witw

My fiancee and I are planning our honeymoon. We'll be flying from NYC to Tokyo, which airports specifically we've not yet determined. We aren't usually business class / first class fliers, but we're looking to splurge

Collectively, we have about 270,000 miles with American Airlines, which should be sufficient to cover doing, for example, business class both ways on JAL, or perhaps first class one way and economy back.

We're trying to figure out which fares would be the nicest experience. I looked at some reviews of the JAL business class experience for flying from SFO and it seemed just so-so. Not sure if that's representative of flying out of NYC. Cathay Pacific, which is also in network, seems like it might offer a better experience, although people note that things feel a little more dated.

So with all that said, would anyone be wiling to share their thoughts on which fares might offer the best experience?

Thanks!

nutwpinut

JL and CX are both great airlines. I would choose CX for a number of reasons:
1) You can get a longer flight with them and spend more time in the air flying J (JFK-HKG)
2) If you are OWE, (Executive Platinum AA), Cathay has the best First Class lounges in HKG, I would pad extra time to go to the 2 amazing FC lounges they have
3) JL flies much warmer than most airlines. If you are not used to it, it can be jarring how warm the cabin is.

nutwpinut

If you can get CX F, that would even be even better and all the more reason to get CX and the longer flight.

hanajiro

IMO, you can't go wrong with flying JAL in either first or business class. That said, unless you can find the additional 50K AA miles you need for a pair of roundtrip tickets in first class, I'd go with business class as opposed to splitting the trip between first class and economy. The lie flat seats alone make it worthwhile on a long haul flight, and JAL's Sky Suites are very comfortable. The only problem is that all of the business class Sky Suites are staggered so they don't make for the best seats for couples/newlyweds such as yourselves. That's where the JAL first class suites have the advantage. The middle seats are not staggered, and the ottoman and table can be adjusted so you can share the suite for meals if so desired.

FYI, there is a substantial difference in the luggage allowances when you're looking at JAL first/business and economy. In first and business class, you are allowed 3 pieces (with a max weight of 70 lbs each) whereas in economy, it's 2 pieces with a max weight of 50 lbs, each.

If possible, you might want to look into getting bonus AA miles via credit card promotions. I think that the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Card is still offering their promotion for 50K AA miles. The requirements are relatively painless as you only need to use the card once within 90 days and pay the $95 annual fee. Might be a easy way for you to get the miles for 2 roundtrip F tickets.

Cheers, and best of luck to you!

headinclouds

Congrats on your wedding. However, the odds of finding 2 F class award seats is nearly imposible.. 1 seat in F, yes, but 2 is pushing it. There are only 6 seats in F on CX and 8 on JL. Most travellers try for 1 F and 1 J class seat. Then they check every day for a whether another F award seat becomes available. On AA, there is no fee to change from J to F.

Flying nostop from NYC to TYO/HKG is a prime route for paid fares. Are you willing to fly from NYC to a JL/CX gateway city to connect? Those are items to consider before selecting flights. The flight to/from SFO is timed to maximize sleep, so the service is nice but reduced. If you are going for the F/J experience, then SFO is not your best choice. Consider going from BOS. Not sure if the BOS-NRT flight has switched over to the lie flat seats in J or not. Also, no F on JL from BOS.If flying on JL, the catering from TYO is better than from the USA. Lastly, when are you travelling? If it is peak season, your search may be more difficult. Good Luck.

hanajiro

I've personally never had any problems finding 2 award seats in either first or business class, but these trips were planned nearly a year in advance so I was able to get a jump on the seats by picking them up once they were made available. I'm sure there's a thread somewhere about using AA miles for JL flights, but the basic thing you need to know is that JAL releases award seats 330 days prior to the travel date (10 AM JST / 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST (a day earlier due to time difference). JAL typically releases 2 seats in first and 2-4 in business class. Depending on the travel date, F and J award seats do not tend to last very long--maybe 24 hrs if you're lucky--and from my experience, they tend to go in pairs. Certainly helps your chances if your travel dates are flexible. Once they're gone, JAL usually won't release any award seats (if available) in F or J until a week or so prior to the flight date.

The AA website doesn't list any award seats for JAL so sign up for the British Airways Executive Club (for free) on their site and check for award availability there. Apparently, the BA info isn't always accurate, but I've never had any issues thus far. Certainly helps to familiarize yourself with BA website and monitor JAL award availability before you make your reservations so you can see the ebb and flow of things. Pick your date and call AA once the clock strikes 10 AM JST, and you stand a pretty decent shot at picking up a pair of F or J seats.

guv1976

You cannot fly from NYC to TYO via HKG on a single AAdvantage award. AAdvantage award-routing rules do not permit a transit in Asia 2 on an award between North America and Asia 1.

Redeeming for North America to Asia 2, and then for Asia 2 to Asia 1 will cost substantially more AA miles than a North America to Asia 1 award.

Dr. HFH

A few random thoughts, in random order.

1. If you're going to Tokyo, you can't connect in Hong Kong on one award. You'll need two awards (North America - Asia 2 and Asia 2 - Asia 1) and more miles. You're already tight on miles, so I would say forget about CX and a HKG connection. Besides, the food on CX in F has gone way downhill over the past several years, and isn't even close to what it was, say, ten years ago.

2. JL awards ex-JFK are, indeed, tough to get. Try BOS. Ex-BOS, the service is now lie-flat 787s. (Well to be technically correct, the service is now 787s equipped with lie-flat seats. The planes, of course, don't lie flat. ) Note, however, that there's no F service on JL ex-BOS.

3. I find the JL seats on that route a bit narrow, especially for sleeping.

4. I have never specifically noticed the temperature of the aircraft, OTOH on CX I always use the comforter; and never use a blanket on JL.

5. I have flown JL many times between BOS and NRT, in both J and, 6+ years ago, Y. I've been quite satisfied with the service.

Maybe you can even get AA to build a JFK-BOS segment into your award ticket if you're connecting to the ex-BOS JL flight!!

snabbu

Flying F over and Y back will be very, very painful for both you and your fiance. Don't do it.

Gardyloo

Why not both CX and JAL? Ride CX J from JFK to Vancouver and change to JAL J from YVR to Tokyo. You'd probably have to book it on the phone with AA but eminently doable. Premium award seats on both flights are not as impossible as on the nonstops.

JDiver

Keep it simple, fly JL First both ways if you can get them. Eschew unnecessary connections and hours on the air for quality time in the air and time on the ground in Japan.