How I booked Japan Airlines premium economy for 50,000 miles

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It’s been a goal of mine to fly Japan Airlines premium economy ever since I saw its high ratings in the Skytrax World Airline Awards over the past few years.

I view premium economy as an “in-between class.” It’s not as luxurious as business or first, but it’s a more achievable way to make a 12-hour flight significantly more bearable.

But with JAL’s premium economy pricing at about $2,000 each way for my desired dates and routes, I knew I had to be savvy about getting there on points. Here’s how I booked a flight from Chicago to Asia for just 50,000 miles on Japan Airlines’ incredible premium economy class.

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Japan Airlines' premium economy class on the Boeing 787-9 (789) and the Boeing 777-300ER (773) aircraft features the JAL Sky Shell Seat, built into a shell with a sliding recline feature, meaning that no one will slam their seat into my knees. Each seat has a 120-degree recline, an 18.9-inch width, and a 38-inch pitch.

The seats come with amenity kits, universal outlets, noise-cancelling headphones, and extra-large pillows, tray tables, and blankets. Even better, premium economy tickets come with lounge access, so I can relax in the lounge before my flight and during my layover.

It’s true that JAL has a brand-new premium economy cabin on its A350 aircraft (these seats have privacy dividers, leg rests that push out to 90 degrees, and massive entertainment screens), but so far, I haven’t been able to find availability with miles on that aircraft — at least, not yet.

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It’s true that I could have used Japan Airlines Miles to book this flight. The airline is a new transfer partner of Capital One miles, transferring at a 2:1.5 ratio, and also transfers from Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:3 ratio. However, the best option would be to use Bilt points, which transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

I opted for a different plan. Instead, I searched for partner award availability on AA.com using my American AAdvantage miles. Japan Airlines flies between several U.S. cities and Japan, and by keeping my dates flexible, I was able to find premium economy availability for just 50,000 AAdvantage miles from many U.S. hubs nonstop (and some with one stop) to Tokyo (HND). Still, the trip I ended up booking wasn’t to Tokyo. It was actually to Bangkok.

Yes, I was able to fly from Los Angeles (LAX) on Japan Airlines with a stop in Tokyo for just 50,000 AAdvantage miles in premium economy. It’s like that extra 7-hour flight was a freebie! I’ll be able to access the lounge on my six-hour layover in Tokyo, too.

Points Path values AAdvantage miles at 1.3 cents per mile, but after subtracting the $16.70 I paid in taxes and fees from the cash price ($2,000), I got nearly 4 cents per mile on this redemption, an incredible value.

Japan remains one of the top international travel destinations, with good reason. And if you want to fly there in semi-style for a reasonable price, AAdvantage miles are a great way to go.

The best way to book premium economy to Japan or other destinations in Asia is to keep your dates flexible and search on AA.com. Put in sample travel dates, check the “redeem miles” box, and search. When the results appear, filter them by Japan Airlines, and click on “Calendar” on the top right. Select premium economy and view the available dates for that month.

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