In terms of excellent ways to fly between Asia and the US, Japan Airlines business class is at the top of the list. The airline generally is considered to have one of the business class products on the market. When you pair the inflight experience with how easy it is to earn miles to book these flights, you can see why Japan Airlines is a popular award flight option.

There are five primary ways to earn points that can be converted into miles to book Japan Airlines business class. Japan Airlines is in the Oneworld Alliance, so airline programs in this alliance are likely your best option. With that context, let’s see how to earn points that you redeem to book this sought-after business class award flight.

For more Points With Q articles delivered to your inbox, sign up for my travel newsletter.

Credit Cards Points to Earn to Book Japan Airlines Business Class

American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Marriott each offer ways to book Japan Airlines business class. Points earned in these programs can be transferred to airlines book Japan Airlines flights. Not all transfers are created equal, so knowing which airlines partners to transfer your points to is key.

American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are two excellent airlines programs to use to book Japan Airlines business class. Specifically, the Alaska Airlines Credit Card, Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card, AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard, AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard, Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select card, and CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard are cards to help you earn the miles that you need.

US to Japan Routes

You can fly Japan Airlines nonstop between Haneda Airport (HND) and Chicago–O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York–JFK, San Francisco. Japan Airlines also flies nonstop between Narita International Airport (NRT) and Boston, Chicago–O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle/Tacoma.

Japan Airlines Business Class Travel Dates

All of the dates below show award space for at least four people.

Chicago–O’Hare (ORD)>Haneda (HND)

• Jul: 10, 11, 13, 14, 19-21, 24, 25, 27, 28
• Aug: 4, 7, 9, 10, 23, 24, 30
• Sep: 4-6, 8, 11, 12

Haneda (HND)>Chicago–O’Hare (ORD)

• Jul: 5-7, 11, 14, 20-22, 26-28, 30
• Aug: 2, 10, 15-20, 22-27, 29-31
• Sep: 1-4, 6-10

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)>Haneda (HND)

• Jul: 4, 5, 7, 12, 14, 18, 20, 21, 27
• Aug: 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 16, 23, 29, 30
• Sep: 4-8, 11, 12

Haneda (HND)>Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)

• Aug: 19, 23-26, 31
• Sep: 1-3, 7, 8

Los Angeles (LAX)>Haneda (HND)

• Jul: 4-6, 10, 13, 19-21, 25-28
• Aug: 3, 5, 9-11, 17, 19, 25, 28, 30, 31
• Sep: 9, 11, 12

Haneda (HND)>Los Angeles (LAX)

• Aug: 17, 19, 22-27, 30, 31
• Sep: 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 9,12

New York (JFK)>Haneda (HND)

• Jul: 11, 19, 21, 24-27
• Aug: 1-3, 9, 21, 23, 28-31
• Sep: 1, 5, 6, 12

Haneda (HND)>New York (JFK)

• Jul: 14, 20, 27, 28, 30
• Aug: 18, 23, 24, 30, 31
• Sep: 2, 6-8

San Francisco (SFO)>Haneda (HND)

• Jul: 3, 5, 10-12, 20, 21, 31
• Aug: 3, 4, 7-11, 22-24, 28-30
• Sep: 4-8, 11

Haneda (HND)>San Francisco (SFO)

• Jul: 1, 20, 22, 28, 30
• Aug: 2, 16-20, 23, 25-27, 30, 31
• Sep: 1-3, 6, 8-10

Boston (BOS)>Narita (NRT)

• Jul: 14, 17, 18, 24-26
• Aug: 1-4, 7, 10, 17, 22-25, 29, 30
• Sep: 1, 4, 5, 8, 7, 8, 11, 12

Narita (NRT)>Boston (BOS)

• Jul: 5, 7, 20, 21
• Aug: 25
• Sep: 1, 6, 8

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)>Narita (NRT)

• Aug: 16

Los Angeles (LAX)>Narita (NRT)

• Jul: 4-6, 10, 13, 19-21, 25-28
• Aug: 3, 5, 9, 11, 17, 25, 28, 30, 31
• Sep: 4, 9, 11, 12

Narita (NRT)>Los Angeles (LAX)

• Aug: 17-19, 22-27, 30, 31
• Sep: 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12

San Francisco (SFO)>Narita (NRT)

• Jul: 3, 5, 10-12, 21, 22, 31
• Aug: 3, 4, 7-11, 23-24, 28-30
• Sep: 4-8, 11, 12

Narita (NRT)>San Francisco (SFO)

• Jul: 1, 20, 22, 28, 30
• Aug: 2, 16-20, 23, 25-27, 30, 31
• Sep: 1-3, 6, 8-10

Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)>Narita (NRT)

• Jul: 11, 14, 17, 19-22, 24-26, 28, 31
• Aug: 1-4, 6-12, 17-20, 23, 25, 27-31
• Sep: 3-7, 11, 12

Narita (NRT)>Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)

• Jul: 1, 6, 11-14, 27-30
• Aug: 10, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22-24, 26-29, 31
• Sep: 1-9, 11, 12

How to Book Japan Airlines Business Class with Points

• Alaska Airlines – 60,000 miles
• American Airlines – 60,000 miles
• British Airways – 77,250+ miles
• Cathay Pacific – 75,000 miles
• Iberia – 150,000+ miles (round-trip)

Alaska and American require the least number of miles. American miles are likely easier to earn than Alaska miles because American offers more credit cards that earn miles than Alaska. So, using American miles may be the easiest way for most travelers to book Japan Airlines business class.

Cathay Pacific charges a premium relative to Alaska and American. However, Cathay Pacific miles are fairly easy to earn because it partners with Amex, Capital One, Citi, and Marriott. British Airways and Iberia use distance-based award charges, which makes both programs unattractive to use.

Japan Airlines Point Transfer Partners

• Amex – British Airways, Cathay Pacific
• Capital One – Cathay Pacific
• Chase – British Airways
• Citi – Cathay Pacific
• Marriott – Alaska, American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines

Common Japan Airlines Business Class Questions

Is Japan Airlines business class good?

This Japan Airlines business class 777 review, this Japan Airlines business class 777 review, this Japan Airlines business class 787 review, and this Japan Airlines business class 767 review shows you what Japan Airlines business class offers. If you want to compare Japan Airlines business class vs first class, check out this Japan Airlines first class review.

How much does it cost to fly business class to Japan?

JAL business class starts at $5,200 round-trip when looking out through the end of the schedule. Expect to pay the same if not more when flying American business class or ANA business class to Japan.

Which airline business class is best?

World’s 10 Best Business Class Seats provides a helpful overview for business class flights. For me, ANA’s The Room looks the most interesting to fly.

Conclusion on JAL Business Class

One of the keys when booking premium award flights is to book these flights way in advance. Think about booking flights 10-11 months before your travel dates. That way you have access to the best award availability. Japan Airlines generally releases plenty of award space. So, you shouldn’t have any problem booking these flights as long as you book in advance.

Have you flown JAL Business Class? What other business class flights do you want to book? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.

Disclaimer: If you click and/or sign up for a credit card through certain links on this site or any of my related social media platforms, I may make a commission from that click-through.  The editorial content on this page and the user comments are not provided by any of the companies mentioned and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.