Boston to Tokyo in Japan Airline’s Premium Economy: A Joyous Journey

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Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner 9 is one beautiful and comfortable plane, flying between Boston and Tokyo daily.
Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner 9 is one beautiful and comfortable plane, flying between Boston and Tokyo daily.

I took a recent trip aboard one of today’s most modern planes, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner 9, which is in service daily between Boston and Tokyo. It’s a 13-hour flight, so comfort is paramount, and this plane made the journey much easier.

In addition, JAL’s flight attendants were there at every beck and call, totally helpful and friendly, apologizing for making me wait for them to come with the drinks!

The seatback monitors of the 787 are larger than any other plane I’ve ever flown, a really nice picture too.

I was seated in Premium Economy, right past the rows of their newest offering, flat bed sleeping in pods in business class.  To upgrade to PE, you just pay $300 at the counter, making this trip cost about $2000, versus almost double if you went full business.

The seats in PE are bigger than in coach, and while not lie-flat, they are very comfortable, with lots of little nooks to place things like your phone, and a USB right below the TV monitor for charging.

A flight attendants hows me the menu for Premium Economy on Japan Airlines.
A flight attendants hows me the menu for Premium Economy on Japan Airlines.

The selection of movies and TV shows included some very useful shows about parts of Japan.

I watched about five episodes, first of two comedians who visit parts of Japan and show off the tourist highlights and another with a different host who hooks up with beautiful Japanese actresses and has adventures in Hokkaido and other remote parts of the country.

I never would have known that in Japan they raise bluefin tuna in pens off shore, that get to about 280 pounds, and taste just like the wild ones. That’s according to uber-chef Nobu, who was taking his fellow chef Eric Rippert of Le Bernadin on a trip to his howntown of Nagasaki, on the far western tip of Japan.

Japan Airlines already owns 24 of these beautiful planes, and has 42 more on order.

Despite the long flight time, I was able to catch a few zzs and I noticed the difference that the cabin pressure makes on the Dreamliner. What is the difference?  Here is what Backpacker Lee wrote in the linked story about this.

“Another important feature of the B787 Dreamliner is that the cabin pressure is different to other aircraft in the sky. On the 787, the cabin is pressured to 6000ft, which is 2000ft lower than normal, and this helps the body absorb over 8% more oxygen.”

If you get a chance to fly Japan Airlines, definitely try to get on a plane like this, you’ll love it!