The Definitive Guide to Japan Airlines’ Direct Routes From the U.S. [Plane Types & Seat Options]

Japan Airlines (JAL) has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the best first and business class products in the world. Its premium cabin products are undoubtedly the best way to fly to Japan with points and miles.

There are tons of different JAL routes you can fly to Japan from the U.S., including a few relatively unknown routes to Osaka.

This guide goes over the absolute best routes on which you can find Japan Airlines’ flagship first class products and multiple business class products.

Update: Due to COVID-19, JAL may temporarily suspend routes, frequencies, and/or aircraft flown. Please check with the airline directly for the most current information.

Japan Airlines Seat Options by Aircraft Type

Japan Airlines operates different aircraft on flights to and from the U.S. In fact, Japan Airlines operates up to 6 different aircraft or variations of aircraft.

As you can probably imagine, it’s of utmost importance to understand which routes have bad seats and which routes have great seats. Otherwise, you may be sorely disappointed by your inflight experience.

We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Before we get into our customary route and aircraft summary table, let’s look at the different aircraft Japan Airlines uses on flights to and from the U.S.:

1. 767-300ER
2. 777-300ER
3. 787-8 (updated)
4. 787-8 (old)
5. 787-9 Sky Suite
6. 787-9 Sky Suite III

Japan Airlines is not known for performing last-minute aircraft swaps. Therefore, the information presented below is as accurate as possible. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there may be changes due to unforeseen operational circumstances.

Here’s what the route and aircraft table looks like:

Hot Tip: As one of the world’s top airlines, Japan Airlines has a world-class frequent flyer program to match with its Mileage Bank loyalty program. See our guides on how to earn and redeem Mileage Bank miles for your next flight to Japan!

Japan Airlines First Class Options

This section is pretty straightforward because Japan Airlines only operates a first-class cabin on its flagship aircraft, which is the 777-300ER.

Japan Airlines 777-300ER First Class

These first class seats look like brown leather armchairs that recline fully into a bed. With a huge 33 inches in seat width, 78.5 inches in seat and bed length, this is one of the most fabulous products you can find.

Japan Airlines first class screams of classic, retro luxury, so it isn’t as showy as, say, Emirates first class, but it’ll leave you wishing your flight was longer.

Seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration across 2 rows at the front of the plane as shown below:

The best seats? All of them are fantastic, but you may enjoy an incremental benefit in row 1 over row 2. Nobody should be walking in front of you, as the lavatories and galleys are located frontward.

If you’re traveling with a partner, seats 2D and 2G will be fantastic. If traveling alone, the 4 windows in the 2A and 2K seats really provide you with that private jet feel.

Nevertheless, the gigantic seats, comfortable bedding, exquisite cuisine, and warm customer service will leave even the pickiest flyers satisfied.

Here’s where you’ll be able to find Japan Airlines operating the 777-300ER:

• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) until February 28, 2022
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) 
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) from March 1, 2022

Hot Tip: Ready to book Japan Airlines first class? Check out our step-by-step guide on the best ways to book Japan Airlines first class.

Japan Airlines Business Class Options

Although Japan Airlines has a pretty straightforward first class product (1 product on 1 plane only), this is absolutely not the case for business class.

Strap yourselves in, because this is gonna get hairy — but so worth it.

All in all, there are 6 distinct business class products to analyze:

1. 787-8 Sky Suite (Apex Suite)
2. 787-9 Sky Suite (Apex Suite)
3. 777-300ER Sky Suite (Apex Suite)
4. 787-9 Sky Suite III (Reverse Herringbone)
5. 767 Sky Suite II (Thompson Vantage XL)
6. 787-8 Old JAL Shell Flat Seat (Angled-flat Seat)

There are a lot of confusing names to remember here, but all you need to know is that you always want an Apex Suite because of its private design.

Japan Airlines 787-8 Sky Suite (Apex Suite) Business Class

Let’s talk about the first product, the 787-8 Sky Suite, and why we think it’s the best business class product from Japan Airlines.

All Sky Suite (Apex Suite) seats measure 25.5 inches wide and 74 inches in pitch and bed length, so the consistency is all there. The main reason why we chose the 787-8 as the best is because of its small cabin size.

You’ll be 1 among only 30 business class passengers. Seating is arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration and all seats have direct aisle access. Here’s what the seat map looks like:

As you can imagine, the best seats are in row 8, since it experiences the least foot traffic.

If row 8 is unavailable, the second-best seats are in row 2 because there’s some decent distance from the lavatories and galleys.

Here are the routes where you’ll be able to find the Sky Suite on the 787-8:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) from March 1, 2022

Hot Tip: The 787-8 can contain either the updated Sky Suite or the Shell Flat Seat, which is an absolute must-avoid. 

Japan Airlines 787-9 Sky Suite (Apex Suite) Business Class

The next-best business class seat is on the 787-9, featuring the same Sky Suite.

The main difference is the cabins are significantly larger and can accommodate up to 44 people as opposed to 30.

The 2 mini-cabins in the aircraft are significantly larger on the 787-9:

The best Sky Suite seats on the 787-9 in business class are either 9A/C, 10D/G, 9H/K, or any seat in row 3. These seats are far from the lavatories and galleys.

Find the 787-9 Sky Suite, which is identical to the 787-8 Sky Suite (but with more seats), on these routes:

• Boston (BOS) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) 
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Honolulu (HNL) – Osaka (KIX)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Osaka (KIX)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) until February 28, 2022
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Japan Airlines 777-300ER Sky Suite (Apex Suite) Business Class

The next winner is on the flagship 777-300ER. The business class cabin on this aircraft is arranged in a slightly denser 2-3-2 configuration.

This configuration might sound bad, but because of the design of the Apex Suites, it’s actually a ridiculously private experience, even more so than the reverse herringbone seats.

Let’s look at how these seats are arranged:

Every single one of these seats has direct aisle access, but it ranks a little lower because of the denser configuration.

The seats are identical in size, but the 777 is a wider plane, so another seat will fit in quite nicely.

Still, if you reserve the best seats, which are in row 5 (the private jet-esque mini-cabin), then you won’t notice a thing.

Row 5 is typically blocked off for reservations, so you’ll need to ask the airport check-in representative to assist you on the day of your flight.

If you can’t snag row 5, row 12 is a great consolation prize because it’s all the way in the back and will have less foot traffic. 

Find these seats on the 777-300ER, which is flown between these 4 cities:

• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) until February 28, 2022
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) 
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) from March 1, 2022

Japan Airlines 787-9 Sky Suite III (Reverse Herringbone) Business Class

The fourth-best seat is a very interesting one. These seats are the brand-new reverse herringbone seats on the 787-9 that Japan Airlines has dubbed Sky Suite III.

With the seats, you’ll have a slightly different inflight experience which, in our opinion, is not as private as in the Apex Suites.

Furthermore, the seat size is a bit smaller, which is to be expected, as reverse herringbone seats are usually smaller than Apex Suites, despite having a less dense layout.

Sky Suite III seats are 20 inches from armrest to armrest and 77 inches in bed length. Your personal monitor is 17 inches — quite a bit smaller than the gigantic 23 inches afforded in the Apex Suites. 

Even though the seat and TV are both smaller, the product is very new, which is why we’re looking forward to trying it.

In the 787-9, seats are arranged in 7 rows of 4 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration for a total of 28 Sky Suite III seats.

The best seats are in either rows 2 or 6, as rows 1 and 7 are close to galleys and lavatories. 

The Sky Suite III is offered on these routes:

• Honolulu (HNL) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Honolulu (HNL) – Nagoya (NGO)

Hot Tip: Routes to Hawaii are notorious for aircraft changes without prior notice.

Japan Airlines 767 Sky Suite II (Thompson Vantage XL) Business Class

Next up, we have an interesting aircraft: the 767-300ER.

This plane features the Thompson Vantage XL seats, which are staggered and less private than the Apex Suite and reverse herringbone.

The seats are the same width as the Apex Suites (25.5 inches wide) but slightly shorter, measuring 74 inches long as opposed to 78.5 inches long.

If we had our choice of seats, we would always pick even rows in the A or K seats because it’s a true window seat and relatively protected from the aisle. Our first choice would either be 2A/K or 4A/K.

Here are the 767 routes on which the Sky Suite II is offered:

• Honolulu (HNL) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Kona (KOA) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Japan Airlines 787-8 Old JAL Shell Flat Seat (Angled-flat Seat) Business Class

The last business class product is not a good choice. These angled-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration are so outdated that we wonder why they’re still used.

We’re talking about the JAL Shell Flat Seat on the 787-8. Here’s what it looks like on a seat map.

Notice that there are no partitions like with the Apex Suites, so this 2-2-2 configuration does not feature direct-aisle access for all seats.

Seats measure 22.3 inches wide and 60 inches in pitch, which is starkly smaller than all other business class seats used by Japan Airlines.

On top of that, these seats are all angle-flat, meaning they don’t quite lay flat, even when fully reclined.

These seats are used on 2 routes:

• San Diego (SAN) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Seattle (SEA) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Bottom Line: Avoid the 787-8 with the old angle-flat seats. If you find yourself on one of these flights, you might want to pick seats in rows 1 or 2. These seats are decently away from lavatories and galleys.

Japan Airlines Premium Economy Options

Let’s move on to premium economy seats.

Premium economy is available on 3 aircraft operated by Japan Airlines:

1. 787-9 Sky Suite III
2. 787-9 Sky Suite
3. 777-300ER

Japan Airlines 787-9 Sky Suite III Premium Economy Class

All Japan Airlines premium economy seat lengths are the same at 42 inches in pitch.

The 787-9 is the widest option, measuring 19.2 inches wide. The 777-300ER is 19 inches wide, and the 777-200ER is last, measuring 18.8 inches wide.

Additionally, the 787-9 Sky Suite III offers the most intimate cabin layout with a total of 21 seats across 3 rows in a 2-3-2 configuration. 

The row numbering scheme is 17 to 19 with lavatories located in front of row 17.

The best seats are in row 19, furthest away from the lavatories and galleys.

You’ll be able to find these premium economy seats on the 787-9 with Sky Suite III seats in business class as follows:

• Honolulu (HNL) – Nagoya (NGO)
• Honolulu (HNL) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)

Japan Airlines 787-9 Sky Suite Premium Economy Class

The runner-up in premium economy is on the 787-9 offering the ordinary Sky Suite.

These 787-9s have the same seating arrangement but include an additional 2 rows. These additional seats bring the total seat count in premium economy up from 21 seats to 35 seats.

The seat layout looks like this:

Row 17 is not the best choice because although it’s a bulkhead row, your legroom will be limited and there’s no floor storage.

As a result, we would probably pick row 18 as our first choice, followed by row 19.

Find this 787-9 premium economy layout on the following routes:

• Boston (BOS) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) 
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Honolulu (HNL) – Osaka (KIX)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Osaka (KIX)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) until February 28, 2022
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Hot Tip: The only difference between premium economy on the 787-9 with Sky Suite seats versus the 787-9 with Sky Suite III seats is 2 rows of seats. 

Japan Airlines 777-300ER Premium Economy Class

Third place in our ranking is the 777-300ER. These seats measure 19 inches wide in a 2-4-2 configuration. Let’s analyze the seat map:

The 40 seats are shown above in a 2-4-2 configuration spread evenly across 5 rows.

Since the lavatories are located at the front of the premium economy cabin, it makes the most sense to stay in the farthest back row, which in this case is row 21.

These premium economy cabins on the 777-300ER can be found on these routes:

• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) until February 28, 2022
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) 
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) from March 1, 2022

There’s a clear hierarchy when it comes to which premium economy seats are preferable.

Bottom Line: The best premium economy seats on Japan Airlines flights to and from the U.S. are on the 787-9 Sky Suite III, followed by the 787-9 Sky Suite, and lastly, the 777-300ER.

Japan Airlines Economy Options

Last, but not least, let’s talk about economy class seats.

Without a doubt, the best economy seats are on the 787-9. They have some of the largest seats in the industry at 19 inches wide and 34 inches in pitch.

Here’s the full ranking:

1. 787-9 Sky Suite
2. 787-9 Sky Suite III
3. 777-300ER
4. 767-300ER
5. 787-8 Updated
6. 787-8 Old

Japan Airlines 787-9 Sky Suite Economy Class

The 787-9 Sky Suite leads the pack because it’s got the biggest seats and the smallest economy class cabin.

With only 116 seats and a large seat size of 19 inches in width and 34 inches in pitch, it’s no surprise that these economy seats get an excellent reputation.

These seats are arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration as follows:

There are no outstanding seats in this cabin, but you want to avoid row 59 due to its proximity to the galley and row 56 due to its lack of a window.

As far as routes go, these seats are used on these flights:

• Boston (BOS) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) 
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Honolulu (HNL) – Osaka (KIX)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Osaka (KIX)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) until February 28, 2022
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Japan Airlines 787-9 Sky Suite III Economy Class

Next is the 787-9 Sky Suite III, which has a significantly larger economy cabin size of 190 seats as follows:

There are actually 2 mini-cabins, and the best seats are in rows 23 or 24 due to their proximity to the lavatories and galleys.

These brand-new 787-9s are operated as follows:

• Honolulu (HNL) – Nagoya (NGO)
• Honolulu (HNL) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)

Japan Airlines 777-300ER Economy Class

The next-best economy seats are on the 777-300ER. They’re slightly narrower (less than half an inch) but are almost 1 inch larger in pitch.

That means you’ll enjoy more legroom, but less shoulder room.

These seats are slightly denser in a 3-3-3 configuration:

Row 23 is where the bulkhead is located, and all the seats in row 23 have extra legroom. If you don’t need to deal with a bassinet for a baby, you can choose to sit in the best seats, which are 23A/B/C. 

You’ll be able to find the 777-300ER on the flagship routes as follows:

• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) until February 28, 2022
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) 
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) from March 1, 2022

Japan Airlines 767-300ER Economy Class

The 767 has a tremendously wide seat as well: 19 inches wide and 34 inches in pitch.

The relatively dense cabin layout and route offerings are the top reasons why it was ranked lower than the previous seats.

Your experience will consist of 175 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. For a smaller aircraft, this is less than ideal and can present headaches while boarding due to the sheer number of seats.

Here’s how the seat map looks:

The best seats on the 767 in economy are in the bulkhead of row 15, which gives you extra legroom.

The 767 is only operated on these routes:

• Honolulu (HNL) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Kona (KOA) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Japan Airlines 787-8 Updated Economy Class

The second-to-last option is on the updated 787-8s. These seats are 18 inches in width and 33 inches in pitch, making them the second-most narrow economy seats.

Additionally, the seats are configured 2-4-2.

For the most legroom, pick exit row seats 45A/C or 45H/K. Just keep in mind that the lavatory and galleys are located close to this row, so it could be noisy.

These seats are found on the following 787-8 route:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) from March 1, 2022

Japan Airlines 787-8 Old Economy Class

The last and least preferable option is on the old 787-8s, which also feature the worst business class seats that are angled-flat.

The old 787-8s rank at the bottom in economy class seats because the seats are the narrowest: 17.5 inches wide. This is a significant difference, considering the largest economy seats Japan Airlines has on routes to the U.S. are 19 inches wide.

Also, these seats are shorter, measuring only 31 inches in pitch. With such a tight squeeze and old product, it’s no wonder why the old 787-8 is at the bottom of our economy ranking.

The seat map looks as follows:

You may be able to give yourself more legroom by choosing exit row seats in row 45, but otherwise, it’s best to avoid the 787-8.

The routes that operate these bad economy seats:

• San Diego (SAN) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
• Seattle (SEA) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)

Final Thoughts

There’s a lot of variability in different economy, premium economy, and business class products when you’re flying with Japan Airlines.

The sole first class product is found on the 777-300ER and is phenomenal.

The best business class seats are arguably on the updated 787-8 due to the Sky Suite and intimate cabin setting.

The best premium economy seats are found on the brand-new 787-9s and feature Sky Suite III seats in business class.

The best economy seats can be found on 787-9s and feature Sky Suite seats.

As you can see, the best seats for each cabin are found on different aircraft. Now you have an idea of the complete routes and aircraft used on Japan Airlines flights to and from the U.S.