Originally Posted by IggySD

SAN-LAX was cancelled during the pandemic, that’s the reason for the routing via PHX or DFW. I’d pick JAL over AA any day except I believe the SAN-NRT flight still has angled flat business class seats. They’re not great.

HND is closer to Tokyo proper so is usually preferred. NRT isn’t really bad, just a bit more inconvenient. I’d say your best option is to try to get a JAL flight from a different gateway than SAN that has lay flat seats, followed by the AA options via DFW or PHX/LAX with SAN-NRT being the last choice. You’ll have better lounge options at LAX or DFW as well.

For me comfort of the seat would take priority over the Tokyo airport as it’s a minor inconvenience to fly in/out of NRT. I’d prioritize being more comfortable for the 10+ hour transpacific flight than the 45-60 minutes saved by flying into HND.