The Over 30 Girly's Edit

I have visited Japan several times throughout the years, mostly on economy-class flights, with whichever airline offered the lowest fares. Until now, in my 30s, thanks to my capable husband, I’ve dabbled in the more premium cabins of two of the best airlines in the world: ANA and JAL.

We tried JAL first a few years ago, and we loved it so much that trying another Japanese carrier just seemed silly. Why fix it when it’s not broken? You know what I mean? But, thanks to (or blame it on?) Nonstop Dan youtuber (I am the biggest fan, also shoutout to On-Air with Dan & Alex podcast too!), I felt like we must try ANA, didn’t we?

And the results: I did not expect it!

This blog compares my experiences with the business class seats of both airlines on long-haul flights, excluding their newest business class cabins. (Yet!)

Booking the tickets

Can I get one thing out of the way here? Japan is renowned for its numerous high-tech advancements, which are familiar to us all. However, for some very bizarre reasons, they cannot build an easy-to-navigate website. The UI looks awful and is just not intuitive. It’s not just ANA or JAL; it’s all of them, like the Yamazaki whiskey site, the Tablelog site, or the Kansai Expo site (please don’t get me started). That being said, neither JAL nor ANA is better in this area. Since our destination on this trip was Osaka, the route options on both airlines were limited. With JAL, I vaguely recall that we would have to fly from SEA to NAR, then probably transfer to HND to catch another flight operated by their low-cost airline to KIX. Or with ANA, the route logistically sounds better: SEA to HND, then HND to KIX, but only the first leg is on business class, even though the ticket classification is business plus. Weird, right? We had never flown into HND before (although I had heard good things about the airport), and we wanted to try ANA – so, obviously, that was our pick.

Airport Lounges

In terms of lounges, I may be the easiest customer to please, as I don’t care much for them, shockingly. Perhaps I haven’t been to a perfect one yet, but I don’t have much to say about the airport lounges. 
For flights outbound from Seattle-Tacoma Airport, many of these airlines partner with a third-party lounge. Regardless of which airline we fly with, except for British Airways, which has its lounge in S gates, we’d use this single lounge. It’s not big enough for all of the airlines they service, but they’re fine. The food is as good (or bad) as that of other lounges at SeaTac; the restrooms are fine, clean enough not to avoid them, but nowhere near as clean as public restrooms in Japan. I think there are shower rooms, but I have never needed to use them, so I can’t give any reviews here.

For the flagship lounges for business-class passengers in Japan, I again can’t say which one is nicer than the other for each airline. Both the JAL Sakura Lounge in Narita Airport and the ANA Lounge in Haneda Airport are spacious, clean, and have shower rooms. Maybe the JAL one is a tad more spacious, as I don’t recall it being so crowded ever. 

Food-wise, we always skip the food at JAL lounge because we would have already eaten from our previous flights (a lot of food actually), or the flight time is just right during mid-afternoon, so we don’t need to eat at all. This is to say that I cannot compare the food at these two lounges – but I adored the food at the ANA lounge in Haneda Airport. Ramen? Checked. Dumplings? Delicious. Even the kung pao chicken? Checked! The food was so good that I didn’t care for the 3-course meal they were to serve us during the flight afterward. This is why I don’t care to eat food at the lounges, because I genuinely would like to enjoy my fancy meals served at 40,000 feet!

So, I’d say airport lounge criteria aren’t going to sway my decision to fly with one or the other. This is probably true for any other airlines, not just JAL or ANA.

The Boarding Experience

Previously, I made a comment on one of my blogs about general boarding operations (regardless of whether they are in Japan or not). My thoughts then were that, depending on where I departed from, the boarding experience would be solely based on how that airport’s ground operations performed. Boarding at SeaTac for long-haul flights seemed to be a nightmare, particularly for long-haul flights, regardless of the airline. JAL and Virgin Atlantic were the most recent two airlines we’ve flown internationally several times, and all boardings were just chaotic. Then, Narita Airport and London Heathrow – didn’t matter to the airlines. However, boarding in Vietnam at any of the airports (Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang, Hanoi, or Cam Ranh) was smooth sailing. I was pretty convinced it was just part of the airport’s operation, and so we couldn’t do anything about it until ANA entered the chat. How pleasant! 

Boarding to Japan from Seattle with ANA was the easiest thing since … ever. The same was true within Japan, from Tokyo to Osaka Kansai and Osaka Itami to Tokyo. Even though we were in economy class, the boarding process was the fastest and most efficient I have ever gone through. But not with JAL; I dreaded the boarding part of flying with them. The ground staff always seemed so hectic, like there were a million other things they still had yet to do, but boarding was due in less than a minute… hectic. For all 10 times I’ve flown with JAL – all 10 nightmares of boarding.

ANA, you win here.

The Inflight Experience

Seat

I am comparing the business class in-flight experiences between the two airlines, whose aircraft are not the most up-to-date ones available on the market. I hope we’ll be able to try the ANA’s B777 “The Room” or JAL’s A350-1000 suite soon but until then…

I am going to tell you flat-out that I 100% prefer ANA’s seat over JAL’s – hands down. Yes, I did get the better seat (3A) on both flights with ANA, which is a more private seat with an actual window based on their B787-9 configuration. But, compared to the window seat on JAL’s Apex Suite, the ANA seat still takes the cake here: there is more storage, the seat is more comfortable to sit on, they have an individual mattress that you don’t have to ask for, and it feels more private. I could be biased here, though, but I do prefer the blue/light grey combo coloring vs the maroon/ red wine coloring on JAL. However, all the window seats on JAL are actual window seats, while some of ANA’s “windows” seats are situated with a cabinet space right next to the windows.

In the videos below, I hope you can see that the storage space underneath the media screen on ANA is significantly deeper than on JAL. It’s not pictured there, but the cabinet right next to the ANA’s seat is wide, where I put all my electronics. With JAL, there is no space for some seats. 

One thing infamous among Japanese carriers: the temperature! It’s warm, period, more so on the JAL than the ANA, though. I did feel like I needed the blanket during the night on ANA, as they turned the cool air on, which was appreciated. However, as soon as the lights started coming back on slowly, the heat came back on very quickly. So, dress appropriately on these planes!

Amenities

Both amenity kits are similar, typically including lip balm, hand lotion, and an eye mask, among other items. Then, both have a plush pillow, a blanket, a pair of headphones, and my favorite part – a pair of slippers! European airlines, DO BETTER! JAL does offer a sweater as an option (no one needs this, honestly. Their cabin is way too warm!), and if you ask the flight attendants for a mattress, they’ll give it out. And no, I don’t ask for the mattress ever because I always skip desserts (I know!), and I pass out right after the main course, so I am not going to be those passengers who would demand a mattress and a bed made while they’re still serving dinner. 

With ANA, though, no – no sweater, but there is a mattress at every seat already available for usage later if desired. And I did desire to use it. A mattress makes such a difference with a good sleep and a so-so one that could result in back pain, depending on how fast you age. Best of all, I can just set my bed up the second I finish my meal, go to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and boom – recline the seat into a bed, put the mattress on, black out the windows, turn off the big screen, get the blanket out, and zZzzzz.

Because of this, I’d have to give ANA the point here.

Food & Drinks

Oh boy, this is very hard to compare. I loved JAL food so much, and it pains me to say this, but I may prefer ANA food?!

For context, I always opt for Japanese meals on any route I fly with either of them because why not? Similar to each other, the main meal consists of an amuse bouche, an appetizer, a main dish, and then dessert. Both of the meals are presented in smaller ceramic serving plates and bowls, which is definitely the warmest welcome (or goodbye) to Japan and truly makes the entire trip so much more exciting. THANK YOU, JAPANESE CARRIERS! 

The quality of the food on both is comparable – fresh or as fresh as airline food goes, and never feels too heavy or rich to the point that the rest of the flight would be so bloated. For some reason, though, and I can’t pinpoint it, the taste of ANA food is better for me. It could be because I have flown JAL a few times now, and when I get served similar food from one connecting flight to the next, 2 to 3 hours apart from each other, I get bored. That has to be the only reason!

JAL Main Meals Over 2-3 Years

ANA main meals in May 2025

The Anytime Food options on both airlines are excellent, and I don’t have an overall favorite in this category. JAL had an amazing Oyakodon (chicken over egg and rice) one time in 2022 that was incredibly good, and their vegetarian ramen hit the spot when there were only 3 hours left on the flight, and I needed a pick-me-up. However, the BEST thing I have eaten on an airplane has to be JAL’s instant cup of noodles. I kid you not. I beg you to try it if you fly with them. It was so good that I swapped out either the appetizer course or the actual main course on some of the flights with just the tiny little yellow cup of instant noodles. I was very sad that I didn’t have that with ANA!

That said, the second best thing I have eaten on an airplane is ANA’s signature ramen that they just debuted a few months ago, replacing their infamous Ippudo ramen. I was a bit disappointed when I read that they no longer served Ippudo, but oh boy, they knew what they were doing. This ramen was so rich in flavor that the noodles were al dente – just the right texture. The broth was vegetarian-based, but I didn’t care at all. It was so delicious. Adding the garlic oil paste and a bit of the chili, that was enough for me to qualify as the first authentic ramen for the Japan trip! 

Drinks-wise, I almost always go for champagne before takeoff and during the main meal service. Otherwise, a cup of either green tea or roasted green tea and water would be more than enough. I’ve tried sake with JAL before, but being a non-expert in sake, I couldn’t say the selection was good or not. One thing I would like to see is a more selective cocktail and/or mocktail menu, rather than just a screwdriver, perhaps? 

In this section, ANA may win again, but not by much. Yes, I do prefer the main meal’s taste on ANA vs JAL, but that could easily be made up solely by JAL’s instant noodle cup (LOL!). What can I say – I can be very picky with my food, but also super easy to please at the same time.

Services

Last but not least, the service. Honestly, it’s tough to beat Asian hospitality – luxury hotels or premium cabins on an airline. Both JAL and ANA’s flight attendants were attentive and friendly, and I felt the personal care touched by them all, yet at the same time, it was never too much. 

The restrooms were also tidy and clean on all of these flights, although JAL’s flights got refilled with toothbrushes and mouthwashes almost at all times, but not ANA’s. It was not going to bother me too much, but it was something I needed to remember so I could brush my teeth first thing after I woke up from my sleep before they ran out. However, I am sure if I had asked the flight attendants, they would have given me a fresh set right away.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I like ANA more. The comfy seat and bed were the most significant factor for long-haul flights to me, and ANA does better in this area. You were right, Dan!

However, there are two things that I want to call out with ANA: the transit experience at Haneda Airport and their inflight entertainment screen.

1. One, with the transit, we picked ANA’s route (besides the fact that maybe Dan did influence me on this decision to try ANA) because we did not need to change airports (JAL route would be going from Narita to Haneda, and no, that’s not a short distance to travel for a transit). However, I must say that I was completely confused about the international to domestic transfer process at Haneda, even after reading the instructions online on their website, as well as the Haneda airport guide. The staff was somehow unhelpful at the airport. Once we landed, we found a few agents waiting at the top of the gate, only to give out free train tickets for the transit. Then, we were left confused about whether we needed to bring our luggage with us through the domestic terminal or if there was a checkpoint to drop them off before we continued after immigration and customs. Sure, I finally found someone to ask and got the answer (which was to carry them through ourselves), but once we saw the train, got on the train, and arrived at the domestic terminal, there was no sign on where we needed to go. Keep in mind that our luggage already had the baggage claim tags for our destination – so, were we supposed to go to the check-in counter (and where was it??), or could we drop them off (somewhere?)? I think we ran through the terminal twice, even to find someone who could communicate in English, and was told to go to the desk, which was a check-in counter. At this point, I was out of breath; my heart rate was super fast because our flight was supposed to be already boarding. We made our flight and collected our luggage as expected in Osaka. The Japanese operation was so effective that a tight transit (1 hour 10 minutes) was no problem to go through international immigration, customs, and domestic check-in, security, and all. However, some helpful instructions throughout the transit, or perhaps a dedicated checkpoint for transit luggage drop-off after customs, would be even better.
2. This second one may sound a bit whiny, but please understand that when I tried to get any hours of sleep that I could, I just wanted to sleep. Hence, I put away all my electronics and buckled my seatbelt. However, when there was bad turbulence, they’d make an announcement – which is fair, until the entertainment screen also turned on so bright that it would wake me up every single time. We had a few of those. I was tired and maybe a bit cranky.

If you’re still reading, thank you. I want to say one last thing: writing a long post comparing the two business cabins on ANA and JAL is a bit ridiculous to me. I am not an airline reviewer (nor do I have the experience even to try), and it’s tough for me to say this or that about these two airlines that I love. I am very fortunate to be able to travel by airplane and visit places, let alone do so in premium cabins. I only wanted to share the fantastic experiences I’ve had on these flights. As for me, flying long-haul in business class is half of the trip’s experience. 

And for that, I am very thankful.