Japan Airlines (JAL)

Headquarters: 2-4-11 Higashi-Shinagawa, 2-chome, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Prefecture 140-8637

011 81 570-025-121

Website

4.09,599 reviews

Travellers' Choice 2020 Winner

Travellers' Choice 2019 Winner

Travellers' Choice 2018 Winner

Travellers' Choice 2017 Winner

Legroom

Seat comfort

In-flight entertainment (WiFi, TV, films)

Onboard Experience

Customer service

Value for money

Cleanliness

Check-in and boarding

Food and beverage

About Japan Airlines (JAL)

Airline Alliance

oneworld

Airline Summary

The country's largest airline, Japan Airlines (JL) is headquartered in Tokyo. It flies non-stop to about 60 domestic destinations and more than 30 international destinations in Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America and South America. JL is part of the oneworld alliance and also has codeshare arrangements with about 30 other airlines. The airline has four classes of service: First Class, Executive Class (the equivalent of Business Class), Premium Economy Class, Class J (Economy Class seating with larger seats) and Economy Class. Its fleet features a variety of two-cabin, three-cabin and four-cabin configurations. Japan Airlines' primary hubs are located at Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND) and Narita International Airport (NRT).

4.0

9,599

Excellent

5,045

Very good

3,051

Average

770

Poor

272

Terrible

461

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Nik

Singapore, Singapore

23 contributions

The Best airline if you have food allergies

Singapore - New York CityInternational

A family member has multiple food allergies (gluten, eggs & dairy) and long flights have always been an ordeal for us. This is the first time we tried JAL and it was such a relief!!! - they have a 7 allergen & 28-allergen free meal selection which can be be booked 49 hours in advance for ALL flights (Singapore Air also has a minimal-allergen option but it is not available for all flights - with no clarity on which routes the option is available) - at check-in they double checked on allergies and same in Tokyo during the connection - after boarding again double checked by attendants - Each meal was super tasty and all ingredients clearly indicated The entire experience was better than most high end restaurants because of their attention to detail and quality of food. Travelling with extensive dietary restrictions is extremely difficult but this was so confidence inspiring that we would be happy to pay a premium to travel on JAL. Apart from food - all aspects of every segment were befitting a top airline. The connection in Tokyo was super smooth.

Date of travel: January 2025

Legroom

Seat comfort

In-flight Entertainment

Customer service

Value for money

Cleanliness

Check-in and boarding

Food and Beverage

Written January 13, 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Carol A

2 contributions

Don't ever use this airline.

Phoenix - TokyoInternational

The worst website I have ever encountered. I was stunned. Go on any American airlines website and you can form an account, sign in and check your reservations and other information. On this site, Americans are not ALLOWED to have an account. You must be Japanese. Every single time you sign on, you must give the Reservation number and flight numbers as well as your name. They want your first, middle, and last name. Last time I looked, I knew my name. According to them, I don't. So when I entered the same exact information I did when I purchased tickets, I am getting an error message telling me my information is wrong. Now comes the fun part! I don't have any idea of how many times I called them. But here is one sample phone call from 6 am this morning. There is only one possible choice to get them to talk to you so I can ask for an email confirming some changes they made before they decided I don't know my own name. The first representative is pleasant and cordial and asked me for all the same information mentioned above. He then tells me he can't help me because I really need "customer service" and I have punched the wrong number!!!! He transfers me and I get to listen to a constantly repeating automated message which tells me to continue to hold or "call back later". After 18 minutes, the call appears to be going through and then magically, I am disconnected. I call back. This time it went on for 31 minutes. I then tried their chat bot. Well, you know how that went. Don't ask about their app. It simply does NOT work. Then I tried an online messaging service, but it states above the free text box that they will decide if they are going to respond. I am not making this up. After the free text box, I checked the box that says "response required". I got an automated response saying they received the email. I'm hoping one of their employees is reading this and will please respond to my humble request for a confirmation email of all my flights since they made a change. After paying $8000 for a ticket, I don't think I'm being demanding.

Date of travel: January 2025

Written January 13, 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Andy C

1 contribution

Poor service, poor website.

Honolulu - OsakaInternational

Terrible customer service. Terrible US website. I've now been on hold for all over an hour trying to talk to an agent to determine their refund policy on a first class international ticket in the event of a voluntary cancellation. Clearly understaffed. I also spent an inordinate amount of time on JAL's US website trying to fine and answer to my question, to no avail. I think I'll fly a different carrier.

Date of travel: January 2025

Written January 11, 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

AussieS5Richard

Perth, Australia

226 contributions

Magnificent experience

Sydney - New York CityInternational

Absolutely brilliant. Everything about this airline and service says that they will be in the top 5 airlines in the world in the next couple of years. The suites on the longer leg were even better than the Qatar Q-suites. The service and food was exceptional. Loved the speakers in the headrest rest so that you did not have to wear headphones. Their mattress is also better than any other airline

Date of travel: November 2024

Written January 11, 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Alian P

2 contributions

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

Jakarta - BostonInternational

Recently bought a ticket for my niece to fly from Jakarta to Boston (01/15/25) Called JAL US 800 # because: (a) I wanted to ask a few questions, (b) checking to make sure that the seats I chose when I purchased the ticket are still intact, and (c) to get help to do online check in. I waited so long for JAL's customer service to pick up the phone (57 minutes -- see photo) but it was to no avail that I gave up. I don't know whether I'd use JAL again in the future. IT'S RIDICULOUS.

Date of travel: January 2025