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Japan Airlines debuted its new flagship business class on its new flagship Airbus A350-1000 just over a year ago. The aircraft was first launched on the Tokyo Haneda (HND) to New York (JFK) route, followed by a second route to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). And there's another U.S. route on the way.
Some lucky points and miles enthusiasts have managed to book award seats in this new business class. But one thing is clear: availability is limited unless you have great flexibility or plenty of patience.
Here's how to book Japan Airlines' new business class using miles, along with the routes currently featuring the A350-1000.
Page Contents
- Why You Should Book Japan Airlines Business Class on the A350-1000
- Japan Airlines A350-1000 Routes and Schedule
- Japan Airlines A350-1000 Cabin and Seat Layout
- Best Ways To Book Japan Airlines A350-1000 Business Class with Miles
- How Many Points Do You Need To Fly Japan Airlines New Business Class?
- How To Find Japan Airlines Business Class Award Availability
- Bottom Line
Why You Should Book Japan Airlines Business Class on the A350-1000
Is it really that incredible? Absolutely. I recently flew Japan Airlines’ new business class from New York and was blown away.
Japan Airlines’ new business class product is impressive, and it's packed with thoughtful touches like a personal closet, a privacy door, and a built-in speaker in the headrest. While the wireless charging pad is a nice touch, I haven’t had much luck with them working well on planes. The catering was excellent, as expected, though the service felt a bit more hands-off — possibly because it was a red-eye flight.
But the best part was the price I paid. Although the cash price of this flight runs into the thousands, I booked my trip from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (HND) via New York (JFK) for just 60,000 American Airlines miles and $5.60 in taxes.
Japan Airlines is one of my favorite American Airlines partners, and it's easily one of the best ways to get to Tokyo using points and miles.
My first leg from Los Angeles to New York was on American Airlines’ A321T. While that meant going the wrong way for almost six hours, this aircraft also features lie-flat seats and made it a fantastic addition to the same redemption.
Redeeming 60,000 miles for such a premium experience is a no-brainer.
Japan Airlines A350-1000 Routes and Schedule
Japan Airlines currently operates its Airbus A350-1000 on four routes out of Tokyo Haneda (HND), with more destinations coming in 2025. Here's a look at the type's current routes and schedule as of the time of writing:
- New York (JFK) ✈ Tokyo (HND) — Daily
- JL 003: Departs 01:35 – Arrives 05:10 +1
- JL 005: Departs 13:40 – Arrives 17:15 +1
- Tokyo (HND) ✈ New York (JFK) — Daily
- JL 004: Departs 19:45 – Arrives 19:30
- JL 006: Departs 11:05 – Arrives 10:50
- Dallas (DFW) ✈ Tokyo (HND) — Daily
- JL 011: Departs 11:35 – Arrives 15:25 +1
- Tokyo (HND) ✈ Dallas (DFW) — Daily
- JL 012: Departs 10:55 – Arrives 08:25
- London (LHR) ✈ Tokyo (HND) — Daily
- JL 044: Departs 18:30 – Arrives 17:20 +1
- Tokyo (HND) ✈ London (LHR) — Daily
- JL 043: Departs 09:50 – Arrives 15:15
- Tokyo (HND) ✈ Paris (CDG) — Daily
- JL 045: Departs 10:20 – Arrives 17:55
- Paris (CDG) ✈ Tokyo (HND) — Every other day
- JL 046: Departs 20:25 – Arrives 17:20 +1
Note that flight times will change. So, double-check these times before relying on them.
Japan Airlines A350-1000 Cabin and Seat Layout
Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 has a total of 239 seats:
- First Class — 6 suites
- Business Class — 54 suites
- Premium Economy — 24 seats
- Economy — 155 seats
The business class cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 staggered configuration, providing direct aisle access at every seat. For those traveling with a companion, the center seats (D and G) feature a privacy divider that can be lowered.
True window seats (A and K) in odd-numbered rows in the forward business class cabin (rows 3–7) are closer to the window for added privacy, while even-numbered rows in the rear business class cabin (rows 8–16) offer a similar experience.
Best Ways To Book Japan Airlines A350-1000 Business Class with Miles
American Airlines AAdvantage® is one of the most affordable ways to book Japan Airlines. However, it's not necessarily the best program to use, as its award calendar opens 331 days before departure. Other programs, like Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, open 360 days in advance, giving you an edge on snagging one of these coveted seats.
If you’re set on booking Japan Airlines’ new business (or even first class) on a specific date, transferring points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles may be a better option. Cathay Pacific has a healthy list of transfer partners:
Japan Airlines typically releases one first-class and two business-class award seats at the 360-day mark. This means availability may be gone before the AAdvantage booking window even opens.
Related: How Far In Advance Can You Book Airline Award Tickets?
How Many Points Do You Need To Fly Japan Airlines New Business Class?
The number of points and miles required for booking a Japan Airlines A350-1000 business class seat depends on the program you use. Here's an overview of the rates:
| Airline Loyalty Program | Business Class (DFW, JFK) | Business Class (CDG, LHR) | First Class (DFW, JFK) | First Class (CDG, LHR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 60,000 | 75,000 | 80,000 | 90,000 |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | 75,000 | 75,000 | 110,000 | 110,000 |
| British Airways Club | 92,750 | 77,250 | 123,750 | 103,000 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 89,000 | 89,000 | 135,000 | 135,000 |
American Airlines
American Airlines is a straightforward way to book if you have American Airlines miles and allows you to quickly confirm the type of aircraft and ensure you're booking the A350.
British Airways
While British Airways may not have the best rates, if you a stash of Avios, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or virtually any transferable points currency, Japan Airlines is a good way to spend your hard-earned points. If you need to top off your Avios, consider doing the Avios boost to book an award flight.
Cathay Pacific
The great thing about redeeming Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is that it allows you to book up to 360 days before departure. Plus, the program has multiple transfer partners.
How To Find Japan Airlines Business Class Award Availability
When Japan Airlines announced its A350 launch, I immediately wanted to book seats on the plane. I managed to secure a business class seat for 60,000 AAdvantage miles + $11.20 for a trip from El Paso (ELP) to Tokyo (HND) via Dallas (DFW) — a full 235 days before departure.
However, I also noticed close-in availability just eight days before departure, which suggests that Japan Airlines award space follows a pattern: Book far in advance or at the last minute.
But to save you the time of checking day by day, there are two easy ways to look for Japan Airlines business class award availability: Seats.aero and the American Airlines award calendar.
Seats.aero
Seats.aero has been my favorite award availability tool for a while. It allows for a quick view of award availability across 17 airline programs as well as a live search tool. To find award availability for Japan Airlines, I like to use the Explore feature and select either American Airlines or Qantas, as they both could have visibility for Japan Airlines partner award availability. This is how I search for Japan Airlines new business class, no matter how I plan to book:
Select the Explore tab and choose either American Airlines or Qantas. Picking American Airlines will allow you to search up to 331 days in the future and choosing Qantas will allow you to see up to 353 days in the future. If you want to book at the 360-day mark, your best bet is searching directly through Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
Choose the continents from the drop-down options. In this case, it should be either North America to Asia or vice versa.
Use the “Airlines” filter to select Japan Airlines, the sort the Business column, this will show the nonstop flights available in a green box.
Enter either “JFK” or “DFW” in the Search text box to find those routes.
The Date column on the left will show which dates should be available as of the last time Seats.aero conducted a search, which is stated in the next column.
For first class, Seats.aero also has a fantastic tool called “JAL First Class Finder” on its website. The tool displays all Japan Airlines First Class availability within 60 days of departure (or a year if you're a Pro subscriber), the prices, the last time flight availability was found, and the prices on American Airlines and Qantas.
American Airlines award calendar
The American Airlines award calendar is an easy way to view availability a month at a time. Try to find the nonstop routes from JFK and DFW first by adding it to the filter.
If you're not based in JFK or DFW, try to add your home airport to the origin or destination to confirm if it's possible to add your positioning flight for the same rate.
Bottom Line
Japan Airlines’ new business class, featured on select Airbus A350-1000 routes, offers enhanced privacy, direct aisle access, and a premium cabin experience. While American Airlines AAdvantage has the lowest redemption rates, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles provides earlier access at 360 days out, making it a more viable option for securing coveted award seats.
For travelers who are flexible on dates, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines offer excellent value with competitive redemption rates. However, those looking to secure a specific date far in advance may have better luck booking through Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, which provides a crucial 30-day head start over other partner programs.
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