AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Starting day one in 2024, you'll earn AAdvantage miles differently when you credit Japan Airlines (JAL) flights to American Airlines.
The impending adjustments shouldn't deter you from crediting future JAL flights to Amerian Airlines, as they're overwhelmingly positive. The base miles you'll earn will generally be higher, and the cabin bonuses will be more lucrative — two very good things.
Here's a look at what'll change in the coming year.
AA Amends Mileage Earnings Rates on JAL for 2024 and Beyond
American Airlines publishes two earning charts for Japan Airlines: one for international flights and one for domestic flights. Compared to what's on the way, the current charts are nowhere near as potentially lucrative, so good things are on the horizon.
The earning structure itself won't change. AA will continue to publish two charts for JAL flights, and you'll still earn redeemable AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points based on the distance traveled and the fare class you've booked into.
The soon-to-be old earning charts
To provide a reference point for the changes, we'll quickly look at the current earning charts ending December 31, 2023. The active international earning chart looks like this:
| Cabin | Fare Class | Base AAdvantage Miles | Cabin Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | F, A | 100% | 50% |
| Business | J, C, D, I | 100% | 25% |
| Business | X | 70% | N/A |
| Premium Economy | W, R | 100% | N/A |
| Premium Economy | E | 70% | N/A |
| Premium Economy | P | 50% | N/A |
| Economy | Y, B | 100% | N/A |
| Economy | H, K, M | 70% | N/A |
| Economy | L, V, S | 50% | N/A |
| Economy | O, G, N, Q, Z | 30% | N/A |
At first glance, you'll notice the high frequency of “N/A” values in the cabin bonuses column. Only two fare classes feature bonuses, and the percentages leave a bit to be desired. Still, any bonuses are better than no bonuses — but keep this observation in your back pocket to compare with the coming charts.
The current chart for domestic flights within Japan (excluding select flights between Tokyo-NRT and both Nagoya-NGO and Osaka-KIX) is below.
| Cabin | Fare Class | Base AAdvantage Miles | Cabin Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | F | 100% | 50% |
| First | E | 100% | 25% |
| Business | J | 100% | 10% |
| Business | I | 85% | N/A |
| Economy | Y | 100% | N/A |
| Economy | A | 75% | N/A |
As they currently stand, the domestic charts don't give us much to write home about. While they're fine as is, there's still room for improvement (apparently).
The soon-to-be new charts
With the soon-to-be old earning charts established, let's look at what'll take effect on January 1, 2024 — which isn't that far away. The new earn chart for international flights is as follows:
| Cabin | Fare Class | Base AAdvantage Miles | Cabin Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | F, A | 100% | 200% |
| Business | J, C, D, I | 100% | 150% |
| Business | X | 100% | 100% |
| Premium Economy | W, R | 100% | 50% |
| Premium Economy | E | 100% | 25% |
| Premium Economy | P | 50% | N/A |
| Economy | Y, B | 100% | N/A |
| Economy | H, K, M | 70% | N/A |
| Economy | L, V, S | 50% | N/A |
| Economy | O, G, N, Q, Z | 30% | N/A |
So, what's changing? A lot, to be honest. First class, business class, and premium economy fare classes are all due to see earning improvements in some capacity — whether that be more base miles or higher cabin bonuses. Jumping from a 10% bonus on J business fares to 150% is huge, as is the jump from 25% or 50% to 200% on first-class fares.
Additionally, if the fare classes aren't improving, their future earnings will remain the same. With the new international earning chart, no fare class will see muted earnings next year — even on economy tickets.
| Cabin | Fare Class | Base AAdvantage Miles | Cabin Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | F, E | 100% | 200% |
| Business | J | 100% | 150% |
| Business | I | 100% | 100% |
| Economy | Y | 100% | N/A |
| Economy | A | 70% | N/A |
Earnings on domestic fares will also see sweeping improvements. In the majority of fare classes, both base miles and cabin bonuses will either increase or stay the same — except one fare class.
Out of all the changes, the only one that will be negative pertains to discount economy tickets in fare class “A.” These tickets will see a marginal 5% decrease in the base miles earned, going from 75% to 70% of the distance flown.
Related: Do American Airlines AAdvantage Miles Expire?
Final Thoughts
American Airlines is amending the mileage earning rates for Japan Airlines flights for 2024 and beyond. Thankfully, the impending changes are overwhelmingly positive, thanks to more base miles and higher cabin bonuses.
On balance, it'll continue to be a great idea to credit JAL flights to American if you value AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points. And this comes on the heels of adding Aer Lingus as an earning partner, providing even more ways to earn AAdvantage miles when flying on partner airlines.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.