Japan Airways has began flying the Airbus A350-1000, that includes an all-new passenger expertise. I simply shared my expertise flying the service’s new top notch, and it’s spectacular, in my view. The airline is predicted to roll out this product on further routes within the coming months, so I can’t wait to see this obtainable on a extra widespread foundation.
Now, understandably OMAAT readers most likely have one most typical query — how do you redeem miles for Japan Airways’ new top notch? The excellent news is that it’s completely attainable to redeem miles for Japan Airways’ new A350 top notch. The unhealthy information is that it’ll take a little bit of effort.
Japan Airways top notch award area when schedule opens
Presently, Japan Airways appears to make one top notch seat obtainable as an award ticket when the airline first opens its schedule. This not solely applies to routes operated by the service’s outdated 777s, but additionally to routes operated by the service’s new A350s.
Japan Airways opens its schedule 360 days out, so that you’ll instantly see one award seat obtainable at that time. It’s not solely bookable by Japan Airways Mileage Financial institution members, but additionally by members of choose companion frequent flyer packages.
So this brings us to the problem, as I’ve written prior to now about when airways open award seats. Whereas Japan Airways opens its schedule 360 days prematurely, American AAdvantage solely opens its schedule 331 days out, and Alaska Mileage Plan solely opens its schedule 330 days out.
In different phrases, you couldn’t use Alaska miles or American miles till these respective home windows, which means you’ve a roughly one month delay with accessing that award area. In nearly all circumstances, that top notch award area will probably be booked by then.
I’m discovering that most of the time, that one top notch award seat on a selected flight is snagged inside hours of changing into obtainable, and generally inside minutes.
One has to marvel if these seats are being legitimately booked, or if there may be some brokers one way or the other locking in these seats, after which discovering a approach to monetize that. The consistency and velocity with which these are being booked makes me suppose there may be some humorous enterprise happening.
Why Cathay Pacific Asia Miles might be your finest guess
Whereas it could be good to instantly have Japan Airways Mileage Financial institution miles, the fact is that these miles are onerous to return by, as this system doesn’t companion with any main transferable factors currencies. So that you wish to discover a factors foreign money that companions with Japan Airways and transferable factors currencies, and that opens its schedule 360 days out.
There’s one program that matches the invoice — Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. This system opens its calendar 360 days out, Cathay Pacific additionally belongs to oneworld, and the frequent flyer program companions with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles permits Japan Airways top notch awards to be booked instantly via its web site, and also you’ll often discover a Japan Airways top notch award seat proper when the schedule opens.
For instance, an award between Tokyo and New York will run you 135,000 Cathay Pacific miles in top notch, plus a number of hundred bucks in taxes and service imposed surcharges. So it’s not fairly the identical worth as in case you had been redeeming American miles (80,000 American miles plus no service imposed surcharges), however at the least you’ve entry to availability.
A few different vital issues to notice:
- Whereas Cathay Pacific’s award search function typically says “just a few seats left,” that’s not really correct, and it says that even when there’s just one award seat obtainable
- Within the calendar operate you’ll see the value of 160,000 miles listed, however that’s the pricing within the occasion that there have been top notch award area on Cathay Pacific
- Japan Airways hasn’t formally scheduled the A350-1000 for the winter schedule but, so that you’ll see all routes present as being operated by the 777-300ER; nevertheless, I’ve written concerning the service’s deliberate A350 routes, and we all know what to anticipate
What about award area nearer to departure?
In the event you don’t wish to (or can’t) snag a Japan Airways top notch award a yr out, do you’ve any shot of nonetheless discovering area?
Again within the day, Japan Airways would constantly make unsold top notch seats obtainable as awards because the departure date approached. Sadly as of mid-2023, that’s now not the case, and the airline doesn’t typically launch unsold seats as awards because the departure date approaches. For probably the most half, the airline simply appears to launch the one top notch award seat when the schedule opens, and that’s it.
So, do you’ve any likelihood of scoring a firstclass award via American AAdvantage? In concept, it’s completely attainable. If somebody cancels the award they e book proper when the schedule opens, it could possibly be bookable via one other companion program as nicely at a later date.
Nonetheless, in the mean time it appears to be almost unimaginable to seek out top notch award area this fashion. I think about this comes right down to how few award seats there are, mixed with the quantity of competitors for these seats. Nonetheless, it’s all the time price maintaining a tally of availability, since you by no means know what you’ll discover.
Backside line
Japan Airways has launched one of many world’s finest top notch merchandise, within the type of its new A350 top notch. The excellent news is that it’s completely attainable to redeem miles for this product, because the airline makes one top notch award seat obtainable on every flight as quickly because the schedule opens.
The trick is that Japan Airways opens its schedule 360 days out, so that you’ll want miles with a foreign money that additionally has entry to award area 360 days out. That is why reserving via Cathay Pacific Asia Miles may be your finest guess, as a result of this system has entry to award area straight away.
You possibly can count on to pay 135,000 Cathay Pacific miles one-way for top notch to or from Tokyo, plus there are some service imposed surcharges. So whereas this isn’t the world’s best discount, it’s the finest reasonable choice for reserving this area.
What’s your tackle Japan Airways’ A350 top notch award availability?
