Review: Japan Airlines Sky Suite II Business Class Manila to Tokyo (Haneda)

Flight no.	JL 78
Aircraft	Boeing 767-300ER
Seat no.	3K
Cost	25k Alaska miles + US$32 (incl. HND-DEL segment)
Date of flight	November 2022
Flight duration	3.5 hrs

I flew in Japan Airlines Sky Suite II Business Class from Manila to Tokyo (Haneda), before the onward flight to New Delhi.

How to fly Japan Airlines Sky Suite II Business Class

Travellers can redeem miles/points to fly in Japan Airlines Sky Suite II Business Class.

Miles from Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, which can be purchased or earned through flying, can also be redeemed for Japan Airlines Business Class at very low rates!

If you are based in Singapore, this can also be done with Asia Miles that can be transferred from most Singapore credit cards.

Sky Suite II seats are not equipped on all Japan Airlines aircrafts. They can be found on most Boeing 767-300ER aircrafts. Check the seat maps to be sure.

Here’s a quick look at the number of miles and cash required for a one-way Japan Airlines Business Class award booking:

Route (to/from SouthEast Asia)	Alaska Mileage Plan	Asia Miles
Japan, S. Korea, China	25k miles (+~US$60)	61k miles (+~US$220)
India	25k miles (+~US$60)	70k miles (+~US$440)
North America	65k miles (+~US$90)	85k miles (+~US$110)

How to find Japan Airlines award space

The easiest and quickest way to search for oneworld award availability is on American Airlines’ website, aa.com.

This is because, you will be able to set filters like “Non-stop flights only”, “Business/First class only” and no. of passengers, and have a lovely calendar view of the award availability (as shown below).

Note: Use aa.com only as a reference and ignore the miles indicated on the website.

When you see availability on aa.com, replicate the search on your preferred frequent flyer program (e.g. Asia Miles) to complete the booking.

Pre-flight

Prior to take-off, I was offered a beverage of choice and chose JAL’s signature drink.

Unfortunately, hot towel service was still missing and I was offered a wet towel in a plastic packaging before take-off.

Japan Airlines Sky Suite II Business Class

The Sky Suite II seats are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, which means that all seats have direct aisle access.

Seats are equipped with the MAGIC-V in-flight entertainment system, which is older and slower than the MAGIC-VI ones found in newer Boeing 787-9 aircrafts, that are equipped with Sky Suite III seats.

Privacy isn’t that good for the “off-window” seat that I got as there was nothing separating me from the aisle. The even-numbered “true-window” seats should offer better privacy.

Each seat can be transformed into fully-flat beds.

Dining

I’ve always enjoyed dining onboard Japan Airlines Business Class and the experience was just as good on this short flight!

Airport lounge access

Flying in Japan Airlines Business Class from Manila gets you entry into Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge Manila Airport T1.

Unfortunately, the lounge experience was poor during my visit; lacking hot food, wines, spirits, a business centre and showers.

My ratings

This is how I am rating my Business Class experience (vs other airlines):

Seat	7/10
Bed	8/10
Dining	9/10
Privacy	6/10
Service	9/10
Cleanliness	10/10

Bottom line

It was a pleasant flight in Japan Airlines’ Sky Suite II Business Class, however, after flying in Sky Suite (review coming up) and Sky Suite III seats, I have to say that this seat type is my least favourite among those three.