Originally Posted by
lrdpenn
It's a fair conundrum if you must spend the night somewhere.
Assuming you don't find value in 1-2 days in Tokyo (remember it's 7.5k AA miles for JL domestic; you don't have to resort to LCC), have you tried to downgrade to Y on KIX-OKA? You don't have to fly Class J, you can always take any lower class on a segment under the same award. If you are booking more than 1-2 weeks in advance and this isn't a peak holiday, I'd be surprised if there is not JL Y space on the flight you want.
Thank you for the reminder about TYO-OKA 7.5k AA miles. Got tempted by the low LCC fares but they are only available at less desirable times.
I checked over a range of dates and AA does not appear to have access to the KIX-OKA route. All of the flights are operated by Japan Transocean Air (or Jetstar Japan) for JAL, so perhaps they are not bookable by AA?