There’s spontaneous, and then there’s booking a last-minute flight to Tokyo spontaneous. If you’re the type of person who is willing to drop everything and embark on an adventure at a moment’s notice, then you might be in luck. American Airlines is currently offering round-trip business-class tickets to Tokyo for as low as 120,000 AAdvantage miles. This is a significant discount considering that American used to price standard one-way business-class award tickets to Asia at 95,000 miles.
One of the great things about this deal is that in many cases, you’ll actually be flying aboard American Airlines’ Oneworld Alliance partner, Japan Airlines. This means that you can still enjoy a high-quality experience even if you’re not flying on an American Airlines aircraft.
While the most widespread options are out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, we found nonstop and/or one-stop options available at the same 120,000-mile, round-trip price point from other airports as well. This includes New York, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and Miami International Airport, among others.
However, there is a catch. In order to take advantage of this deal, you may need to start packing your bags right now. The best availability is this week, although there might be some availability through February and into early March.
If you have a stash of AAdvantage miles saved up, now might be the perfect time to use them. You can book directly with the American Airlines website and should do so as soon as possible to secure your preferred travel dates.
While a lot of the best award availability is aboard Japan Airlines aircraft, you can find these deals primarily by booking through American’s booking channels. Unfortunately, the award price point is not available on Japan Airlines’ new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that operates between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. However, this deal is still significantly cheaper than most business-class flights between the U.S. and Japan.
Chicago seems to have the best award availability, with plenty of dates showing availability at 60,000 miles one-way in business class. Depending on your travel dates, you may need to make a connection to another U.S. airport, such as Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. However, there are also nonstop options available from California’s Bay Area, with flights departing to both Haneda and Tokyo’s Narita Airport.
If you’re leaving from the New York area, there are also options for round trips completely operated by American Airlines. You would fly from LaGuardia Airport and make a stop at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport before continuing on to Haneda aboard an American 787 Dreamliner.
When booking your ticket, don’t forget to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases. This will help you maximize your purchase and earn even more rewards.
In conclusion, if you’re up for an ultra-last-minute trip to Japan and have a stash of AAdvantage miles that you’ve been waiting to use, this could be a great opportunity. With round-trip business-class tickets to Tokyo available for as low as 120,000 AAdvantage miles, this deal is hard to pass up. Just make sure to book as soon as possible before this award space runs out. Happy travels!