India, June 5 -- As a semi-frequent flier, there are a few things I've come to accept about air travel: I can never sleep on planes, my go-to carry-on will never fit right in the overhead bins, and flying will never be what I'd call "comfortable." And even though my broad shoulders leave me perpetually squeezed into airline seats, I still make time to travel.

So when Alaska Airlines announced its new Seattle-to-Narita route, I knew I had to try it. Japan had been my dream destination since I was 14, and a little discomfort wasn't going to stop me from getting there. As it turned out, discomfort wasn't much of a concern on this trip-I was flying business class.

At the time, the route was operated by Hawaiian Airlines aboard an Airbus A3...