Originally Posted by
Long Train Runnin
Well I'll uncork the big secret which BTW is in the right places on FT.
The key to JAL F space is be flexible and brave. Inside 72 hours it usually will show up, but not on AA check on BA and when you see it there call in to AA and then book.
It can definitely feel scary sitting in Asia with no flight home and obligations in North America, but this has worked for me and many others and has for years and years.
Gonna call BS on this one -- there is a whole thread about booking JL awards through AA (
AAdvantage Award on JL / JAL / Japan Airlines (master thread)), which I have followed for a long time, and this technique is never mentioned once. AA usually shows the same availability as other partners, and throughout the COVID period until some point in late 2022, it was trivially easy to bag any available F seat within 14 days before departure. Since then, last-minute availability on transpacific routes has been very slim regardless of which program you use to search, though availability is still pretty good on routes to Europe, especially CDG.
Right now there's only one TPAC flight available in F within the next 72 hours according to
seats.aero.