several. American Airlines business-class passengers can expect the following priority services at the airport:

There was a fast-track security lane for first- and business-class passengers with automated gates activated by scanning your boarding pass.

Unfortunately, the priority lane dumped me back into the general security line, but I got to it faster than most of the other passengers, went through the automated immigration gates and made my way to the lounges I would have access to.

One of my favorite parts of traveling from Haneda Airport is the plethora of lounges available for passengers departing in business class or passengers with Oneworld status, including two Japan Airlines business-class lounges that passengers flying in business class on American Airlines can enter: the Sakura Lounge and the Sakura Lounge Sky View on the fourth and fifth floors of the terminal.

Neither lounge was crowded, though I got to the Sky View lounge just as it opened, so it was much emptier.

Both lounges featured an extensive selection of beverages (wine, beer, spirits) and various snacks and meals to fuel up for the flight ahead.

Both lounges were massive, with plenty of distinct seating areas and minimalist, Japanese-inspired design.

My top-tier status with American Airlines equates to Oneworld Emerald status, so I have entry into first-class lounges when flying on a Oneworld airline, including the magnificent JAL First Class Lounge.

A gorgeous hallway leads you into the main part of the lounge, where you’ll find multiple seating arrangements, including long desks with great views of the airport tarmac.

The dining area called JAL’s Table features a live-cooking station with fresh sushi, and you can use a QR code at each seat anywhere in the lounge to order a la carte items, including curries and Japanese delicacies.

One of my favorite spots was a back area called the Red Suite, which had a Champagne bar, unique seating areas and antique airline memorabilia, including model planes, globes and historical documents from Japan Airlines’ long history. There was even a shoeshine station.

There was a whole other floor upstairs with a staffed bar and more seating.

Of course, I took a little break and got a 20-minute massage from one of the lounge’s automatic massage chairs.

There were also showers available and all the amenities you could want for a long layover or quick preflight scrub.

It was a 10-minute walk to my gate, where boarding began promptly an hour before the flight. There were plenty of seats and charging towers in the boarding area, but there were only a few open seats left by the time I arrived.

Passengers in business class got to board in Group 1. That meant I was one of the first passengers on the plane.

The process was smooth and orderly, and the doors were closed several minutes before our departure time.

How comfortable was business class on American Airlines?

My flight, American Airlines 26, was operated by an 8-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with the tail number N813AN. This is the smallest Dreamliner variant, and the business-class cabin had just 20 seats. Here is the basic layout of the cabin and seats:

The cabin is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, which means all the seats have aisle access. The seats also lay flat, and I was able to get a good five hours of sleep during my journey.

These planes feature American’s version of the Safran Concept D seat (formerly known as Zodiac), which is comfortable but can feel narrow.

Some flyers despise these seats, though, because they are arranged in a mixed forward- and rear-facing configuration. Since the seats are attached to one another, you can feel it when the person next to you moves — this is why some people refer to these as “rocking chairs.”

The seats measured around 21 inches at the hip; the headrest was 14 inches wide at its widest point at the base of the neck, narrowing to 10 inches at the top.

I was in 4A, a backward-facing seat. Some flyers may want to avoid these seats since it can feel like you’re leaning slightly forward when the plane is in flight, though I don’t mind them at all.

The seat itself was comfortable, although the footwell was narrow, which may bother those who are not side sleepers.

You may want to avoid rows 1 and 5, especially if you don’t want to be near the bathrooms or galley, although I’d argue there is enough of a barrier at the front and back of the business-class cabin that it shouldn’t be too much of a bother.

The best seats for couples will be any pair of D and H seats. Unfortunately, the sliding privacy panels between the middle seats that were meant to be opened appeared to be disabled on this plane. It didn’t seem that they were adjustable, which wasn’t the case when the plane went into service.

On the window side of my seat was a small console that opened to pull out the tray table.

As you can see, the bifold tray table took up the whole width of the seat. It measured 20 1/2 inches by 16 inches when fully extended. I found it perfectly sized for my computer as a workstation, though getting into and out of the seat was a challenge.

On the side of the seat by the windows, there were two large power outlets, which came in handy for charging my laptop and my mobile phone. I found the positioning convenient compared to other business-class seats I’ve flown where the outlets were behind me.

Above the outlets, there was a small shelf with two USB-A charging ports.

The side of the console closest to the passenger held a remote to control the various inflight entertainment functions and a light switch.

The system was a 15-inch screen and it could be popped out of the neighboring seatback with the push of a button.

There were plenty of entertainment choices, including movies, music, television shows and a moving map feature. I counted 72 new releases, including 40 that had been added for the month. There were also dozens of television episodes to choose from.

In addition to those, there were games, a kids channel, music and flight information. There was also a small controller just to the right of the IFE controller with preset seat positions for easy maneuvering.

You could use that little screen to change the setting for suite lights and to illuminate a “privacy please” feature, too.

There were overhead air nozzles above the seats, so I could control the temperature in the area around me.

I had two large windows with views of the tarmac, though it was pitch dark in Tokyo when we departed.

There were three restrooms for the small business-class cabin. There was a bathroom on each side of the galley behind the business-class cabin and another on the front left side of the aircraft not far from the cockpit.

The bathrooms were kept clean during my flight and there was never a wait, though there were no special amenities.

Amenities in American Airlines business class

Already waiting at my seat when I boarded was a Bang & Olufsen headset, a bottle of water, a Raven + Lily-branded amenity kit and a paper menu.

The B&O headsets were great quality and made for a quiet and enjoyable sound experience. It’s just too bad American Airlines makes flight attendants collect them as early as an hour before landing, which really limits the experience.

Inside the amenity kit were most of the basics like an eye mask, earplugs, Pholk hand and body lotion, lip balm by Macabalm, and a dental kit. I found the absence of disposable socks strange, but I guess that’s a cost-cutting measure these days.

There was also a large plastic-wrapped pillow and Casper blanket at my seat. The bedding provided a good mix of warmth and comfort. American Airlines is in the process of rolling out more environmentally friendly bedding from Nest that doesn’t come in plastic. I got to try it out on a recent flight to London and it was also quite nice.

Wi-Fi provided by Panasonic cost $35 for the full-flight package with no data limits.

While I didn’t spend too much time online since it was a nighttime flight, as you can see below, Wi-Fi speeds were generally not great.

American is in the process of rolling out improved satellite Wi-Fi on its long-haul planes, so hopefully this is an area that will improve in the future.

How was the food in American Airlines business class?

Overall, the food on this Tokyo flight was middling at best.

Passengers boarded to find menus waiting at their seats.

As we settled in, flight attendants offered water, orange juice or sparkling wine in plastic cups. The Italian Altemasi Trentodoc Brut they served retails for about $14 per bottle.

Flight attendants handed out warm towels about 20 minutes into the flight.

Warmed nuts were brought out about 10 minutes later with a selection of cocktails. The nuts were lukewarm and tasted a bit stale. I went for a club soda and cranberry, which the flight attendants offered to refill proactively.

As I mentioned, there were only 20 business-class seats on this plane and three flight attendants, including the purser Louis, who oversaw my row, so it made for a pretty good service experience.

The main courses on offer were:

• Grilled beef fillet
• Salmon fillet
• Polenta lasagna
• Steamed rice available on request

Louis was nice enough to bring me the Japanese meal he served to another passenger so I could photograph it.

For the Western meal, the first course was a small plate of tuna tataki in a plum sauce, along with a salad of seasonal greens with cucumber, ginger and snap peas. I chose the peppercorn ranch dressing but Japanese sesame soy dressing was also available. The tuna was delicious. I didn’t taste the plum sauce, but the breadcrumb crust was tasty.

White rolls, pretzel bread and wheat rolls were also offered with a pat of butter. The bread looked a bit dried out, but it was fine once some butter had been spread on top. I ordered the polenta lasagna as a main course.

It was filling, but watery and bland. The one thing that didn’t disappoint was dessert.

Choices for dessert were:

• A fruit-and-cheese plate
• Custom-made sundaes
• Panna cotta (an Italian cream dessert)

You really can’t beat the sundaes American Airlines offers as part of its long-haul business-class service. I had a hot fudge sundae with extra whipped cream. Classic but delicious.

The meal service was completed just over an hour into flight, which I appreciated since it allowed for more time for sleep.

Set up in the galley at the front of the cabin were small finger sandwiches and other small bites.

There were also several beverage options and a selection of packaged snacks, including Japanese crackers and other goodies.

Breakfast was served about an hour and 15 minutes before landing.

There were two choices for the meal, both served with a small salad with soy dressing. The options were:

• Stir-fried udon noodles
• Red pepper-and-onion quiche

The udon noodles were thick and doughy in a savory broth. The salad was a bit wilted, but dessert was a delicious opera cake with whipped cream and a single half of a strawberry.

Breakfast was far superior to dinner on this flight. The flight attendants were great at refilling my coffee, but Louis did ask me if I had a big meeting or something since I’d asked for so many refills! I replied that the cups were small.

The food in American Airlines’ long-haul business class just didn’t hold a candle to Japan Airlines, which I’ve flown a few times. In my opinion, that’s probably reason enough to choose Japan Airlines over American on this route if the price is similar. Flight attendants collected the Bang & Olufsen headsets about 40 minutes before landing.

Service throughout the flight was generally very good, with a friendly crew of nine flight attendants. Louis, who looked after me, was especially friendly when I pestered him with questions about the plane and seats. Flight attendants also regularly passed through the cabin to see if passengers needed anything, so overall the experience was very positive.

Would you recommend American Airlines business class?

An early departure from Tokyo and arrival in Los Angeles and a comfortable, if tight, lie-flat bed made for a decent flight. The service was nice, with an efficient and friendly crew. The experience wasn’t the best I’ve had on American Airlines, but I rate it as a perfectly pleasant experience overall.

Although it’s not my top choice for flying between the U.S. and Japan, I would recommend American Airlines business class if you apply an upgrade like I did. The seats aren’t the best, but they’re comfortable enough for getting some rest on a long flight.

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