Hainan Airlines Business Class 787-9 Boston Logan to Beijing Capital

This flight had probably the most beautiful takeoff I have experienced thus far. We took off during a worsening blizzard. Once we broke through the clouds and climbed towards a setting sun, it really felt as though I was briefly on another world.
For a long time I been waiting for the opportunity to experience the Hainan long haul business class. I have flown with Hainan in economy and domestic China business class, and had several flights where I found their FAs to be of 5 star level (Cathay and Singapore as my comparison). I have seen Hainan FAs treat passengers as though they were their own families, especially catering to the needs of elderly/disabled travelers or traveling mothers. It was certainly very impressive, and the benchmark I used to compare this flight to.
In terms of soft service, Hainan offers a surprisingly excellent amenity kit, comfortable pajamas, mattress pad and cover, and Bose headphones in business. On this flight, the crew were attentive and kind, especially the FA working the other aisle. Usually FAs offer to hang up jackets, but the FA in my aisle seemed to only offer it to 2/3 passengers while the other FA seemed to went down her aisle. Maybe it was a space issue. For me it wasn’t a big deal since my stuff won’t get wrinkled in the overhead space. Throughout the flight though I often had to ask for refills or else the glass would sit empty. There were a few times I was offered more wine or champagne and this was mostly done by the purser or FA in the other aisle. Otherwise they were very quick at taking away used plates and serving the next course. The FA in the K aisle does seem to be more experienced and her choice of wording reflect this. During my interactions with her she would often ask "Do you want more?" rather than "Are you done? Do you still need it."
I think the menu on this flight is quite extensive, and there were no big English errors that I spotted. Hainan has focused a lot on hiring international crew members, and there was a Western crew member on this flight. I think this effort has paid off with nice menus that don’t contain embarrassing and blatant English errors. As usual with mainland airlines, I find that the wine menu is a particular weak spot. On this flight there is a champagne but I could not find any details about online.
Hainan’s excellent and classy Bulgari amenity kit is one of my favorite business class kits now. Cathay’s kits are nowhere near the quality and quality provided by Hainan’s kit. The bag reminds me of the excellent Asiana first class kit in its form and design. Hainan’s amenity kit is made of very durable cloth and feels durable and heavy in your hands.
The seat is the only disappointment. With many airlines removing first class and focused on improving their business class, Hainan somehow decided to go with a 2x2x2 cabin without aisle access. All its regional competitors offer direct aisle access with the exception of Air China, so for them to go from a 1x2x1 cabin on their A330 to this is baffling to me. Honestly good luck trying to get out of the seat with a sleeping neighbor lying flat next to you. Funny enough, the Xiamen crew I met later on are also confused why Hainan would go backwards when it has no first class and all their competitors are switching to direct aisle access. JAL and KE have a 2x2x2 cabin but with aisle access for every seat, so hopefully Hainan will come to their senses and update their cabin on their flagship plane.
Overall, I had consistently good to great experiences on Hainan. The menu and food on this flight were good, however wine continue to be a weak spot. The amenity kit and headphones are a win. The biggest issue facing Hainan is really its seat. There is no privacy and almost impossible to exit with the neighboring seat flat. There are many design offering aisle access even in 2x2x2 formation and so to me there is no reason for them to deploy such an antiquated design. With the new Polaris and Delta One seats and service improvements and even Xiamen offering 1-2-1 business class, Hainan soon will have a difficult time competing with these seats and service improvements. All the US carriers need to do is to leverage their branding, lounge facilities, and any notable service changes to put the squeeze on small foreign carriers like Hainan or Xiamen.