Review: JAL Sakura Lounge (SkyView) Tokyo Haneda

By
Ziggy
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The Japan Airlines Sakura SkyView lounge wasn’t on my “must visit list” while I was at Tokyo’s Haneda airport but, as I appeared to have time and as the word “SkyView” had grabbed my attention I decided to go and see what the lounge was like.

The JAL Sakura SkyView lounge is on level 6 of the International Terminal and is accessed by escalators or an elevator across from gate 114.

a man standing behind a reception deskJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Lounge Access

The Sakura SkyView lounge is open between 06:00 and 12:30 and 21:00 and 01:30 daily

a sign in front of a glass doorJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Access to the lounge is based on either a passenger’s oneworld status or the fare booked. Entry is granted to:

  • Oneworld Emerald & Sapphire status holders + 1 guest per status holder – all must be traveling on the day of entry on a flight marketed and operated by a oneworld airline.
  • Passengers traveling in First Class or Business Class + 1 guest – all must be traveling on the day of entry on a flight marketed and operated by a oneworld airline.
  • Passengers traveling in JAL Premium Economy Class & in JAL Full Fare Economy Class
  • Passengers from select other airlines including Air France, Emirates & Korean Air

The Lounge

As well as being one of the oneworld lounges at Tokyo Haneda the list of airlines outside the lounge doors showed a number of other airlines (like Emirates) I hadn’t expected to see on the list – I thought they’d have their own lounge.

a group of white rectangular signs with logosJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Still, despite being a lounge used by all those airlines, at 9:30 in the morning it was very empty.

After checking in with the lounge agents at the door I walked into the lounge which stretched out to the left and to the right.

The first area of the lounge (the one you walk into when you first enter) houses a number of armchairs and tables…..

a room with black chairs and tablesJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

a room with chairs and tablesJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

….as well as a series of chairs set out at one long desk overlooking the airport road and looking out through floor-to-ceiling windows:

a long table with chairs in a room with windowsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

This would be a good place to get some work done as there were numerous power ports placed at regular intervals on the desk and there was plenty of light.

On the opposite wall to the windows are a series of booths set aside for guests who wish to use their cell phones – as with all JAL lounges I visited on this trip there’s a “no cell phones” policy in the communal areas.

a row of doors in a roomJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Further to the left and divided from the first seating area by a see-through wooden wall (see images above) is a seating area reserved for First Class customers:

a sign on a glass caseJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

a room with brown chairs and tablesJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

This felt like a particularly soulless part of the lounge so why a First Class customer choose to sit here and not the JAL First Class lounge is a question I can’t answer.

Past the First Class seating is an area with numerous semi-private booths which I think may be intended for those wishing to do some work (they looked a lot like the booths in the small business area of the First Class lounge).

a room with chairs and tablesJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

To the right of this area is a section with loungers set out looking out over the airport apron:

a room with chairs and tables and windowsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

a room with chairs and a wallJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haned

a row of chairs in a room with a windowJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

While this area is to the left of the work booths, to the right is a separate room with a series of small cubicles…..

a row of cubicles in a roomJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

…each of which houses as massage chair:

a massage chair in a roomJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

a black massage chair with a white napkin on topJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

These appeared to be complimentary but, sadly, I didn’t have time to try one out.

Right back at the other end of the lounge (an area I would have walked into had I turned right and not left when I first entered the main part of the lounge) is where the dining area is and where all the food is served.

a room with a bar and stoolsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

In the first part of the dining area (images above and below) the seat was mostly bar stools and long tables…….

a room with tables and chairsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

……while, further on in, the seating is lower:

a room with a long table and chairsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

a room with a large table and chairsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

All of these tables have power outlets so its very easy to charge your various devices while you get something to eat or do a bit of work (I had done both in the JAL First Class lounge so I did neither here).

To the right of the lower benches is the lounge’s final sitting area which is more “restaurant-style” seating:

a room with tables and chairsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Interspersed among the seating areas at this end of the lounge are long tables when the buffet-style food and drinks are laid out.

a buffet area with plates and dishesJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

The food on offer included:

Scrambled eggs, hash browns and sausages

a buffet table with food on itJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Creamy tomato soup and hot & sour soup

a table with plates and plates on itJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Corn Flakes

a group of bowls and plates on a counterJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Pastries and croissants

a food in a containerJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Grilled mackerel, spicy seasoned cod roe and Japanese omelet

a table with plates of food and utensilsJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

A small selection of salad items and fruit

a tray of food in a restaurantJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Rice porridge with scallops

a kitchen counter with a stack of plates and a crock potJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

And, not in any pictures I took but also on offer were mini sandwiches, cookies, and bread set out next to a toaster.

Drinks were plentiful too.

The lounge has a soda station….

a counter with a machine and a tray of foodJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

…tea and coffee making facilities….

a coffee machine and coffee maker on a counterJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

…and a pretty reasonable selection of alcoholic drinks….

a bar with bottles of alcohol and platesJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

a group of bottles of alcohol on a wooden shelfJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

a group of bottles in a bowl of iceJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

…including the all-important self-serve Asahi and Kirin beer pumps:

a group of bottles on a counterJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Aside from all the facilities and amenities I’ve already mentioned the lounge also offers showers for most of the hours it’s open (I didn’t have time to check them out)…..

a door with a sign on itJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

…and a luggage storage facility:

a hallway with lockersJAL Sakura SkyView Lounge Tokyo Haneda

Thoughts

It’s hard to find any faults with this lounge because, on my visit:

  • It was quiet
  • Had lots of seating
  • Was very bright and light
  • Offered a very good selection of food and drink by Business Class lounge standards
  • Had a good number of power outlets all of which appear to be well positioned to be used

I could complain that the power outlets weren’t universal (some visitors will need adapters) and that the views weren’t close to being as good as I was hoping for (hence no photos) but that would be churlish and unnecessary.

As a Business Class lounge I really like the JAL Sakura SkyView lounge and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it based on my visit – definitely one of the better oneworld Business Class lounges out there.

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