Japan is a long way away, so many travelers aspire to take that long flight across the Pacific in a comfy lie-flat business class seat. And while bargains aren't easy to find, they are out there – especially if you have the right points and miles.
While cash rates for lie-flat seats might be $6,000 or more in most cases, that's not the best way to secure those lie-flat seats flying between North America and Tokyo.
Whether you're using 60,000 American Airlines miles to book Japan Airlines business class, 52,000 Virgin Atlantic miles to book ANA business class, or 94,000 Flying Blue miles to book Delta One Suites, some outstanding redemptions could put a 2024 or 2025 Tokyo trip on your calendar this year.
We've found a half dozen award deals to Japan this year alone for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members. Here are the best ones.
Japan Airlines Business Class from 60K Points
American Airlines and Japan Airlines are close partners. Both are members of the OneWorld airline alliance, and the two have reciprocal loyalty and award programs that can help travelers on both sides of the ocean.
The best part of this relationship is the ability to book Japan Airlines business class for just 60,000 American Airlines miles.
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That includes Japan Airlines' brand new business class suites pictured above.
But you can snag any of Japan Airlines' business class seats when JAL and AA make the seats available. They fly from the airports above, as well as many others on the west coast and in Dallas (DFW) too.
The best way to book these is for 60,000 AA miles, but if you have a way to get Alaska miles, British Airways Avios, or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles you can also snag these same seats for a few miles more.
Japan Airlines' old business class is still a comfortable ride with the same high-end service and attention you can expect from one of the best airlines in the world.
ANA Business Class from 52K Points
I'll try not to let my bias shine through too much…but ANA's “The Room” Business Class was the best flight I've taken. Booking that seat with Virgin Atlantic points is one of the best redemptions on earth.
Just look at the sheer width of that seat. My wife and I could have shared this suite and been comfortable on our trip from Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) earlier this year!
We didn't, of course. Instead, we got side-by-side suites for just 47,500 Virgin Atlantic miles each. A sizzling deal.
Sadly, those rates have gone up slightly. The lowest rates from the west coast are now 52,500 Virgin points each way after a recent devaluation of this specific redemption. On the longer flights, like the one I took from Chicago, it's up to 60,000 each way.
Do yourself a favor and get some Virgin points ready to book these incredible seats. I still can't stop thinking about my flight!
Delta One Suites from 94K Points
Most Delta flyers have dreams of Delta One Suites, but Delta SkyMiles rates can get up to 300,000 SkyMiles or more. Those redemptions are brutal, but Delta's partners like Air France/KLM and Virgin can offer much better rates.
Starting at just 94,000 points each way, you could use those points to snag these unbelievable suites.
You don't need to have flown a bunch with Air France or Virgin to get those miles, either. You can transfer points nearly all the major banks like Amex, Capital One, and Chase, to either program to book these business class seats.
Read our full guide to the best ways to book Delta One business class for fewer points!
Hawaiian Business Class from 53K Points
It's easy for Americans on the mainland to skip over Honolulu (HNL) when they think about flying business class to Japan, but they shouldn't.
For one, you can book lie-flat seats on Hawaiian Airlines to Japan for as few as 53,000 American Airlines miles each way.
But that's not all. If you have Virgin points or Hawaiian miles (or points you can transfer to either program), you can also secure these seats, albeit for slightly more.
Hawaiian flies from HNL to Fukuoka (FUK), Tokyo-Haneda (HND), and Tokyo-Narita (NRT), too.
You could easily book a cheap positioning flight to the Hawaii Islands to take advantage of a deal like this!
No Points, No Problem: ZIPAIR or WestJet from $1,326 RT
People with points are going to have a much easier chance at snagging some business class seats. But there are ways to find cheaper lie-flat seats, too.
ZIPAIR is one of the best options for this, because ZIPAIR is an ultra-low-cost carrier. When you pay for a lie-flat seat, that's all you get. There are no bells and whistles. No fancy food and drink, no lounges, no extra bags, nothing. Just the seat.
But you can get the seat for prices like this!
ZIPAIR hasn't scheduled some of these routes for this coming year, but the airline is worth a look if you're flying from the U.S. and want to pay cash for a lie-flat seat.
Read our review of ZIPAIR business class!
The other best cash deal we've found in 2024 came on a brand new route from Calgary (YYC) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on WestJet.
The Canadian airline flies new Boeing 787 Dreamliners with lie-flat business class seats onboard, including multiple flights a week to and from Narita.
When the route was announced, it was bookable for just about $3,000 roundtrip – a massive savings on flights to and from YYC normally.
Bottom Line
You don't need hundreds of thousands of points or miles to book a business class flight across the Pacific Ocean. In most cases, you can book some of the best business class seats in the world flying to Japan for 60,000 points or less.
Over the past year, we've unearthed some incredible award deals for our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers who want a comfy trip to Japan this year or next, whether you want to use points and miles or even pay cash.