Japan Airlines has officially unveiled the interior for its upcoming long-haul fleet on board its forthcoming Airbus A350-1000 planes. When the first of the 13 new aircraft begins rolling out at the end of 2023, it will launch on the carrier’s route between New York JFK and Tokyo Haneda and be designated the airline’s flagship jet for other international flights.
There will be six first class suites, each of the suites will come equipped with five-foot high, fully-closing doors and feature generous seats measuring four feet wide and more than six feet long when in flat bed mode, for nearly unparalleled privacy. They accomplished this, in part, by removing the overhead storage compartment to create a more open design. Carry-on bags will now be stored in a space under the bed.
The seats themselves are pretty versatile with sofa, chair with bed, and double bed configurations. Designed by Safan, the seats feature what the carrier bills as the “world’s first headphone-free stereo” with built-in headrest speakers that allow the customers to enjoy inflight entertainment without using headphones. The suites also have closets to hang clothes and jackets, and complimentary sleepwear smooths the rough edges of long-haul flight—as do the personal minibar and digital monitor for communicating with the flight attendants.
As part of Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 launch, the carrier also redesigned the three other cabins aboard the aircraft, including business, premium economy, and regular economy. Business-class new seats transform to lay-flat beds measuring an impressive 78 inches and incorporate the same stereo technology in the headrest. The area also has a small wardrobe for hanging jackets and, while the sleepwear isn’t complimentary in business class, it is available for long-haul flights.
The carrier’s new premium economy seats will be the first in the world to feature an automated recline function, which will make the process of reclining the seats smoother and more luxurious. The seats will also have privacy partitions near the headrest and a fixed hard shell back—like a pod you might find in a business class cabin—so that the seat’s don’t encroach on the passenger behind you when in recline mode. Economy seats will feature 34 inches of legroom pitch and new 13-inch 4K seatback screens, which are some of the largest in any coach cabin.
The airline said the first of its 13 new A350-1000 aircraft will fly from Tokyo Haneda Airport to New York JFK by the end of the year.