Japan Airlines (JAL) offers a premium cabin experience that many people dream about, but snagging award seats in first or business class requires strategy. To succeed, you’ll need to understand two fundamental principles: (1) how airline alliance partners work, and (2) booking windows for different loyalty programs.
To save time, Roame simplifies the search process, allowing you to find award availability through JAL’s partner airlines. With Roame’s award travel search tool, you can search 17 airline loyalty programs in real-time for free, and with Roame Pro you can set alerts so you don’t miss out on that perfect Japan flight redemption.
Roame searches the following airline loyalty programs:
- AeroMexico Rewards
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France Flying Blue
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- Delta Skymiles
- ETIHAD Guest
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus Avios
- JetBlue True Blue
- KLM Flying Blue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- SAS
- Free Spirit
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Virgin Australia Velocity
While Roame doesn’t search JAL directly (and most US travelers don’t have easy ways to build up Japan Airlines miles), it displays their award availability via partner airlines. This is where alliance knowledge comes in: JAL is a member of the Oneworld alliance and you can use alliance partners such as American Airlines to redeem flight deals.
Booking Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines is part of One World Alliance, and JAL typically releases 2 business class seats and 1 first class seat per flight on U.S.-Japan routes. Among One World Alliance members, Roame searches Qantas, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines. Flying Blue also has a non-alliance relationship with Japan Airlines to book award flights.
This is where knowing booking windows is an important consideration. Japan Airlines starts to open seats 360 days in advance at 9am Japan standard time. This is at 6pm PST/9pm EST during standard hours and 5pm/8pm during daylight savings hours. Among transfer partners of major US credit card issuers, popular programs include Qantas, Flying Blue, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, American Airlines and Alaska. Below are the booking windows:
- Qantas/Cathay Pacific – 360 days
- Flying Blue – 359 days
- British Airways – 355 days
- American Airlines – 331 days
- Alaska Airlines – 330 days
When booking window opens on Japan Airlines, Qantas is an excellent program to search for with Roame Live Search.
ANA availability has recently appeared on Air Canada Aeroplan again
However, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles often offers better redemption rates for JAL premium cabins than Qantas.
89,000 point JAL award flights booked through Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
For the best redemption rate on Japan Airlines flights, American Airlines AAdvantage provides award tickets for only 60K points in business class and 80K points in first class between North America and Japan. But, American’s booking window opens almost a month later than other programs, so availability is often gone by the time you can book.
In recent months, JAL has implemented married segment rules on some of its most popular routes, such as JFK and DFW, which feature its flagship A350-1000 aircraft. These rules limit availability when searching direct flights, but you can often find more options by searching alternate Japanese airports with a connection through Tokyo. For example, searching JFK–NRT directly may show no availability, but searching from other Japanese airports (like ITM or CTS) can unlock more options.
Flight availability with married segment – flying CTS to JFK (via HND)
Flight availability with married segment – flying CTS to JFK (via HND)
No availability for only the HND-JFK leg
Close-In Booking Opportunities
Japan Airlines often releases additional award availability 2 weeks or less before departure, depending on flight loads and revenue projections. This close-in release strategy is perfect for flexible travelers, or those willing to book flexible awards and count on award space becoming available.
How to Leverage Close-In Availability
- American Airlines/Alaska Airlines Flexibility: These programs allow you to book an economy ticket and then change to business or first class if availability opens up.
- Set Roame Alerts: Use Roame to monitor close-in award availability and jump on premium cabin seats as soon as they appear.
Conclusion
Booking Japan Airlines first or business class can feel like a challenge, but with the right tools and strategy, it’s achievable. Knowing the booking windows, leveraging close-in availability, and understanding married segment rules are key to securing your dream seat.
Whether you’re planning well in advance or hoping to snag a last-minute upgrade, Roame’s search tools and alerts can give you the edge. Start planning your JAL adventure today and experience one of the world’s most luxurious premium cabins!
