• SiewchSingapore & FijiTraveler
    JA877J at the gate in HNL waiting to operate as JL71 to Haneda.
    JA877J at the gate in HNL waiting to operate as JL71 to Haneda.JA877J at the gate in HNL waiting to operate as JL71 to Haneda.My emergency exit seat on the Boeing 787.My emergency exit seat on the Boeing 787.My first meal on JL71.Prelanding refreshment on JL71. JAL really needs to improve their second meal on this long haul .Flight path of JL71 as captured on FlightRadar24.

    Honolulu to Tokyo Haneda

    February 6 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Japan Airlines JL71 | HNL/HND
    Economy Class
    Boeing 787-9 | JA877J
    ATD/1537 | ATA/2015+1
    Sakura Lounge

    I planned this trip to be in Singapore for my mother's 91st birthday on February 8th. As February 16th would be a public holiday in the US, I decided to schedule my vacation days just before the holiday so that I could combine them and take a longer trip. When looking at flight options, an intriguing option came across my radar: a resonably priced one way Singapore to Honolulu Business Class flight on Fiji Air, with 19 hours in Fiji between flights. I'd only ever transited in Fiji without leaving the airport, and I really wanted to explore a new place, so I quickly booked this flight without even thinking about the Lunar New Year. As it turns out, I would leave Singapore just before the Lunar New Year. Yikes. I've always joked that I am the worst Chinese on the planet, and this just lends more credence to it!

    To get to Singapore, I booked a one-way economy ticket on JAL. My first flight of this journey was the JAL flight to Haneda. I've taken this flight many times, so I already had a set routine, which was to finish work at 2.00pm, get to the airport around 2.30pm, make a quick pitstop at the Sakura Lounge, and then board the flight.

    Today's flight was extra long at over 9 hours; I don't believe any of my prior Hawaii-Japan flights have ever exceeded 9 hours. As with my last trip, there were two Thai flight attendants on this flight. I wonder if JAL is trying to roster more foreign crew to reduce costs. The flight itself was pleasant, but nine hours in economy, even with the extra legroom at the emergency exit, made for a long day.    Read more