Flying Japan Airlines first class for 80K American Airlines AAdvantage miles – The Points Guy

It’s one of the best sweet spots in the world of points and miles: You can book Japan Airlines business or first class using miles from the frequent flyer programs of its U.S. partners, like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

It’s a redemption that has plenty of nostalgia for me, too.

Japan Airlines was my first major mileage redemption back in 2016. I booked a one-way ticket to Tokyo in first class for just 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles. I’ll never forget the sense of victory I felt when I scored that trip.

Remarkably, after tons of loyalty shake-ups and devaluations across the global airline industry, that same deal remains in place nearly a decade later. In fact, I recently recreated it to return to the “Land of the Rising Sun” — and you can, too.

Here’s how to book Japan Airlines first class using miles and what it’s like to fly.

How to book Japan Airlines first class with American Airlines AAdvantage miles (or Atmos Rewards points)

I flew from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) for just 80,000 AAdvantage miles one-way. You can also redeem Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards for JAL flights, though the same first-class ticket would have required 110,000 Atmos Rewards points.

Tips for finding JAL first-class awards

While JAL first-class awards are quite rare, here are a few of my top tricks to land these redemptions:

• Be flexible: Your best bet to score one of these redemptions is to be able to travel whenever seats happen to be available — including at the last minute.
• Search the calendar as soon as the schedule opens: JAL opens up seats to its partners about 11 months in advance, and that’s when you’ll likely find the best availability.
• Use award search tools: Options like Seats.aero and ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG parent company Red Ventures) tend to be my go-to picks for finding award availability.
• Use American Airlines’ search calendar function: I used this function to snag this particular seat.
• Check multiple departure cities: I usually search for flights from New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, even if I’ll need to book an inexpensive positioning flight to get there.

Searching for JAL first-class awards

To put those trips into practice, let’s take a look at a couple of examples. My trip took place in September, but to demonstrate how to find more JAL first-class awards, I conducted a couple of recent searches on other dates from various cities to see what I could turn up.

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I tend to start by searching flights from three of JAL’s U.S. destinations: New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. A recent calendar search for January 2026 revealed connecting itineraries from San Francisco to Chicago and then onto Tokyo for 80,000 AAdvantage miles (compared to the 100,000 AAdvantage miles American would have charged me for a business-class seat on its own flights).

That was a close-in example. But when searching for more award inventory, I found a ticket from New York City to San Francisco and then onto Tokyo for 80,000 miles next September.

I might even be lucky enough to fly American’s new Airbus A321XLR if those aircraft are in service from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) in Japan Airlines’ first class. Another great redemption.

While I found my flights by searching for awards directly on the American Airlines website, I recommend using an award search tool like PointsYeah or Seats.aero to see if you can find space at the lowest award levels.

Related: Travel to Japan with points and miles: Best ways to redeem your rewards for flights and hotels

You can simply enter your city pairs and then set some filters to search for specific airlines, such as Japan Airlines, to generate results that show which miles you can use to book the route.

A quick search of Seats.aero didn’t turn up any dates for me, but I set an alert. You can see the alert confirmation below. I’ll get an email when inventory becomes available.

I also searched PointsYeah, another up-and-coming award search tool. I’ve set an alert for a return trip to New York from Japan in early October next year. If the past is any guide, I expect to receive several alerts in the coming months sent right to my inbox.

Related: These 12 apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find

There are plenty of ways to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles, including opening one of Citi’s American Airlines-branded cards with a high welcome offer.

Right now, for example, Citi and American Airlines just launched the new Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (see rates and fees). The Citi / AAdvantage Globe has a limited-time welcome bonus of 90,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first four months from account opening. That’s enough miles to book this redemption.

Remember, Citi also recently announced the launch of transfers from its Citi ThankYou Rewards program to American’s AAdvantage loyalty program for those with particular Citi cards, so that’s another potential way to pad your AAdvantage account.

What it was like flying Japan Airlines first class on the Boeing 777-300

Japan Airlines offers older first-class seats aboard its Boeing 777-300ERs and much newer suites aboard its Airbus A350-1000s. I flew the former, which has been in service for a number of years, but is still quite spacious and comfortable.

Once I booked my flight, I was able to choose my seat on the Japan Airlines website using the JL record locator number (shown on my American Airlines account). I chose seat 1K for the ride to Tokyo. As you can see, there are only eight first-class seats on the 777-300ER arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration.

Before my flight, I used the Flagship First check-in area at Chicago, but only because the Japan Airlines check-in counters were not open yet (and the friendly agents there took pity on me). Flagship First is usually reserved for those flying on American Airlines-operated flights. This allowed me to jump ahead to the front of the TSA PreCheck line, too.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Once inside, I was able to visit the American Airlines Flagship First lounge at ORD. It’s always a bit crowded, but there are a ton of great seating areas, good food and magnificent views of the American Airlines jets parked at nearby gates.

My Japan Airlines jet, ship number JA743J, was 16 years old.

The first-class cabin has just eight seats arranged in two rows of four seats each.

Each seat is very roomy, and though some passengers might dislike the lack of sliding privacy doors, which are becoming more prevalent these days, it didn’t bother me. There were large privacy shields to make each seat feel more secluded anyway.

My seat had three full windows, which was ideal for planespotting.

There was a plethora of amenities — including a bottle of water, an amenity kit, a box of skin care products, slippers and Panasonic headphones — waiting at each seat. I appreciated the fancy folio that held information like arrival documents and menus. It was a special treat to receive a “fast lane” pass to speed through customs in Tokyo.

Inside the Heralbony amenity kit, I found lots of goodies, including a dental kit, an eye mask, earplugs, a brush and comb combo, tissues, mouthwash, a USB-A cord and hand cream. The best thing, though, was the fabulous skincare kit from Shiseido Men; it included a face cleanser, a hydrating tonic and a revitalizing cream.

While some passengers complain about these dated first-class seats, I still like them, mostly because the seat itself is basically built like my father’s old BarcaLounger. It measures about 23 inches across. As you can see, the suites are spacious and bigger than most seats in the front of any plane.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Each seat also features a well-padded ottoman. You could potentially offer it as a seat to a traveling companion for a (very tight) working lunch or dinner since it comes with its own seat belt. There is a large tray table that pops out from the side, which is great for working because you can slide it back and forth.

There are also plenty of nooks and crannies for storage in the suite. Two compartments open for inside storage, and there is a smaller compartment with a vanity and an inflight entertainment controller. That’s also where you’ll find seat controls, a headphone jack, an AC power outlet and a USB-A port.

The bed folds down to lie completely flat and measures about 79 inches in length. I found it extremely comfortable during my flight, and I appreciated that the flight attendants turned down the seat for me with a high-end Airweave pad, pillows and a duvet.

I was able to get several hours of quality rest, though there were no overhead air nozzles, and the cabin got a bit warm.

There is no overhead bin in the center, either, which makes the cabin look larger. However, this means that space for carry-ons is more limited than you might find on other aircraft.

First-class passengers can preorder their main meal in advance, and I chose the Japanese menu. Though I’m not a huge fan of seafood, I like to immerse myself in the Japanese culture even before I arrive, so I usually select that option when flying an Asian carrier.

Staff offered passengers a predeparture choice of sparkling wine, orange juice or water just before takeoff, along with a hot towel.

An hour after takeoff, I was served an amuse bouche of sturgeon on toast and prosciutto and cream cheese encased in a date. That came along with a nonalcoholic Alan Milliat sparkling pinot noir grape juice.

The appetizer course was a series of small Japanese bites. Among the offerings were sea eel with eggplant and lobster in a spicy sauce, followed by a soup course and the main I’d selected, beef with vegetables and rice.

For dessert, I had a delicious Japanese gelatin-like soup that tasted a lot better than it looked.

A few hours before we landed, I requested a bowl of ramen, which is always a treat on Japan Airlines and was my favorite meal of the whole flight.

For a prearrival meal, I chose to have a delicious asparagus soup and a cheese sandwich, plus many cappuccinos.

Service was excellent throughout the flight, especially from the purser Narumi, who even brought me a small Japan Airlines-themed toy (you know, for the children).

One other note: I also did a little nonalcoholic tasting of that sparkling juice and the airline’s signature Royal Blue Tea, which were presented and poured with great fanfare. It added a nice touch to the refined service (and retails for around $35 per bottle).

Another flight attendant snapped a photo of me perusing the selection of midflight snacks.

I loved the little touches from the crew, such as this note in the bathroom.

The restrooms were kept tidy and clean throughout the journey, and they had fancy Cle de Peau amenities.

The inflight entertainment, on the 22.5-inch screen, wasn’t very comprehensive, but there was enough to keep me amused when I was awake, including some 22 new-release movies. I watched an interesting documentary on ramen in Japan.

First-class passengers receive complimentary Wi-Fi via a voucher number that you enter when logging in. Otherwise, Wi-Fi costs $18.80. I was able to do some emailing and texting, but the speeds were not great. So, I’m glad I didn’t pay for it.

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JAPAN AIRLINES

We ended up arriving in Tokyo about 13 minutes early. I was well-rested, well-fed and relaxed.

Overall, the flight was excellent … especially considering I redeemed just 80,000 AAdvantage miles. The same flight booked for next year was priced at $17,484 when I checked in November. For me, no first-class seat is worth that price tag, which is why I love using points and miles.

Bottom line

Although these seats are starting to show their age, they remain an excellent way to travel the world. Japan Airlines plans to replace its 777-300ER fleet with Airbus A350-1000s that feature the airline’s newer first-class suites, which my colleague Eric Rosen had the pleasure of trying recently.

I hope to try them myself since Japan Airlines currently flies its A350-1000s on three U.S. routes from HND to JFK, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

I still love the 777 and its older seats, though, and I already have another award flight coming up next September. I can’t wait to fly it again, though I wouldn’t mind if the carrier swapped the plane for a new A350-1000 by the time the flight rolls around.

Either way, booking a first-class seat on Japan Airlines for as few as 80,000 American AAdvantage miles or 110,000 Atmos Rewards points, respectively, is one of the best currently available redemptions in the world of points and miles.

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