JAL to launch 'Free Style Dining' across the Pacific

From 1 May 2006 Japan Airlines (JAL) is to expand its popular “Free Style Dining” service in JAL Executive Class – Seasons on the carrier’s twice-daily Chicago – Tokyo service, and flights JL005/006 operating daily between New York and Tokyo.

JAL’s “Free Style Dining” service allows passengers traveling in JAL’s business class, JAL Executive Class - Seasons, to take their second meal at anytime they wish after the first meal up to 90 minutes before scheduled arrival time.

The transpacific “Free Style Dining” menu will offer 10 dishes including a pasta dish, soup, sandwiches and an assortment of Japanese dishes including beef curry Japanese style, Chinese “Ramen'' noodles, Japanese “Udon'' noodles in soup, and braised beef and mushrooms on rice.

The introduction of “Free Style Dining” for the second meal service was originally introduced in JAL First Class in April 1998. In September 2005, the service was introduced for the first time to JAL Executive Class – Seasons on flights serving between Tokyo/ Osaka-London, Tokyo/ Nagoya-Paris and Tokyo-Frankfurt.

For the first meal, Japan Airlines offers its business class passengers a choice of Japanese or Western full-course menus. Passengers choosing the Western menu can select from two entrees, one of which is a JAL Healthy Menu Selection: a low calorie, nutritionally balanced option for the health-conscious. Western meals in business and first class on all flights departing from Japan, excluding those to Korea, have been carefully prepared under the  guidance of the Association des Disciples d'Auguste Escoffier du Japon. Members of the association are chefs of French cuisine at some of Japan's finest hotels and restaurants.

Alternatively passengers can savor the seasonally changing flavors of the `haute cuisine of Japan': the traditional Kyoto-style menu known as kaiseki-ryori. Kaiseki-ryori uses the freshest seasonal ingredients and usually includes a number of small dishes that have been either steamed,  simmered or grilled. In both first and business class on flights from Tokyo to New York, Chicago, London, Paris and Frankfurt, and in first class from Tokyo to Bangkok and Singapore, this meal option has been specially created under the supervision of the Kyoto Cuisine “Mebaekai”.

Found throughout Japan, “Mebaekai” are special associations of long-established restaurants set up with the purpose of maintaining and promoting traditional Japanese cooking techniques and cuisine.

JAL's inflight wine lists feature wines from around the world selected by Ms. Fumiko Arisaka one of Japan's leading wine journalists and editor of Vinoteque, one of Japan's foremost wine magazines. As befits Japan's leading international airline, JAL also offers a fine selection of quality sake, Japanese rice wine.

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