Japan Airlines First Class wide open through JetBlue TrueBlue (though it’s expensive)

If you’ve been itching to fly Japan Airlines first class, JetBlue TrueBlue may just be the ticket: On Friday, we received an alert from award search tool Roame that JetBlue has has surprisingly broad access to Japan Airlines first class award availability. These awards aren’t cheap, but if you’re flush with JetBlue points and you want to experience one of the best first class experiences in the sky, it is surprisingly easy to find 2 seats — even on JAL’s new A350 first class product. I’m not sure that I’d recommend transferring points for this, but some will probably consider it.

The Deal

• Japan Airlines (JAL) first class awards are widely available via JetBlue TrueBlue. Starting at 165K miles one way, these awards are very expensive, but if you’re flush with JetBlue TrueBlue points and you’ve got Japan Airlines First Class on your bucket list, this may be of interest.
• Search for availability at JetBlue.com

Quick Thoughts

These awards are very pricey. The new first class product out of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) will cost you 185K miles one-way to Tokyo-Haneda (HND). There’s no doubt that’s awfully expensive. That said, they serve Salon champagne that goes for more than $1,000 a bottle, so some will find it worth the splurge.

Those chasing the experience will be most interested in availability out of New York or Dallas for the “new” A350 first class experience (pictured above). The good news is that availability is wide open for 185K miles in first class out of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW).

The above screen shot shows availability for a single seat. Surprisingly, availability is nearly as good for two passengers in first.

The same story is also true out of New York-JFK, with availability wide open all summer for 185K miles one way for a single passenger.

Availability is nearly as good for two passengers.

For those unfamiliar, the prices above might seem outrageous. Indeed, 185K miles is a lot of miles that could easily buy somewhere around $3,000 worth of JetBlue airfare. However, Japan Airlines First Class is an experience that is out of reach with cash for many, with seats on these nonstop routes from New York and Dallas routinely selling for more than $16,000 one-way for a single passenger.

Round trip is more “reasonable” at about $25,500 for a single passenger — but the point is that while these awards are very expensive in terms of the miles required, the flights they buy are out of reach for most people with cash.

If you can find availability via American Airlines or Alaska Mileage Plan, you could save some miles. However, it isn’t always easy to find Japan Airlines First Class availability via partners unless you are booking immediately at schedule open or at the last minute before departure. For instance, I don’t see any seats available via American Airlines AAdvantage in July or August.

It’s not just New York and Dallas that have expanded availability. I’m also seeing first available out of other airports like San Francisco, which costs 165K in first. It’s also worth nothing that San Francisco to Tokyo Haneda also had some Premium Economy availability for 59K.

Because of the wide open availability and the historically tight availability to partners, I initially wondered whether this was phantom availability that wouldn’t actually confirm. However, we’ve had a couple of reader reports of confirmed tickets that they could see ticketed on the Japan Airlines website. I don’t know whether JetBlue has just negotiated a deal for more space based on the higher mileage pricing or whether JetBlue is going to later regret offering these seats. Because the US provides no protection against an airline feeling Seller’s Remorse, I’d be hesitant to transfer points to JetBlue TrueBlue to book this, lest JetBlue decide to cancel and leave me stuck with a boatload of JetBlue points that I don’t necessarily want. On the flip side, if this does stick, some will surely be very excited to snag two seats.

I haven’t seen any dates with more than 2 seats available, but for those traveling in twos with a lot of JetBlue miles, this could be fun. Overall, I’m excited to see that JetBlue continues to expand partnerships. Just a few years ago, your only use for JetBlue points was flights on JetBlue within North America. Now, in addition to Japan Airlines, you can use JetBlue points to fly Cape Air, Etihad, Hawaiian, Icelandair, Qatar, and Tap Air Portugal. Between partnerships like these and JetBlue adding their own service to Europe, the program continues to become more interesting for JetBlue loyalists.

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