Japan Airlines, a oneworld member, started operating its Boeing 777-300ER aircrafts between Bangkok and Tokyo since June 2023.
These aircrafts are equipped with Apex Business Class (Sky Suite) and First Class seats!
Award availability
As shared in Suitesmile Chat earlier today, there is superb award availability for Japan Airlines Business Class and good availability for First Class awards, for 6-hour flights between Bangkok and Tokyo till mid-2024.
Travellers can even find up to 6 First Class award seats; making it possible to book almost the entire First Class cabin (of 8 seats) for friends/family.
How to Book Japan Airlines Business & First Class
If you are based in Singapore, award flights in Japan Airlines between Bangkok and Tokyo can be booked through these popular Frequent Flyer Programs (FFPs), where miles/points can be transferred from selected Singapore credit cards.
Related: Singapore Bank Transfer Partners of Credit Card Miles and Points
Additional note: Miles (Avios) in Qatar Airways Privilege Club can be transferred to BA Executive Club for free.
| Frequent Flyer Program | Miles Required (Business) | Miles Required (First) | Taxes/Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways Executive Club | 38.75k | 51.5k | ~S$180 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 61k | 87k | ~S$180 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 61.2k | 89.8k | ~S$180 |
Interestingly, I do not see similar availability on Alaska Mileage Plan.
Japan Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Business & First Class seats
If it is your first time flying in Japan Airlines Business or First Class, I recommend booking a flight from Haneda (Tokyo) to Bangkok, to check out the airline’s Sakura lounge in its home city; although Bangkok’s BKK airport has a Sakura lounge too.
Business Class
All Japan Airlines Sky Suites (Apex Suites) have direct aisle access (even the middle seats) and they are my favourite Japan Airlines Business Class seats.
Read my full review of this seat here.
First Class
I flew in Japan Airlines First Class in a recent round-the-world trip and absolutely enjoyed the experience. I’ll share a full review in due course, as I navigate through my embarrassing backlog of reviews to write. 🥹
Passengers travelling with a partner In Japan Airlines First Class can request to dine together (face-to-face)!
How to find Japan Airlines award space
The easiest and quickest way to search for oneworld award availability is on American Airlines’ website, aa.com. No log in required.
This is because, you will be able to set filters like “Non-stop flights only”, “Business/First class only” and no. of passengers, and have a lovely calendar view of the award availability (as shown below).
Note: Use aa.com only as a reference and ignore the miles requirement indicated on the website.
When you see availability on aa.com, replicate the search on your preferred frequent flyer program (e.g. Asia Miles) to cross-check and complete the booking.
Bottom line
Flying 6 hours in Japan Airlines Business Class for 38.75k miles and First Class for 51.5k miles is a fantastic deal, especially if you can include Bangkok as a side trip.
Just for comparisons, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer charges 52k miles (and ~S$118 lesser taxes/fees) for Business Class, and award availability is not good.
What is the service like when booking BKK-HND on JAL 777 First Class? Is it like international First Class in terms of dining and drinks, or is it more like Business Class? (For example do they serve Salon champagne on HND-BKK?)
I’ve not flown JL’s First Class on this route, so, I’m not sure about their First Class F&B options onboard a medium-haul international flight.