JAL launches new A350-1000 cabin interiors, but do they miss the mark?

JAL has set the scene for its new flagship product which will start flying on the prestigious service between Tokyo and New York later this year. It’s been almost 20 years since the carrier last launched a flagship international product, and the new cabins reflect the recent regional cabins that have already started flying over the past few years.

The new A350-1000 which is the larger version of its existing A350-900 fleet has been “designed to immerse customers in the elegance of Japanese aesthetics and envelop them in tranquillity, providing a serene ambiance that encapsulates the beauty of Japan.” Much like competitor ANA, the airline has also opted for a 4-class cabin, featuring new products across each class of service.

All the seats but the Recaro economy seats are from Safran giving hard product consistency across the cabins, albeit we can’t help but find the end product somewhat boxy. As well as new seats the airline will also introduce a new wave of other enhancements including new on-demand catering, non-petroleum plastic replacement tableware, and new entertainment featuring what we believe is the Astrova IFE system from Panasonic.

In First Class, the new Safran seat seems to be similar to the Fusio seat and ANA’s First Class seat in some regards, with a super wide footprint in a 1 x 1 x 1 configuration. Mostly enclosed, the seat is pretty large, with a seat pitch of over 2 metres and a seat width of 123cms at its widest and bed length of just over 2meteres at its longest. The seat will also feature the biggest screen in the skies at a whopping 43”.

While the seat is dubbed a double, and at the head it might be wide enough for two, the footwell is still only really big enough for one, so don’t imagine cosying up with anyone in these suites. The seat does split into two though which (a little like the upcoming Qantas First Class seat) means that after a sleep there is a place to sit up and enjoy a coffee or put on your slippers before staggering out into the aisle.

It also means you can work and have a bed should you need a more flexible working environment. Perhaps the most state of the art addition is the speakers in the headrest although I must admit these don’t seem that well thought through on first impression. They will either make the headrest wings quite hard (as a way of protecting the speaker assembly) or if they are soft, perhaps offering muffled sound because of the padding to keep a passenger comfortable. Then there’s the added issue of noise pollution (an increasing irritant on forms of public transport). I feel the speaker system are solving a problem that never really existed.

In business class, the product is quite similar, although more claustrophobic as the high walls and small box like area feels very restrictive, like a less ergonomically designed Q-suite. But the seat does offer full privacy, a large screen at 24” and an electronic privacy divider for the centre pairs. There’s even a wardrobe at the front of each suite which while great seems like overkill, as I’d rather go for optically more seat pitch than a slim unit to store a jacket and very little else.

However, by the renderings both the First Class and Business Class products seem overtly utilitarian, and the box-like nature of them hasn’t been softened by trim or finish design. The bamboo motif on the doors in first class feel less natural and more like wrought iron fretwork, and the various angles used in the design work seem at odds with each other, making the eye lack a point of visual rest when looking at the suite. The side furniture also seems to have multiple seams, levels and elements that lack the finesse of other First Class products such as Swiss’ First Class product which is a masterclass in understated design.

In business class the use of heavy dark greys and burgundy colours also make for a more oppressive suite design, after all, by facing forward you will be presented by a wall of dark grey surrounding you, the lighter, brighter elements being positioned behind the usual visual range. Plus, with multiple sliding and moveable walls on each side, this could be one noisy rattling cage after a few years of service. Let’s hope these seats are constructed with precision.

I can see and do appreciate the Japanese influences at play, however, this carrier is still an international carrier that is in competition with ANA, which offers 1 metre wide beds in business class with a much larger seat pitch, and as such I feel the carrier should have focussed more on providing the illusion of space using brighter and lighter materials, especially considering these more restrictive seats will no doubt feel less spacious than the glorious (and much loved by many) Apex Suites they will replace.  

In Premium economy, JAL has opted for 42” seat pitch fixed-shell seats, which is a bit of a marmite proposition, many finding the kinematics unsuitable for long periods of time and others liking the fact the seat in front doesn’t recline into your space. Although the addition of an increased calf rest that can extend to 180 degrees might seem odd but will encourage crossed leg sitting and also be useful for those travelling with infants, creating just enough space for a bed like area for a little one. Another clear mismatch of angles includes the different dividers between premium seats using different angles and lines, there’s still a lot of visual clutter.

Economy is however, great, featuring state of the art Recaro seats, and a healthy seat pitch of 33”-34” which is needed on these near ultra-long haul routes. And a 13” monitor for economy will certainly help pass the time.

There will also be a ‘rental’ offering of pyjamas in business and first class (seemingly meaning they need to be returned – not sure how that will be managed) and also new amenity kits featuring artwork from experimental welfare company Heralbony which will feature paper wrapped items to help drive the airline’s ambitions towards sustainability.

In conclusion

Overall, the cabins are good, don’t get me wrong, and many people will most likely love them, but they seem misplaced on a carrier like JAL, where the competition has already set a stall above this offering and sadly, the mismatch of angles, textures and colours make for a very visually challenging cabin that misses the effortless calm design touch-points of competitor ANA. Let’s hope that the real products exceed the renderings we’ve seen so far.

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www.jal.co.jp

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