For the following portion of my fast journey to Japan & Korea, it was time to fly Japan Airways’ Airbus A350-900 first-class on the brief home flight from Sapporo (CTS) to Tokyo (HND). OMG, flying inside Japan is a fully civilized delight, and that already begins on the bottom.
Previous to my flight, I had the possibility to take a look at the Japan Airways home lounge state of affairs at New Chitose Airport, in Sapporo. Domestically, Japan Airways has two kinds of lounges:
- Diamond Premier Lounges, that are for home first-class passengers, and oneworld Emerald members
- Sakura Lounges, that are for oneworld Sapphire members; word that “Class J,” because it’s known as, doesn’t supply lounge entry, because it’s actually extra like premium financial system than enterprise class
On this publish, I’ll be reviewing the Diamond Premier Lounge on the airport. Whereas clearly to not the extent of the Japan Airways First Lounge Haneda (for worldwide flights), I discovered this lounge to be such a practical and wonderful house, and had an important go to. The whole lot in Japan simply hits totally different.
Japan Airways Lounge Sapporo location
The Japan Airways premium floor expertise in Sapporo is fairly seamless. The home terminal is absolutely separate from the worldwide terminal. The usual safety queue didn’t look half unhealthy…
…nonetheless, there’s a separate entrance for many who have lounge entry. It mainly appears to be like like a lounge entrance, however as quickly as you enter, you undergo a non-public safety screening course of, which is tremendous civilized.
As soon as by means of safety, there’s an escalator, elevator, and stairs, main up a degree, which is the place the lounge is positioned.
Then when you’re on the lounge entrance, there’s a reception desk, with the Diamond Premier Lounge to the precise, and the Sakura Lounge to the left.
Stepping into the lounge is basically a self-service operation, because the counter has a pill the place you scan your boarding cross. There’s no gate or something you must undergo, however quite the dignity system is used, since that is Japan.
Then when it’s time to fly, you simply go down a degree, after which go in the other way of the safety examine, and then you definately’ll end up within the airside home terminal.
Japan Airways Lounge Sapporo hours
The Japan Airways Diamond Premier Lounge Sapporo is open day by day from 6:30AM, till the final departure of the night time.
Japan Airways Lounge Sapporo entry necessities
The Japan Airways Diamond Premier Lounge Sapporo is open to same-day Japan Airways first-class passengers, in addition to oneworld Emerald members, whatever the cabin they’re touring in. In each conditions, passengers can deliver as much as one visitor on a complimentary foundation.
Let me emphasize that Japan Airways’ home first-class is usually very fairly priced, typically round $200 one-way, so it’s fairly cool that these tickets embrace entry to a strong lounge. On high of that, Japan Airways sells low cost upgrades on the day of departure, and upgraded tickets get you lounge entry as effectively.
Japan Airways Lounge Sapporo seating & format
The Japan Airways Diamond Premier Lounge Sapporo is a reasonably intimate house, and is mainly an oblong room with some partitions between three distinct zones. Beneath is a map of the whole lounge house, however as you may see, roughly half of the footprint is devoted to the Sakura Lounge (which is the much less premium lounge).
If you enter the lounge, the biggest a part of the house is to the precise.
There are a selection of seating setups right here, starting from chairs organized in rows going through each other, to semi-private chairs with aspect tables, to chairs with tables in entrance of them.
The biggest a part of the lounge is a room within the very again, which has two most important “walkways.” Within the heart, there are rows of chairs with their backs to at least one one other, wanting both exterior or towards the inside of the lounge.
Alongside the inside of the lounge is an extended leather-based bench with some movable aspect tables.
The opposite aspect has a communal desk alongside the home windows, which might be the very best place to get some work performed.
The lounge has one other room again towards the doorway and by the buffet, largely with longer benches.
The lounge had just a few different facilities and areas. There are two particular person rooms with therapeutic massage chairs, the place I spent fairly a little bit of time.
There’s additionally a small enterprise heart space, with a printer.
Since that is Japan, the lounge additionally has some particular person rooms with doorways, the place you may take cellphone calls (my fellow Miami residents can be very confused by this — why use this quite than simply taking the decision on speakerphone at your seat?!).
The lounge additionally has lockers, do you have to need to retailer your luggage throughout your go to.
Then the lounge has a smoking room, for many who indulge.
In all probability my favourite a part of the lounge, although, is the views. The lounge has gorgeous views of the gate space and the runway within the distance. I liked watching all of the Japan Airways A350-900 motion on the airport.
It’s superb what number of flights there are per day between Sapporo and Tokyo. Japan Airways alone usually operates effectively over 15 day by day flights, with some even being simply 10 minutes aside.
Japan Airways Lounge Sapporo meals & drinks
The Japan Airways Diamond Premier Lounge Sapporo has a restricted however top quality collection of meals and drinks. As you’d count on, it’s not as spectacular as a world lounge, however that makes good sense.
The whole lot was out there from a self-serve buffet inside the doorway to the lounge and to the left.
There appeared to be rather more of a concentrate on drinks than meals. Throughout my afternoon and night go to, the lounge was largely stuffed with Japanese businessmen in fits who had been able to have a few drinks. The lounge has quite a lot of alcohol, starting from pink and white wine, to sake, to beer. There have been additionally tender drinks, espresso, and tea.
The meals choice included a few kinds of snack combine, rice snacks, mochi, soup, and extra.
Positively don’t come to the lounge hungry, however I discovered the snacks to be tasty.
Japan Airways Lounge Sapporo bogs
The Japan Airways Diamond Premier Lounge Sapporo has bogs, which I discovered to be spotlessly clear. The lads’s room has three sinks, three urinals, and three stalls (with a bidet characteristic, natch), all of which had been very effectively maintained.
The lounge doesn’t have bathe suites, which isn’t shocking, since that is solely a home lounge.
Backside line
The Japan Airways Diamond Premier Lounge Sapporo is beautiful house. After all context is essential — this lounge is particularly for home first-class passengers (and people tickets aren’t essentially costly), so this isn’t as over-the-top as many worldwide lounges.
Regardless of that, what a nice facility. I liked the personal safety channel for these with lounge entry, plus the vibe of the lounge and the views. The lounge additionally has a strong collection of drinks, plus a primary collection of meals.
I wouldn’t essentially spend far more time right here than you must, but it surely’s not a foul place to kill a while. I had round 4 hours within the lounge (since I had simply arrived in Korean Air’s A321neo enterprise class from Incheon), and I discovered it to be an important base from which to work.
What’s your tackle the Japan Airways Diamond Premier Lounge Sapporo?
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