Update 2019-02-26: Please note that the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) American Express Card Canada is no longer available. It has been replaced by the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. Get the details here!
Back in June 2016, Alaska Air announced a new partnership with Japan Airlines which included a codeshare agreement and reciprocal mileage earning opportunities. Alaska wasn’t clear on when partner redemptions would be available, however.
I’m happy to report that as of December 6th Japan Airlines reward flights are now searchable and bookable using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan!
This new opportunity is exciting, especially for those travellers based on the west coast. Japan Airlines has a great looking product, and by all accounts offers a great experience in first and business class. What’s most exciting, however, are the redemption rates and routing rules:
From North America to Asia:
From North America to Southeast Asia:
And Intra-Asia:
Alaska Air has some of the most generous routing rules, allowing for a free stopover in Tokyo en-route to your destination, including on one-way tickets. Reward pricing from North America to Japan is competitive with other programs, and award availability is decent depending on flexibility. Alaska has a decent route network out on the west coast making it easy to connect through other cities.
There are two sweet spots I want to make mention of:
1. North America to India
Japan Airlines considers India to be in the same regions as Japan for booking purposes, meaning a one-way reward will only cost 60,000. What’s best is you could create a stopover in Tokyo for no additional cost – regardless of whether the ticket is roundtrip or one-way.
2. Intra-Asia
The Intra-Asia awards are competitively priced and offer the same generous routing rules as long-haul flights. For example, you could fly from Delhi to Jakarta with a stopover in Tokyo for 30,000 in first class! That’s phenomenal value, and a reward I recently booked!
The flight from Delhi to Tokyo is in business class and operated by a Boeing 787-9 featuring Japan Airlines Sky Suite product. The cabin is in a 2-2-2 configuration with each seat getting direct aisle access:
The flight from Tokyo to Jakarta in first class will be operated by a Boeing 777 and feature Japan Airlines open suite design, in a 1-2-1 configuration over two rows:
For Canadians, the easiest way to earn Alaska Airlines Miles is through:
The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Credit Card
and
The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Business Credit Card
The welcome bonus’ from the above products would be more than enough for a one-way ticket anywhere in Asia with a free stopover in Tokyo – all in first class on Japan Airlines; a ticket that could easily retail for up to $15,000!
Do you plan on redeeming your Alaska Miles for travel on Japan Airlines?
