Last edit by: Prospero
GUIDE to redeeming AA miles for Japan Air Lines awards:
For 2012-2015 posts, please see
ARCHIVE: AA Award on JL / JAL / Japan Airlines (master thd)
For further information, see:
HELP DESK: MileSAAver / SAAver award questions, assistance
oneworld and Other Airline (Partner) Awards info, rules 2014 on
- JL awards are now shown show and can be booked on aa.com
- AwardNexus (free to FlyerTalk members for basic searches) will also reveal, and (for a fee) alert, on JL award seats
- AA awards on JL must be MileSAAver (AAnytime awards are only available on AA marketed and AA operated flights)
- There are no onerous fuel or carrier-imposed surcharges using AAdvantage miles for awards using JL
- JL initially releases awards to AAvantage members 330 days out at 10:00 am JST time (18:00 PDT, 17:00 PST). Note, JL award inventory is released to members of other FFPs 360 day out and updates award and revenue seat award availability once daily ~09:30-12:00 Pacific time
- JL may release 0-2 F and 0-4 J award seats initially; until taken they remain available up to three months from release
- No further seats are likely to be released until shortly (~14 days) prior to scheduled departure - but the last F seat will be retained for sale, not released into award inventory
- No stopovers are allowed on AA awards. Connections may be as long as 23:59.
- Only JAL Mileage Bank members can waitlist awards
- All awards for domestic Japan will default to Economy (including international F or J award with domestic segments); these can often be upgraded at reasonable cost at the ticket counter in the Japan connecting airport
- If JL & QF are showing availability, but AA can't see it, try calling the Australia AA center as it may be a point-of-sale issue
For 2012-2015 posts, please see
ARCHIVE: AA Award on JL / JAL / Japan Airlines (master thd)
For further information, see:
HELP DESK: MileSAAver / SAAver award questions, assistance
oneworld and Other Airline (Partner) Awards info, rules 2014 on
AAdvantage Award on JL / JAL / Japan Airlines (2016-2023)
#91
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: yyz
Posts: 1,611
Right. and if J seats open up on that flight, you need to call in to make the change. There shouldn't be any additional charges since you've paid the 55k J award price already.
#92
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SCQ
Programs: tk gold, lh ftl, ab gold
Posts: 352
Which routes do generally have better availability (NRT-LAX/ORD/JFK)? I need to go from CGK to any city in US, as i would need to connect from there to MEX (probably not a problem on the same award). In April.
Right now on ba.com the availability for First is zero. Even for the coming days it is close to zero on any routes...
What are your experiences with last-minute availability? Since this is a trip i MUST take in the first week of April, even though i am flexible with dates, i just wanted to know if it's worth waiting for space to open, or better search for other ways... Thx!
Right now on ba.com the availability for First is zero. Even for the coming days it is close to zero on any routes...
What are your experiences with last-minute availability? Since this is a trip i MUST take in the first week of April, even though i am flexible with dates, i just wanted to know if it's worth waiting for space to open, or better search for other ways... Thx!
#93
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: yyz
Posts: 1,611
Which routes do generally have better availability (NRT-LAX/ORD/JFK)? I need to go from CGK to any city in US, as i would need to connect from there to MEX (probably not a problem on the same award). In April.
Right now on ba.com the availability for First is zero. Even for the coming days it is close to zero on any routes...
What are your experiences with last-minute availability? Since this is a trip i MUST take in the first week of April, even though i am flexible with dates, i just wanted to know if it's worth waiting for space to open, or better search for other ways... Thx!
Right now on ba.com the availability for First is zero. Even for the coming days it is close to zero on any routes...
What are your experiences with last-minute availability? Since this is a trip i MUST take in the first week of April, even though i am flexible with dates, i just wanted to know if it's worth waiting for space to open, or better search for other ways... Thx!
But since you will be booking in April, you're subject to the new award grid pricing.
I guess some people are booking speculative tickets really far out to lock in pricing (i.e. the current award chart) and then expect to change the date down the road (i.e. to any time after March 21) with the hope that they do not incur a re-pricing of the reward.
#94
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SCQ
Programs: tk gold, lh ftl, ab gold
Posts: 352
OK thanks. Another question: if i am looking to fly, say, CGK-NRT-LAX-MEX, what shall i search for on ba.com before calling AA?
I mean, if i search the entire route, obviously there will be zero availability visible. The partial route CGK-NRT-LAX yields something, but not in F. Maybe i only shall search for the "main" segment, i.e. NRT-LAX, and then if it's available in F, call AA so that they play around with positioning flights CGK-NRT and LAX-MEX?
I mean, if i search the entire route, obviously there will be zero availability visible. The partial route CGK-NRT-LAX yields something, but not in F. Maybe i only shall search for the "main" segment, i.e. NRT-LAX, and then if it's available in F, call AA so that they play around with positioning flights CGK-NRT and LAX-MEX?
#95
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,130
OK thanks. Another question: if i am looking to fly, say, CGK-NRT-LAX-MEX, what shall i search for on ba.com before calling AA?
I mean, if i search the entire route, obviously there will be zero availability visible. The partial route CGK-NRT-LAX yields something, but not in F. Maybe i only shall search for the "main" segment, i.e. NRT-LAX, and then if it's available in F, call AA so that they play around with positioning flights CGK-NRT and LAX-MEX?
I mean, if i search the entire route, obviously there will be zero availability visible. The partial route CGK-NRT-LAX yields something, but not in F. Maybe i only shall search for the "main" segment, i.e. NRT-LAX, and then if it's available in F, call AA so that they play around with positioning flights CGK-NRT and LAX-MEX?
#96
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: SLC
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium + LT Gold
Posts: 198
I currently hold a Y ticket to Tokyo on JL for October and was hoping to upgrade it to a J within 14 days of departure. However because of the devaluation coming later this month, I'm thinking to change the ticket to 330 days out and upgrade to a J seat to lock in the lower award price. And if all goes well, I will do a date change back to October when the J availability opens up. Will this work? How many date changes am I allowed for an award ticket? Thanks for the help!
#97
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Houston, TX/Australia
Programs: AA EXP/Exec Citi, NZ* G, Nat EE, Avis PP, HH Gold
Posts: 649
I currently hold a Y ticket to Tokyo on JL for October and was hoping to upgrade it to a J within 14 days of departure. However because of the devaluation coming later this month, I'm thinking to change the ticket to 330 days out and upgrade to a J seat to lock in the lower award price. And if all goes well, I will do a date change back to October when the J availability opens up. Will this work? How many date changes am I allowed for an award ticket? Thanks for the help!
#98
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 400
I asked this on the JMB forum but was told to ask here instead:
I called AA to book. It's showing as 'on request'. Meanwhile ba.com is still showing availability. How does it work? If it takes 3-5 days for JL and AA to work it out, could I lose the seats, in the meantime, to someone using Avios or directly with JL?
So all the AA bookings are done through a manual request process? Wow...
I called AA to book. It's showing as 'on request'. Meanwhile ba.com is still showing availability. How does it work? If it takes 3-5 days for JL and AA to work it out, could I lose the seats, in the meantime, to someone using Avios or directly with JL?
So all the AA bookings are done through a manual request process? Wow...
#99
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: AS 75K; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Hilton Gold
Posts: 52
I asked this on the JMB forum but was told to ask here instead:
I called AA to book. It's showing as 'on request'. Meanwhile ba.com is still showing availability. How does it work? If it takes 3-5 days for JL and AA to work it out, could I lose the seats, in the meantime, to someone using Avios or directly with JL?
So all the AA bookings are done through a manual request process? Wow...
I called AA to book. It's showing as 'on request'. Meanwhile ba.com is still showing availability. How does it work? If it takes 3-5 days for JL and AA to work it out, could I lose the seats, in the meantime, to someone using Avios or directly with JL?
So all the AA bookings are done through a manual request process? Wow...
#100
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 400
As soon as AA puts it on hold and issues you a PNR, the seat is reserved for you (so long as you book before the hold expires). If BA is still showing availability it is either because there was more than one seat available or because BA sometimes shows phantom availability (you can use JAL's search to see if the seat is really available). I suppose it is also possible that AA screwed up, but you would be able to check that by looking at your itinerary on AA's website.
I'll keep my fingers crossed. BA and JAL both are still showing availability. BA is showing 4 in J. JAL is showing a lot in J although the website is very hard for me to understand.
#101
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: Marriott LT Plat; WoH Exp; AS Gold; AA Plat
Posts: 369
I called AA again. They said they have grabbed the seats and the ticket should issue in 24-48 hours. The PNR is there showing 'on request'.
I'll keep my fingers crossed. BA and JAL both are still showing availability. BA is showing 4 in J. JAL is showing a lot in J although the website is very hard for me to understand.
I'll keep my fingers crossed. BA and JAL both are still showing availability. BA is showing 4 in J. JAL is showing a lot in J although the website is very hard for me to understand.
#102
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CAN, LAX, TPE
Programs: AA, AS, CI, DL, UA
Posts: 2,898
After numerous attempts with BA's phantom availability, the AA agent and I finally found dates where only 1 of the 2 availability was phantom. Now I have some questions I wonder if anyone can help.
I have 1 ticket booked as TPE-NRT-LAX / Business+First and another 1 ticket booked as TPE-NRT-LAX / Economy+First on consecutive dates.
1. Can I make changes to the TPE-NRT-LAX ticket if Business becomes available on TPE-NRT sector after it's booked, regardless the 3/22 date?
2. I believe regardless the TPE-NRT sector, the award is priced as First, so would I be allowed to change the dates (hoping to get two on the same dates) after 3/22?
Thanks!
I have 1 ticket booked as TPE-NRT-LAX / Business+First and another 1 ticket booked as TPE-NRT-LAX / Economy+First on consecutive dates.
1. Can I make changes to the TPE-NRT-LAX ticket if Business becomes available on TPE-NRT sector after it's booked, regardless the 3/22 date?
2. I believe regardless the TPE-NRT sector, the award is priced as First, so would I be allowed to change the dates (hoping to get two on the same dates) after 3/22?
Thanks!
#103
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Nice, France
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, IHG Gold
Posts: 29
I just booked two F awards on JAL using AA miles, but I am a bit confused regarding the amount of miles they want to charge me. I successfully found 2 seats in F for LHR-HND-KUL, itinerary as follow :
JL044 773 (F) London Heathrow 19:00 (3rd Nov) Tokyo Haneda 15:55 (4th Nov)
JL723 789 (J) Tokyo Narita 11:10 (5th Nov) Kuala Lumpur 18:10 (5th Nov)
Then I rang AA customer service, who found the seats and blocked them for me, but he told me they would charge 70k + 30k per person for the whole itinerary.
Does anybody have any clue why?
- I checked and the itinerary doesn't seem to exceed the MPM.
- There seems to be a fare available between LON and KUL with JAL
- The agent first told me because it was a mix of F + J, but that doesn't make sense
- Then, he couldn't explain why they would charge that way
Any insight would be helpful, thanks a lot!
JL044 773 (F) London Heathrow 19:00 (3rd Nov) Tokyo Haneda 15:55 (4th Nov)
JL723 789 (J) Tokyo Narita 11:10 (5th Nov) Kuala Lumpur 18:10 (5th Nov)
Then I rang AA customer service, who found the seats and blocked them for me, but he told me they would charge 70k + 30k per person for the whole itinerary.
Does anybody have any clue why?
- I checked and the itinerary doesn't seem to exceed the MPM.
- There seems to be a fare available between LON and KUL with JAL
- The agent first told me because it was a mix of F + J, but that doesn't make sense
- Then, he couldn't explain why they would charge that way
Any insight would be helpful, thanks a lot!
#104
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CAN, LAX, TPE
Programs: AA, AS, CI, DL, UA
Posts: 2,898
I just booked two F awards on JAL using AA miles, but I am a bit confused regarding the amount of miles they want to charge me. I successfully found 2 seats in F for LHR-HND-KUL, itinerary as follow :
JL044 773 (F) London Heathrow 19:00 (3rd Nov) Tokyo Haneda 15:55 (4th Nov)
JL723 789 (J) Tokyo Narita 11:10 (5th Nov) Kuala Lumpur 18:10 (5th Nov)
Then I rang AA customer service, who found the seats and blocked them for me, but he told me they would charge 70k + 30k per person for the whole itinerary.
Does anybody have any clue why?
- I checked and the itinerary doesn't seem to exceed the MPM.
- There seems to be a fare available between LON and KUL with JAL
- The agent first told me because it was a mix of F + J, but that doesn't make sense
- Then, he couldn't explain why they would charge that way
Any insight would be helpful, thanks a lot!
JL044 773 (F) London Heathrow 19:00 (3rd Nov) Tokyo Haneda 15:55 (4th Nov)
JL723 789 (J) Tokyo Narita 11:10 (5th Nov) Kuala Lumpur 18:10 (5th Nov)
Then I rang AA customer service, who found the seats and blocked them for me, but he told me they would charge 70k + 30k per person for the whole itinerary.
Does anybody have any clue why?
- I checked and the itinerary doesn't seem to exceed the MPM.
- There seems to be a fare available between LON and KUL with JAL
- The agent first told me because it was a mix of F + J, but that doesn't make sense
- Then, he couldn't explain why they would charge that way
Any insight would be helpful, thanks a lot!
Had it been LHR-HKG-KUL then it will probably not have separate charge.
#105
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 41
I've ticketed a JAL F LAX-NRT placeholder in January but my preferred travel dates are at the end of September/beginning of October. Anyone want to speculate what my chances are of being able to change my ticket to those dates? According to the Wiki, it states that JAL releases award seats ~14 days prior, but I have also seen people mention 30-31 days prior to departure. Any insight on that?