Definitive Guide: Booking Japan Airlines Business Class with Points

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Japan is still a hot destination for many travelers, both in and outside the world of miles and points. As a result of the intense demand, finding award flights to and from Japan can be an adventure itself, especially if you are interested in flying business class or first class.

There isn’t one best way to get to Japan from North America, as all available award programs offer different pricing, different taxes, and different availability. However, it usually boils down to flying one of three airlines: Japan Airlines (JAL), All Nippon Airways (ANA), or Air Canada.

Let’s take a look at what it’s like to fly Japan Airlines business class and how you can make a redemption like this for your next vacation.

The Japan Airlines Business Class Experience

Japan Airlines Business Class Seat Map

Japan Airlines offers a few different business class products, including the Apex Suites, which is the configuration that is most often seen when flying from the United States to Japan.

JAL’s Apex Suites are configured in a unique 2-2-2 format that offers aisle access from each and every seat. Each seat has an optional privacy divider meaning you are completely separated from your seatmate even though you are actually sitting right beside them.

Japan Airlines Business Class Seat

The Japan Airlines Apex Suite is comfortable and offers a good balance of utility with privacy.

Even better, the seat when transformed into a lie-flat bed is one of the better beds we have experienced, and is a great opportunity to get some rest on your flight to Japan so you are ready to explore upon arriving.

Food & Beverage

Japan Airlines offers both an extensive Japanese and Western menu on their long-haul flights. No matter what cuisine you are interested in, Japan Airlines delivers a high-quality menu in addition to several wine and champagne options, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage choices.

They also offer an “Anytime You Wish” menu during your flight, so if you are set on having ramen in the sky, you can absolutely make it happen, and you won’t be disappointed by the quality.

Amenity Kit

All business class passengers on long-haul Japan Airlines business class flights receive a stylish amenity kit by Maison Kitsune.

The amenity kits include tissues, a moisture mask, a toothbrush, ear plugs, and a blindfold/sleeping mask, all neatly and individually packaged. Even if you don’t use it on your flight, they are a great souvenir to take home to remember your time on Japan Airlines!

Japan Airlines Business Class Routes

Japan Airlines operates a number of routes from North America, mainly from the West Coast, making them a great option to consider alongside All Nippon Airways (ANA).

japan airlines routing from north america

If you plan on booking a Japan Airlines flight, you will most likely need to also book a positioning flight unless you already live in one of the cities they service. Of course, once you land in Japan, Japan Airlines also offers a significant number of shorter-haul routes should you be traveling elsewhere.

Booking Japan Airlines Business Class with Points

Several loyalty programs can be used by Canadians who are interested in booking a Japan Airlines business class flight, including British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, and American Airlines AAdvantage.

Following the best practices when booking award flights and using award search tools, such as Seats.aero, are the best ways to seek out availability. Regardless of the program you are interested in booking with, this is the best way to start searching versus using the program-specific search engine if you value your time and want to be efficient.

While it is a small data point, I have seen 4+ seats available in business class on Japan Airlines, but it is a rarity. Your best chance in booking Japan Airlines business class is searching for a maximum of two business class seats on each flight.

As an aside, you can also book Japan Airlines business class with their own loyalty program, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank. However, the only way for Canadians to earn miles in this program is to transfer from Marriott Bonvoy at a ratio of 3:1 or by earning miles organically by traveling with Japan Airlines on cash fares. These options simply aren’t worth it, so they won’t be covered.

Booking Japan Airlines Business Class with British Airways Avios

The most straightforward way for Canadians to book Japan Airlines Business class is through British Airways Avios. Seats are released to British Airways at 355 days out, making it a great option for those who want to grab seats before they are released to other programs.

Once you find availability through an award tool and have the required Avios in your account, simply search for your desired date and route using the Book Flight with Avios tool.

When flying from the West Coast, such as San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX), you can expect to pay 77,250 Avios per person.

japan airlines availability on british airways avios sfo to hnd

On the other hand, if you are flying from the East Coast, such as Chicago (ORD) or New York (JFK), the Avios price does increase quite a bit to 92,750 Avios per person.

japan airlines availability on british airways avios ord to hnd

The biggest downfall in redeeming British Airways Avios for Japan Airlines business class is the higher taxes and fees, which are around $360 CAD per person. This is costly compared to other programs, but I personally am fine with paying this amount to lock down a hard-to-find and very desirable business class redemption at a fraction of the cash cost.

The Best Way to Earn British Airways Avios

There are a number of options for Canadians to earn British Airways Avios. My favorite approach is through the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card as Avion points transfer at a rate of 1:1. Plus, there are often transfer bonuses that offer an additional 20-30% points at least a few times per year.

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
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RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card earns Avion Elite points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 1.25x Avion Elite points on all travel purchases.

In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Flexible Points Travel Credit Card.

Check out our RBC Avion Visa Infinite card review for more details.

BONUS
55,000 Avion
MINSPEND
$0
NET VALUE
$925+
ANNUAL FEE
$120
FOREX FEES
Yes
EXPIRY
Jun 3, 2025

As an alternative, RBC also offers the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card as a way to accrue British Airways Avios without needing to transfer miles from other programs.

American Express Membership Rewards, both in Canada and the United States, can also be transferred to British Airways Avios at a ratio of 1:1. There are many credit cards in both countries that earn Membership Rewards, so this transferability can be a fantastic tool in building your British Airways Avios balance.

Booking Japan Airlines Business Class with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Booking a Japan Airlines Business class flight using Cathay Asia Miles is slept on by many, but the program does have a slight advantage as seats are released booking 360 days out, making it the earliest availability outside of the Japan Airlines Mileage Bank program. If booking these seats is a must-have for your travel plans, Asia Miles might be the program you want to investigate more.

In order to book, customers need to make an Asia Miles account, log in, and then search for award flights here after clicking on the “Redeem Flights” tab. Award flights are priced at 89,000 Cathay Asia Miles per person from anywhere in North America, and customers will pay around $360 CAD in taxes and fees.

japan airlines availability on cathay asia miles sfo to hnd

Flight awards can also be canceled, but there is a cost of $120 USD or 12,000 Asia Miles to cancel. While I would still default towards using British Airways Avios since they are so easy to accrue, redeeming Asia Miles is definitely a decent avenue to pursue if you want to snag your Japan Airlines award flight before anyone else even has a chance.

The Best Way to Earn Asia Miles

If you are a Canadian looking to earn Asia Miles, you want to focus on earning RBC Avion points as they transfer to Cathay Asia Miles at a rate of 1:1. Similar to the best way to earn British Airways Avios, this makes the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card one of the cards you want to add to your wallet for if you are interested in making a Japan Airlines business class flight redemption.

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
Apply Now Learn More
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

The RBC Avion Visa Infinite card earns Avion Elite points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 1.25x Avion Elite points on all travel purchases.

In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Flexible Points Travel Credit Card.

Check out our RBC Avion Visa Infinite card review for more details.

BONUS
55,000 Avion
MINSPEND
$0
NET VALUE
$925+
ANNUAL FEE
$120
FOREX FEES
Yes
EXPIRY
Jun 3, 2025

The Neo Cathay World Elite Mastercard is another option to earn Asia Miles, but the card itself isn’t that great so I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to sign up for it. Neo has explicitly said you will only receive the bonus if you haven’t held any Neo product before, so be aware before applying.

Canadians who hold credit cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards points can transfer to Asia Miles at a rate of 4:3, making it a middle-of-the-road transfer option compared to what else your Membership Rewards can be used for.

Finally, if you’ve started with US credit cards, the other options are to transfer to Asia Miles at a rate of 1:1 from various programs including American Express Membership Rewards (US), Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and more.

Booking Japan Airlines Business Class with Alaska Airlines Miles

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members can book Japan Airlines business class flights through the program, however, they only receive access to award availability at 330 days, which is a few weeks after many of the other programs on this list. This means that if you are interested in booking with Alaska Miles, you are at a disadvantage out of the gate as other customers will have the chance to book far before you can see availability on the site.

Searching for availability on the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is easy. Log into your account and search here after clicking the “Use Miles” checkbox.

Customers can expect to pay 75,000 Alaska Miles per person regardless of which coast they are departing from in North America, and around $19 USD in taxes and fees.

japan airlines availability on alaska airlines mileage plan sfo to hnd

If you need to cancel, Alaska Airlines will refund the full amount of points and taxes paid, less a charge of $12.50 per ticket as a non-refundable partner award fee.

The Best Way to Earn Alaska Miles

As it stands today, there is no easy method for Canadians to earn Alaska Miles.

On the US side, Bank of America offers a few Alaska Airlines co-branded credit cards, such as the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card. These cards are obtainable by Canadians who have entered the US credit card market and have received an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), however, applications must be completed in-branch for any person who is applying with an ITIN.

Booking Japan Airlines Business Class with American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

Using American Airlines AAdvantage to book Japan Airlines business class is the best option, but can be the hardest for Canadians to execute as it is much harder to earn AAdvantage miles compared to the alternatives in this list.

Searching for awards on American Airlines is easy, simply log into your account once you have the required miles and select “Redeem Miles” when searching here.

The biggest benefit of booking through AAdvantage is that the taxes and fees are incredibly cheap, coming in at a cost of $7.60 CAD per ticket. Even better, redemptions from North America to Tokyo are priced at 60,000 AAdvantage Miles per person, regardless of which coast you are departing from.

japan airlines availability on american airlines aadvantage miles jfk to hnd

The downfall is that seats are only bookable on AAdvantage from 331 days out, making this program lag behind others when it comes to availability. However, If you can figure out a way to earn the required miles, booking through AAdvantage is well worth it due to the savings on taxes and fees, reasonable redemption rates, and ease of cancellation if you need flexibility in your travel plans.

The Best Way to Earn AAdvantage Miles

If you are a Canadian with access to US credit cards, the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is your best option for earning AAdvantage Miles. Citi credit cards can be applied for online with an ITIN, so if you have gotten started with US credit cards and have a credit history in the United States this is a great option to build your AAdvantage Miles balance.

Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard
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Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard earns AAdvantage miles and offers perks when flying American Airlines including a first checked bag free and priority boarding.

BONUS
75,000 AAdvantage
MINSPEND
$3,500
NET VALUE
$1,050+
ANNUAL FEE
$99 (FYF)
FOREX FEES
No
EXPIRY

Outside of the Citi credit cards, there aren’t many opportunities for Canadians to earn AAdvantage Miles. RBC Avion cardholders, such as those who hold the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege card, can transfer points at a ratio of 10:7, but this isn’t great value and personally would not be the avenue that I would pursue if I wanted to make a Japan Airlines business class redemption.

Conclusion

Japan Airlines business class is a great option for traveling to/from Japan in a consistent and comfortable product and is an experience I am looking forward to flying later this year on my way to Tokyo. If Japan is on your radar, I highly recommend understanding the ins and outs of your options when it comes to booking so you know where you should be accruing points for your next redemption.

Josh Bandura

Josh Bandura

Co-Founder at Frugal Flyer
Josh has been involved in the miles and points game since 2015 but has scaled up his knowledge and points earning potential in recent years. With a consistent attitude of "min-maxing" in many aspects of his life, Josh has transferred this mindset over to the miles and points game. Always looking for the next big opportunity, he aims to share content on a variety of topics including his travels, miles and points, and most importantly, how to get the most out of your credit cards

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