Flying the Japan Airlines B767
JA614J at Tokyo-Haneda in 2024, operating as JL553 to Asahikawa. My photo.
Introduction
Japan Airlines (JAL, 日本航空株式会社) is Japan’s flag carrier and the third-largest passenger operator of the Boeing 767 globally, with 27 examples of the type in its fleet (24 of which are in a passenger configuration); with the majority serving mostly trunk and secondary routes within Japan, and the remainder configured to operate medium-to-long haul routes across Asia and North America.
These are notably young airframes relatively speaking, with an average age of 18.8 years - with JAL taking delivery of some of the last passenger 767s to ever roll off the production line in Everett (as compensation for delayed 787 deliveries).
I recently had the opportunity to fly on JAL’s domestic 767 on a trip to Hokkaido - today’s flight up to Hakodate constitutes the first of three reviews exploring Japanese regional aviation.
Flight/Callsign: JL587/JAL587
Route: Tokyo International/Haneda (RJTT/HND) - Hakodate (RJCH/HKD)
Flight Time: 01:00 at FL410
Aircraft: Boeing 767-346(ER) (JA603J/LN 880, MSN 32888)
Seat: 41A (Economy)
Flight Report
Having arrived at Haneda’s T1 at approximately 10:45, we were past security in under an hour, despite some hiccups with overweight baggage and a slightly incooperative automated check-in machine - this is to say that Japanese domestic flights are an absolute breeze when it comes to check-in and security, not much more of a hassle compared to turning up at the station and boarding the Shinkansen (domestic aviation’s main competitor.)
This unparalleled efficiency is no better exemplified by JAL’s 30-minute policy for checking in baggage before a domestic flight - whose website also conveniently outlines expected baggage processing times for special items (e.g. musical instruments, pets, skis and snowboards.)
Unfortunately, I did not manage to get decent photos of the T1 check-in hall as it was absolutely packed to the brim with people that day - below you can see just a fraction of Haneda’s incredibly dense domestic schedule however (and it becomes immediately evident as to why widebodies are the preferred option for both ANA and JAL for serving trunk routes out of a congested hub.)
Terminal 1 (nicknamed “Big Bird”) opened in 1993, and serves as JAL’s domestic megahub alongside playing host to other smaller local carriers, namely Skymark and Starflyer. The terminal is relatively compact despite the volume of traffic it receives; there are 24 jetbridge-equipped gates plus a remote boarding area comprising Gates 31-40 and 84-90 mostly serving 737 and E190 flights.
JA17XJ preparing for pushback up to Sapporo-New Chitose, operating as JL513. To say the gate area was packed would be a gross understatement - nonetheless boarding was completed in under 20 minutes.
The Tokyo-Sapporo air route is the second-busiest in the world, only rivalled by Jeju-Seoul in South Korea - JAL alone operates 14 daily widebody round trips between the two cities, using mostly A350s alongside a few 787s and the odd 767 (or internationally-configured 777!)
Here’s our aircraft for today, JA603J, having just arrived from Osaka-Itami as JL112. The paint on the radome is slightly scratched and worn-down as you can see - the plane was otherwise in pristine condition inside, except for… you’ll find out later!
Another shot of JA603J before we board. No Mount Fuji in sight from the terminal today, unfortunately.
Initial views from the wing - JA849J in all its glory, preparing for yet another hectic flight down to Osaka as JL119.
The legroom situation onboard JAL’s domestic 767 - not too bad for a plane that doesn’t fly any further than Ishigaki, right?
It also turned out, that the recline for all D, E and G seats from rows 29-50 was inoperative on this aircraft. Passengers were first notified of this fault over the PA system in the terminal, and the purser also proceeded to apologize for the inconvenience caused during the onboard welcome announcement. Recline is always appreciated regardless of flight length - but is by no means necessary on this 1h daytime hop to Hokkaido.
Flaps 5 set as we begin our taxi to 34R. All 240 passengers (+ 2 infants) were boarded in approximately 15 minutes, making this flight over 95% full.
Holding short while a Lufthansa B748 takes off…
And V1… rotate! Yes, these are the touchdown zone markers for our departure runway, 34R, in case you’re wondering.
Rocketing past the tower and T2. The thrust-to-weight ratio is definitely noticeable - even though the engines were in all likelihood operating nowhere near full rated thrust.
Above the clouds, it’s always sunny… wait is that Mount Fuji that I see?
Passing suburban Saitama as we climb through FL150.
Final views of Mount Fuji, as we pass through FL260 at 5000fpm over Tochigi Prefecture…
Cruising at FL410 over an overcast Yamagata.
Beef consommé and the iced tea I got at the airport taste better at FL410 for whatever reason.
A bit of self-catering, simple but satisfying as always.
Starting our descent into Hakodate after only 12 minutes at cruising altitude. Time flies… when you’re on a 767 cruising at 500kts GS!
[Spoiler alert incoming]
Flaps 5 selected, as we turn final for the RNP Z approach to Hakodate Airport’s Runway 30. Land ahoy!
The sun continues to set in the distance.
Flaps 25, our final landing configuration today.
Welcome to Hakodate! Not a single flake of snow was to be seen throughout my stay in the city, which certainly came as a massive surprise amid the ridiculous amounts of snow that other parts of Hokkaido received the week prior.
Chocks on following an extremely short taxi at Gate 5, 17 minutes past our scheduled arrival time of 14:10.
Final Thoughts and Verdict
This was an excellent flight on Japan Airlines as always - and it’s always a treat to be able to fly a (wingletless) 767 that so happens to be the most overpowered in the world, on a 1h flight.
There really isn’t very much one could complain about - the Panasonic WiFi was free and very quick by airline standards (excluding Starlink, which is in a league of its own). The lavatories, while fairly outdated (metal basins, anyone?), were spotless throughout the flight - the SKY NEXT leather seats were also in equally pristine condition and the padding deceptively comfortable (don’t be fooled by their slim appearance!)
The cabin crew was attentive and extremely efficient throughout - making several runs through the aircraft to clear away any waste after the main service, despite the flight length.
As a side note, there was no meal service on this flight despite the presence of First Class seats on this 767 - as these are sold as regular “Class J”/domestic business class at no additional charge on flights to destinations other than 10 select cities (where First Class is actually bookable as a separate class of travel.)
This probably accelerated the service even further (as JAL does not have separate flight attendants for Class J and Economy Class on domestic routes as far as I know.)
Furthermore, considering the wide variety of high quality, affordable food options at Japanese domestic airport terminals and the short flight duration, the drink service would be completely adequate for the vast majority of customers (in economy class at least. I have some things to say for their domestic “Class J” that is supposedly business class - but I’ll leave that for another time.)
As a whole, one can’t possibly go wrong with JAL’s domestic offering - the epitome of Japanese attention to detail and unparalleled efficiency, paired with perhaps a dose of steeper-than-average climb rates that you don’t see very often elsewhere!
Fun fact about the JAL 767
JAL’s domestic 767s have the exact same GE CF6-80C2B7F engines as on their international fleet - albeit with a greatly reduced MTOW of 133,800kg (vs. 181,900kg for the latter) for reasons presumably to do with landing fees, more so than aircraft capability itself. The result? A thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.407, and climb rates exceeding 6,000fpm on a regular basis.
Additional Information and Bonus Shots
We booked this as part of an open-jaw award itinerary (returning via Asahikawa), for 7,500 JAL Mileage Bank points + 800 JPY (terminal facility charge) for this leg up to Hakodate specifically.
