Japan Airlines Sale: US to Asia in Business Class from $1,800

Posted By Stephen Hoechst on Dec 27, 2019 | 4 comments

Let’s face it, flights from the US to Asia are long. Until teleportation becomes a thing, you’re looking at a minimum of 10 hours from the west coast and 13 hours from the east coast. On flights that long, having a flat bed to sleep in makes a huge difference. However, unless you’ve got a stockpile of points, you’re usually looking at $4,000+ for that privilege. Even then, you might be looking at a less desirable airline, routing, or layover.

What if I told you that you could pay less than half that, but still get five-star service. Well, thanks to Japan Airlines, all that is possible.

The Deals

(image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Japan Airlines is often regarded as one of the best airlines for crossing the Pacific. From the Cristal in first class, to Apex Suites in business class, to the industry leading 34″ of pitch in economy, there isn’t a cabin to dislike.

With options from New York, Boston, Miami, and Vancouver, you should be able to find an option within 2 hours of you. Even if you don’t live in one of those cities, positioning to these airports should be relatively easy.

• Boston to Beijing - $1,823
• New York JFK to Taipei – $1,884
• Vancouver to Taipei - $1,901
• New York JFK to Kuala Lumpur – $1,925
• Miami to Beijing - $1,942
• Vancouver to Ho Chi Minh City - $2,097
• Vancouver to Bangkok – $2,111

The Dates

While availability varies by city pair, generally you’ll be able to find options from January to April. The best availability is typically found in March and April, where dates are currently wide open for most destinations. That’s perfect for cities like Beijing and Taipei, as those cities will just be rolling into spring. For most of the south east Asian destinations, you should be able to avoid peak rainy seasons as well.

How to Book These Deals

To find the best dates, head on over to Google Flights and plug in your desired city pairings from the list above. You can explore the calendar to find the dates and fares that work best for you. Once you’ve found those dates, head on over to Skyscanner and plug in those dates to save even more.

How to Save Even More

If you hold the Amex Platinum Card, you can get these rates even lower on flights from the US. Expect about $100-200 off the rates listed above. If you hold the Amex Business Platinum Card, this can represent a great way to use your points. With the 35% rebate on bookings with points, you’d be able to book your flight for 135,000 Amex points and still earn a ton of Alaska miles back.

Where to Credit These Flights

Both legs of your Japan Airlines flights should book into the X fare class. This means you’ll earn 225% of your miles flown when crediting to Alaska Airlines. Using New York to Taipei for example, you’d earn over 35,000 miles! If you held top-tier status with them, you’d be looking at over 55,000 miles. That’s enough for another one-way business class flight from the US to Asia.

Alternatively, if you’re a Oneworld loyalist, you could also credit these flights to your favorite Oneworld program. All the major ones should earn the same 125% of your miles flown. These flights could go a long way toward qualifying for elite status. For the same example, you’d be looking at earning over 30,000 elite qualifying miles and $4,000 elite qualifying dollars with American AAdvantage.

Do you plan on taking advantage of these deals?