American Airlines announced it will add a new route this summer connecting New York City and Tokyo.

“American looks forward to launching flights between JFK and HND this summer,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning. “This new service will complement flights offered by our joint business partner, Japan Airlines, giving more ways for our customers travel between the U.S. and Japan.”

The new JFK–HND service will be American’s fourth daily nonstop flight to HND, joining existing daily service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and two daily flights from Los Angeles (LAX).

American Airlines New York City To Tokyo Route

Starting June 28th, 2024, American Airlines will operate non-stop flights between New York City (JFK) and Tokyo (HND). The new year-round flight will have the following flight times:

American Airlines (JFK – HND)

• AAxxx New York City (JFK) – Tokyo (HND), departing 11:25 and arriving 14:30 (next day) – 14hr 05min flight time
• AAxxx Tokyo (HND) – New York City (JFK), departing 16:30 and arriving 16:35 – 13hr 05min flight time

This flight will compliment the daily flights offered by Japan Airlines:

Japan Airlines (JFK – HND)

• JL3 New York City (JFK) – Tokyo (HND), departing 01:30 and arriving 04:45 (next day) – 14hr 15min flight time
• JL4 Tokyo (HND) – New York City (JFK), departing 18:30 and arriving 18:25 – 12hr 55min flight time
• JL5 New York City (JFK) – Tokyo (HND), departing 13:20 and arriving 16:35 (next day) – 14hr 15min flight time
• JL6 Tokyo (HND) – New York City (JFK), departing 11:05 and arriving 11:00 – 12hr 55min flight time

Credit. GCMapper. American Airlines JFK – HND Route.

American Airlines will operate its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft on this route in a three class configuration: 37 Business Class seats, 24 Premium Economy seats, and 212 Economy Class seats. For Business Class, the assumption is American will use the newer “Super Diamond” configuration in a 1-2-1 forward-facing layout. The Premium Economy and Economy Class seats will be the standard offering from American Airlines.

Credit. The Points Guy. American Airlines 777-200ER Business Class.

Credit. The Points Guy. American Airlines 777-200ER Premium Economy.

Credit. Sydney Morning Herald. American Airlines 777-200ER Economy Class.

Booking American Airlines New York City To Tokyo Route

At this time, the new American Airlines JFK – HND route is not available for either cash or award bookings. Here is an estimate of the cash booking cost based on the average round-trip cash price for tickets in August on Japan Airlines for the same route:

• Economy Class: $2,000
• Premium Economy: $3,200
• Business Class: $7,000

While no American Airlines award space is available at this time, here is an approximate range for the round-trip saver point cost using the DFW – HND route as a proxy:

• Economy Class: 60,000 – 80,000
• Premium Economy: 100,000 – 120,000
• Business Class: 160,000 – 200,000

Final Thoughts

This is an interesting move by American Airlines. Japan Airlines, the Oneworld partner of American Airlines, already offers daily flights between JFK and HND. Further, Japan Airlines now flies the brand new A350-1000 aircraft on this route every other day; and potentially daily by the end of the year. The A350-1000 from Japan Airlines also includes a First Class cabin. Given that First and Business Class passengers account for up to 75% of a flights profit, it will be interesting to see how American Airlines “older” aircraft competes with the new standard of luxury in the sky from Japan Airlines.