The Best Way To Fly To Tokyo

Tokyo is on most travelers’ short list for good reason: the food, the transit, the sheer density of things worth doing. The good news for anyone pricing a trip is that Tokyo is one of the most competitive long-haul routes in the world, which means more choice, more premium cabins worth flying, and more ways to use points than almost any other city in Asia.

Japan’s two home airlines, ANA and Japan Airlines, run some of the best seats money can buy. The US carriers have quietly leveled up too, and depending on where you live and how you’re paying, they can be the smarter pick.

Here’s how I’d think about picking an airline to Tokyo, broken down by airport, cabin, and how to actually find a seat.

Which Tokyo Airport You Fly Into Matters

Tokyo has two major international airports, and they are not interchangeable. The difference in ground-transit time alone can make or break your first day.

Narita is the older and larger international gateway, and it still handles most of the long-haul European traffic plus a good chunk of US routes. The problem is that it sits roughly 60km from central Tokyo. A taxi can run over $200 and burn 90 minutes in traffic. The Narita Express train and Keisei Skyliner are both cheaper and usually faster, but either way you’re giving up an hour plus on arrival.

Haneda sits much closer to the city and is a 30-minute ride into most central neighborhoods. Given a choice between a flight into Haneda versus Narita, I’d take Haneda almost every time, even if the rate is a little higher. The saved transit time more than makes up for it on a short trip.

Which airport you end up at comes down to the airline. Both ANA and JAL serve both, and several international carriers now do too:

• Emirates
• Qatar
• British Airways
• Air France
• Singapore
• Thai

Others still fly exclusively into Narita:

• Swiss
• Turkish
• KLM
• Finnair
• SAS

If you’re flying an airline that serves both, double-check the arrival airport before you book. It’s an easy thing to miss and it’s a meaningful difference on arrival.

Airlines Flying Nonstop From The US

All three major US legacy carriers fly nonstop to Tokyo: Delta, United, and American. ANA and Japan Airlines round out the core list, and those are the two most frequent flyers default to. A handful of international airlines also run nonstop US-Tokyo routes, notably Singapore from LAX, which is worth checking if you’re on the West Coast.

Between them, these carriers run nonstop service from more than 12 US cities. The network skews toward business travelers, which is actually a win for leisure bookings since it means more frequency, more aircraft options, and more chances to find an award seat.

If you’re not near one of those 12 cities, you’re almost certainly connecting through one of them. For West Coast travelers that’s usually LAX, SFO, or SEA. For the East Coast and Midwest, it’s JFK, EWR, ORD, DTW, or IAD.

What Tokyo Tickets Actually Cost

Prices vary a lot by season and carrier. With low-cost long-haul carriers in the mix, roundtrip economy can dip to $300-$600 if you’re flexible and booking off-peak. On a major airline, expect $700-$1,000 in off-peak months and $1,200-$1,800 during peak summer and cherry blossom season. I use Skyscanner’s compare page to quickly size up which month works best.

Here’s a breakdown of average roundtrip prices by month.

If you already have set dates, Skyscanner’s compare tool ranks cities of origin side by side. You put in a date range and it sorts departures by price.

Hawaii runs cheapest by a wide margin, with a predictable upcharge from mainland US cities. The full set of Skyscanner tools is here if you want to dig in.

Best First Class To Tokyo

Most airlines have quietly killed first class over the last decade. Tokyo is one of the few routes where two carriers still run it, and both are worth the points.

1. Japan Airlines First Class A350

Japan Airlines pushed the genre forward with their new A350 first class. It’s a true suite with a separate seat and bed, a private door, a massive IFE screen, and the food service JAL has always been known for. Only six suites per plane, and right now the A350 is running on JAL 5/6 between New York and Tokyo, with more routes rolling out as more A350s are delivered. This is the hardest first class seat in the world to book on points right now, and that’s not an exaggeration.

2. ANA “The Suite” First Class Boeing 777

ANA’s The Suite held the crown for years before JAL’s A350 landed, and it’s still one of the best first class products in the sky. Cash fares routinely clear $10,000 each way, which is why most people who fly it are using miles. You get more space and one of the biggest IFE screens out there, and the food is the highest-quality Japanese meal service I’ve had on any airline. Booking it on points is possible but takes some work, and I walk through it in the ANA award tickets guide.

Best Business Class To Tokyo

Business class on this route is unusually strong because so many carriers compete for the same corporate traffic. Most of the seats below stand up against mid-tier first class on other routes, which is why I’d push people to stretch for business here before paying for first.

1. ANA “The Room” Boeing 777

ANA’s The Room is the best business class on any route I can think of, and it isn’t close. The seat is as wide as most first class suites, the privacy is total, and the overall feel is closer to first class than any other business product flying today. Award availability is tighter than standard business but not impossible. The same ANA award guide covers how to find it.

2. Japan Airlines A350 Business

JAL’s A350 business class isn’t as differentiated as the first class on the same aircraft, but it’s still competitive. Privacy doors, reverse herringbone layout, updated materials, and the food standards JAL consistently delivers. More routes are getting A350s as the fleet expands, so if you can pick an A350-operated flight, take it over the older 777 business product.

3. Delta One Suites A330

The Delta One Suite is the best business class on any US carrier, full stop. If your flight has the redesigned cabin (a big upgrade from the older A330 business I flew Paris to New York in 2019), you’re getting a full door, serious personal space, and some of the best catering Delta runs. One downside: award redemptions on this route are rough. Cash prices are more realistic than points redemptions here.

4. United Polaris 787-10

United runs the 787-10 on Tokyo routes, which is the largest aircraft in their fleet. The Polaris cabin is a 1-2-1 layout with full aisle access, and the lounges United built out for pre-departure are genuinely the best in the US (I’ve spent plenty of time in the Newark Polaris lounge before flights to Europe). Where Polaris really wins on this route is award space: 100,000 miles roundtrip shows up regularly.

Best Premium Economy And Economy To Tokyo

Economy hard products are pretty similar across carriers, but premium economy is where there’s a real gap. On a 13-hour flight, the extra 4-6 inches of pitch and a better meal make a bigger difference than the price gap suggests. If I can upgrade for a reasonable number of points, I’d take it every time over economy.

1. Japan Airlines Premium Economy

Both Japan-based carriers run strong premium economy, but JAL’s A350 product edges out ANA’s for me. The A350 cabin is quieter than anything the 777 offers, the seat is a hair more private, and the food still punches above what most US carriers serve in business. If you’re picking between the two Japanese carriers in PE, I’d go JAL on an A350.

2. ANA Premium Economy

ANA’s premium economy isn’t as fresh as JAL’s A350 product, but it’s still a comfortable seat with elevated service and the same high-quality Japanese food. Award availability is a lot better than ANA business, so if you can’t find The Room, premium economy is a reasonable fallback on points.

3. Delta Premium Select

Delta’s Premium Select is the best premium economy among US carriers on this route. The catch is the pricing. It’s not cheap, complimentary upgrades from main cabin basically don’t happen, and the award cost to jump up from economy is higher than United’s. Still the most comfortable way to fly Delta to Japan short of business.

4. United Premium Plus

United Premium Plus is a close cousin to Delta’s, but the upgrade flexibility is where it wins. You can typically get into this cabin from economy for 20,000 miles or 20 PlusPoints, which is a much better deal than Delta’s premium economy pricing. For a red-eye on this route, it’s worth the spend.

5. United 767 Economy

If you’re stuck in economy, United’s 767 is worth mentioning. The 2-3-2 layout is more humane than the 2-4-2 you’ll find on most other widebodies on this route, which means fewer middle seats and a better chance of landing two seats together without a stranger between you. I’ve flown United 767 economy a handful of times including London to Chicago, and the layout genuinely helps on a long flight.

Booking Tokyo With Points

Tokyo is one of the best places on the planet to burn transferable points. Between ANA, JAL, and the US carriers, you have at least five partner programs worth looking at, and each has different sweet spots depending on cabin.

If you’re new to this, my guide to how credit card points work and the list of transfer partners cover the basics. The short version: transferable points from Amex, Chase, and Capital One give you access to almost every airline on this list without locking you into one loyalty program.

The programs worth knowing for Tokyo:

• ANA Mileage Club: cheapest points pricing for ANA metal. Transfers from Amex.
• Virgin Atlantic: books ANA at strong sweet-spot rates. Transfers from Chase and Amex.
• Air Canada Aeroplan: books ANA and United on one search with a solid award calendar. Transfers from Chase, Amex, and Capital One.
• United MileagePlus: books United and ANA. Transfers from Chase.
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: the main way to book JAL on points. Transfers from Amex.

Which program is best depends entirely on what seat you’re trying to book. For ANA business, Virgin Atlantic and Aeroplan are usually cheapest. For JAL business or first, Asia Miles is the main option. For flexibility across carriers, Aeroplan wins.

What I’d Actually Book

If I had to pick one ticket to Tokyo right now, here’s how I’d decide:

• Paying cash in economy: take whichever nonstop is cheapest into Haneda. The airport difference matters more than the airline.
• Paying cash in premium cabins: ANA or JAL. It’s not close.
• Using points for business: ANA’s The Room via Virgin Atlantic or Aeroplan. Failing that, United Polaris on a 787-10 for 100k miles.
• Using points for first: ANA The Suite via Virgin Atlantic is the most realistic target. JAL A350 first is a unicorn.
• Stretching the budget from economy: JAL or ANA premium economy on an A350 is a real step up from US carrier PE.

Tokyo is one of the few routes where almost every carrier is credible, which makes it more of a “which seat, which airport, which points currency” decision than a “which airline is best” one. Pick the cabin, then work backwards.