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If Japan Airlines first class isn’t near the top of your list of first class experiences to try, you might want to reconsider.
From the first class lounge to your first class seat to the amazing service, this is a chance to enjoy pure luxury. If you enjoy champagne, flying first class on Japan Airlines will be a particularly special treat.
Before we dive into the best ways to book this amazing experience, let’s discuss what you can expect when flying first class.
(We’ve also covered in-depth the top ways to fly to Japan using points and miles!)
If you’re flying out of Tokyo Narita (NRT) or Tokyo Haneda (HND), your first class journey will start in a Japan Airlines first class lounge. Whether you’re looking for a place to relax, have a drink, enjoy some food, or do some work with fast Wi-Fi, you won’t be disappointed.
Their first class lounges even have self-pouring beer machines that have become a favorite of many luxury travelers.
Hot Tip: The lounge at Tokyo Haneda also has been known to provide self-serve Laurent Perrier champagne.
Once onboard, you can expect top-notch service throughout your flight. The Japan Airlines crew members will happily make your flight as enjoyable as possible by doing things such as preparing your bed with the mattress pad of your choice (hard or soft).
Japan Airlines also goes to great lengths to ensure you enjoy all of your food and drinks, including Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne, which retails for around $270 a bottle.
Finally, the Japan Airlines first class suite provides you with ample privacy. While it doesn’t have doors like those of Emirates first class, Singapore Suites, or the Etihad Apartments, the dividers provide plenty of privacy so you can feel right at home.
You can book first class award tickets on Japan Airlines through their own Mileage Bank program, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, or one of their Oneworld partners. Let’s dive into the best ways to book this flight.
The Japan Airlines Mileage Bank program uses a region-based award chart for its own flights, unlike the distance-based chart if you’re booking flights on partner airlines.
You can book flights on Japan Airlines online by following the steps below:
Hot Tip: When you select your flights, make sure there is availability, since Japan Airlines will also list flights you can be waitlisted for.
The image above provides a guide to what you should see under the Seat Availability column when selecting a flight.
Let’s take a look at an example:
In the example above, you can see the first flight from New York to Tokyo has 1 seat available, and the other flight has 2 seats available. On the return, the second flight has 1 seat available while the other flight only was waitlist space.
If your booking involves a connection on a partner of Japan Airlines (such as American Airlines), your booking will fall under their partner award chart, and you will need to call to complete the reservation.
For example, if you fly from Philadelphia (PHL) on American Airlines to Chicago (ORD) to catch a Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo Narita (NRT), you will need to look at the partner award chart to determine how many miles will be required.
For other ways to earn Japan Airlines miles, read our best ways to earn JAL miles. If you need some other ways to use your Mileage Bank miles, check out our best ways to redeem Japan Airlines miles.
Another good way to book Japan Airlines first class is through the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. Flying between North America and Japan will cost 70,000 Alaska Miles for a one-way ticket in first class.
Hot Tip: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan intra-Asia awards on Japan Airlines must be booked at least 72 hours in advance. Other routing is not affected and can still be booked last minute.
To book, go to Alaska’s website and follow these simple steps:
You can also book a stopover on a one-way award ticket booked with Alaska miles.
If you need some other ideas for using your Alaska miles, check out our best ways to redeem Alaska miles.
With the new Asia Miles prices effective June 22, 2018, you’ll need to check mileage by partner airline using their calculator.
As an example, New York City (JFK) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) first-class round-trip is 240,000 miles.
To book a flight on Japan Airlines, you will need to call Cathay Pacific.
If you need more miles to complete a booking, Cathay Pacific has several credit card partners including American Express Membership Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Points.
These partners each transfer to Asia Miles at a 1:1 rate. Citi ThankYou Points generally transfer within 24 hours, and transfers from Membership Rewards can take 3-7 days.
Hot Tip: Check out our Transfer Partner Tool to easily calculate how many miles you’ll need to transfer for your award.
American Airlines AAdvantage is one of the most commonly used programs for booking Japan Airlines first class.
It was more popular before they devalued their award chart in early 2016, but it’s still very useful if you need to connect to an airport in the U.S. where Japan Airlines operates.
To book with American miles, you will need to call after searching on the British Airways site. Here’s what you need to know.
If Japan Airlines isn’t your thing right now, there are great other options for redeeming your American AAdvantage miles.
Hot Tip: The ability to put award seats on hold makes using American miles one of the easiest ways to book Japan Airlines first class. One of our writers did just that! Check out his JAL 777 FC review (Tokyo—LA).
You can also book flights on Japan Airlines with any of their other Oneworld partners including British Airways. Unfortunately, the redemption rates on these other carriers are often quite poor.
First, let’s take a look at some standard awards between the U.S. and Japan. After that, we will look at some more creative ways to book Japan Airlines first class.
If you’re flying from New York City (JFK), Chicago (ORD), or Los Angeles (LAX), your cheapest option is 140,000 Japan Airlines miles or 140,000 Alaska miles. You could also book with 160,000 American miles or 240,000 Asia Miles.
Here’s where it gets fun: Japan Airlines has what it calls “Limited Days of the Week” awards for first class flights between the U.S. and Japan.
With the exception of some blackout dates, you can fly from the U.S. to Japan in first class for 120,000 miles on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, or return from Japan on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
This is as good as it gets when booking Japan Airlines first class from the U.S.!
Another interesting twist when booking Japan Airlines first class is what happens if you book a connection on American Airlines. If you do this, your award booking is governed by a different award chart.
For example, if you book a round-trip award that has you fly American Airlines from Philadelphia to Chicago then on to Tokyo via Japan Airlines first class, your total mileage cost would be 220,000 Asia miles.
Hot Tip: If you’re interested in Tokyo as your main destination, check out our in-depth travel guide to Tokyo for the best things to do, see, eat, etc!
If you are ready to book a flight in Japan Airlines first class but don’t have enough miles for the itinerary you want, there are plenty of ways to earn more.
You can earn Marriott points and transfer those to Japan Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Cathay Pacific at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 miles bonus.
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual free night award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.
So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles can be transferred from American Express as an Amex airline partner and Citi Thank You Rewards (both at a rate of 1:1), or from Marriott at a transfer rate of 3:1.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card is undoubtedly the #1 card for luxury travel benefits. From the best lounge access (of any card) to statement credits, to complimentary elite status, you can’t go wrong.
When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card® from American Express.
Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis is the go-to card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants and those who want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
The American Express® Gold Card is definitely a game-changer.
With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.
There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are a number of other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.
Business owner? See our list of the best Amex business credit cards.
Finding a first class award seat on Japan Airlines is not always easy, but if you’re flexible with your travel dates you can put together an amazing trip.
As soon as you have an idea about when you’d like to travel, start searching. You might be able to find space many months prior to departure, but Japan Airlines might not release award space until days before you want to depart.
Flying first class with Japan Airlines is a special experience thanks to a great seat and top notch service. If you’re a fan of champagne, the chance to enjoy one of the most expensive champagnes in the world will make your flight even better.
The cabin crew in Japan Airlines first class is second to none. They take great pride in creating an amazing flight experience for passengers, so you can sit back, relax with a glass of champagne, and enjoy the flight.
Speaking of champagne, several airlines around the world serve Dom Perigon, Krug, etc. But Japan Airlines stands alone in serving Louis Roederer Cristal 2009, which retails for $300+ per bottle. Needless to say…you won’t be disappointed.
Another huge perk of Japan Airlines first class is the liquor selection. You’ll have the opportunity to try Hibiki 17, which is an increasingly rare and world-class whisky. Because Hibiki 17 has been discontinued, the demand is extraordinary now.
Bottles can retail anywhere from $750 to $1,000.
Your first class suite provides a comfortable seat that converts into a very nice lie-flat bed. Additionally, you’ll have space to move around and privacy to make you feel right at home.
When you fly with Japan Airlines, you can expect an amazing first class experience. Whether you’re at the first class lounge at Tokyo Narita or Tokyo Haneda, you’re going to enjoy yourself.
Once on board, it only gets better when you settle into your suite and see the first class cabin crew in action.
While it’s not always an easy award ticket to book, you will be very happy to put in that little bit of extra effort!
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The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
If you are booking first class on Japan Airlines, check Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or American Airlines AAdvantage.
Japan Airlines and Alaska Airlines will have the best redemption rates, but booking with American Airlines can be much easier since you can put awards on hold. It’s also much easier to earn Asia Miles and book with Cathay Pacific.
You can transfer Membership Rewards or ThankYou Points to Cathay Pacific.
Bank of America also provides co-branded cards that earn Alaska miles if you need to top off your Mileage Plan account, while Citi provides co-branded American Airlines cards.
Synchrony Bank provides the Cathay Pacific Visa as well.
Japan Airlines has an amazing first class suite and a cabin crew that is second to none. You’ll also get to enjoy one of the most expensive champagnes in the world.
If you depart from Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Tokyo Narita (NRT), make sure you enjoy one of Japan Airlines’ first class lounges.
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Always a fan of flying, it was only natural that Spencer was drawn to finding a way to improve the travel experience.
Like many, he started this journey searching for cheap flights to take him around the world. This was fun for a while, but Spencer was intrigued by the idea of flying in business and first class!
Throwing himself into what became an extensive research project, Spencer spent 3-4 hours per night learning everything he could about frequent flyer miles over the course of several months (he thinks this is normal). He runs Straight to the Points, an award-seat alert platform.
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13 comments
John
April 06, 2018
Can I combine points from different cards into one account, say Amex and Citi? Also what’s the best way to bank these points into a one world partner account where I can use them to fly first class to Japan from NY on JAL. Will my Amex Plat card concierge service take care of this for me if I call them? Thanks again, love your posts.
Alex Miller
April 07, 2018
If there is a partner that both Amex and Citi transfer to, then yes – you can definitely transfer points to that partner from both Amex and Citi. There are partners that all of the transferrable programs are aligned with, such as Singapore Airlines so you could technically transfer in from all 4 (Chase, Citi, SPG, Amex).
SPG transfer to all of the OneWorld partners so that would be the best way to start banking points if you’re looking for maximum options.
Here’s info on their cards: /credit-cards/best-marriott-bonvoy-credit-cards/
Jason
November 10, 2019
“Japan Airlines has an amazing first class suite and a cabin crew that is second to none.”
My wife and I flew JAL First Class from San Francisco to Tokyo this past September. Unfortunately, the First Class suite was not amazing (unless you are comparing it to economy class) and the service was just average. Half of the stewardesses barely spoke English and none of them addressed me by name. I also took a Business Class flight on Singapore Airlines and the service was much better and they all addressed my by name.
The First Class suite on JAL is old and way inferior to ANA’s brand new First Class suite.
Tom
January 13, 2020
I’m trying to get a JAL flight using AA points. Conveniently this is now possible from the AA site. However, I also am trying to get a stopover in NRT on the way to PVG. Is this possible with points? I was able to put the flight together on the JAL website but AA site does not have the same options.
It’s tough to find out if this type of redemption is possible. Any way to do this? Thanks!
Stephen Au
January 13, 2020
Tom,
You cannot redeem AA miles and get a free stopover; it’s not allowed in their rules. You can only make connections. If you want to add that, you’ll need to pay separately for the 2nd segment using AA miles as well. Thanks for reading.
Jason
January 21, 2020
I’m on British Airways’ website and I literally can’t find any JAL flights that aren’t in economy for a flight from SFO to NRT in May. Am I too late to book travel for May in Jan?
Jarrod West
January 21, 2020
Hi Jason,
That is a possibility. Japan Airlines First Class space is very sought after so it can be hard to come by. I assume since you were searching on BA that you were hoping to book your ticket with AA miles, do you have any other miles you could use? Perhaps Alaska Airlines miles? If not, there are many other great booking options for your AA miles!
Tom
November 27, 2022
Oddly I do not see First Class options for Alaska Mileage Plan for JAL.
Meagan
January 09, 2023
Hi! Not sure if anyone is monitoring this but I have a similar issue as Tom. I’m on the AA site and wanting to redeem my AA miles for a Business/First class ticket to Japan on Japan Airlines and I’ve searched high and low, all months and different departure cities and they are only offering Economy or Premium Economy. No first class tickets are showing up. Has something changed?
Katie Seemann
January 17, 2023
Hi Meagan,
Finding business/first class award availability has been tough lately. I would keep looking because you never know when an award seat might pop up, but I would also suggest researching other ways to book your flight in case you can’t find availability through AA. Good luck!
Cera
January 21, 2023
I actually see plenty of first class options for Alaska Mileage for JAL (make sure you’re looking in the far right column, but note not all legs are first class, but a handful ARE first for the JAL option), there are some weeks/months I see them and a lot of others I don’t. However the problem I’m now running into is you can’t actually check out with these first class tickets. I’ve tried putting several different options (from Seattle, SFO, LAX > Tokyo both airports + Osaka both airports) and it’ll let you get all the way to the “PURCHASE” button then an alert will pop up that says “we cannot confirm seats on our partner airline flights”. I’ve spoken to both Alaska and Japan airlines about this, and both point fingers at each other. It’s really annoying actually that they are showing these first class tickets, but you can’t actually buy them.
Connie
July 08, 2023
Can you still redeem AA miles on JAL flights these days? I search and can not find any on Economy. Also it says to go to BA site and look but I thought you can now search on AA site. Is this article still accurate? It says updated Jun 2023 but is the info still accurate
Chris Hassan
July 08, 2023
Hi Connie,
Yes, you can still use AA miles to fly JAL. I just did a quick search and found wide open availbilty from BOS or JFK to NRT for only 35k miles in economy for the next 8 months.
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