Preferred airline for US to Tokyo

[Eager2Travel]

We are looking into the Tokyo to Vancouver cruise.  I am wondering what airlines people liked who have flown this route.  It would be LAX to Tokyo hopefully nonstop.

Thanks for any input 

[JMARINER]

We used Japan Air several times in both business and 1St class to\from LAX. Very happy with them. One World partners.

J

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks J Mariner.  I was going to start my search with Japan Air.

[BBWC]

We are booked next year on Singapore Airlines, LAX to Narita.

[Eager2Travel]

Hi  BBWC.  Did you book your own air or let Regent book it?  We usually let Regent handle it but are not sure how far before the start of the cruise they will do that.  I wonder how complicated the transfer from the airport would be with the challenge of the Japanese language.

[labonnevie]

We did our own air LAX to Narita, April 2023 (saving $1200 pp rt) business class. 
Looking at all options, we found ANA to be the best.  
Flights were excellent, no issues whatsoever. 
Regent met us and transported us to the Hilton for our precruise program. 
Everything worked perfectly. 

[tubeamps]

Be aware that Narita is about 1 hour 20 minute ride to the Hilton in Shinjuku district.

Haneda is only 25 minute ride.

[papaflamingo]

10 hours ago, Eager2Travel said:

I wonder how complicated the transfer from the airport would be with the challenge of the Japanese language.

We ended our cruise this past March in Tokyo.  Used Outech Co. Ltd. for transportation from the ship to the hotel then a few days later the hotel to the airport.  Extremely easy and you can get an English speaking driver on request.  Both our drivers were English fluent and very nice. We booked a minivan because of the amount of luggage, but it was reasonable (as reasonable as a private minivan can be) and the cars were beautiful and well kept.  

Bottom line.. no problems at all and very easy.  

[GMIAC]

We got Business Class seats on JAL's new Airbus A350-1000 to HND next March, for the Explorer Tokyo sailing, and are almost as excited about the plane as we are about the seats! Best of all, only paid 60,000 AA miles for the trip. 

 

[BBWC]

14 hours ago, Eager2Travel said:

Hi  BBWC.  Did you book your own air or let Regent book it?  We usually let Regent handle it but are not sure how far before the start of the cruise they will do that.  I wonder how complicated the transfer from the airport would be with the challenge of the Japanese language.

 
We never use Regent air. We booked Singapore Airlines with miles. There is a very comfortable limousine bus that takes you from the airport to various hotels in Tokyo. Easy to book online in English. No need for Japanese.

[Lonedaddy]

We really enjoyed JAL they have 3 kinds of business class seats, and we enjoyed the two kinds we had.  HND to DFW was really private.  We had One world status, so they sent us to the Haneda first class lounge a real treat JAL | Tokyo International Airport [Haneda] JAL First Class Lounge.  I'd fly JAL again in a heartbeat.

 

 

[Eager2Travel]

4 hours ago, GMIAC said:

We got Business Class seats on JAL's new Airbus A350-1000 to HND next March, for the Explorer Tokyo sailing, and are almost as excited about the plane as we are about the seats! Best of all, only paid 60,000 AA miles for the trip. 

 

[Eager2Travel]

We would love to be able to use miles because we would then be able to cancel if we needed to.   Also cheaper.

We are short on miles but do have some.  
 

GMIAC, that is amazing you got Japan Air BC for60, pp miles.  We could swing that. 
 

I tried AA with miles and they wanted 160,000 for each of us.

I will keep looking.  It does sound like we could get free transfer from Regent because of pre cruise trip.

 

Thank you everyone for all your help.  You are wonderful!

Edited June 4 by Eager2Travel

[crusin7]

We have used Delta LAX to Haneda.  It was an excellent flight.  We also used JAL to Narita.  It was very good also.  We booked our Tokyo(HND) to LAX March 2025 using Delta miles.  It took a ridiculous amount.  We had done this years before and they were only 90K one way.  I don’t think you can go wrong with either one of these airlines.

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks Crisy.  Unfortunately we both don't have enough airline points.   We do have more Chase points but still not enough.  I was just considering Delta after talking to Chase because they have the lowest refundable fare.  I appreciate hearing about your experience on Delta.

 

The advantage of booking with Regent is the ability to cancel air and cruise before final pay.  They want $ 4,000 more per person to include air.

[RetiredandTravel]

We had great experiences in both business and first with ANA.

[mj_holiday]

Our TA found an AA flight nonstop Dallas to Narita.  It was very good.

[JPR]

Singapore Airlines Business is the gold standard. You can even order from a large menu in advance of your flight.

[bebop bonnie]

Singapore is ideal if you are on or near the west coast,  From South Florida I think a stop at DFW then on to Japan might be easier connections on AA or JAL.  Any additional input will be appreciated!

[ifitfloats]

I am baffled by all this. I am trying to get my wife and kids to SFO from 2 different airports in New York and Atlanta. I can’t even get a premium coach ticket for 60,000 points on any airline. First, always my first choice, is just obscene. We are trying to save our Amex miles for our British Isles cruise flights next June. At this rate, those will be 500,000 points each. The world of air travel has gone completely insane. 
 

I used to fly from New York or Hartford to SFO every couple of weeks. American alone had at least 6-10 flights a day from JFK. Now? 2. Sometimes I think the airlines are hiding hundreds of planes somewhere so they can drive up the demand/prices endlessly. Yes, I know they aren’t but something seems odd about all this. 
 

And, before you make the old shareholder value argument, please let me state, as a former CEO of a publicly traded company, that companies actually have three constituencies: customers, employees and then shareholders. We seem to have decided that we exist purely for shareholders. No wonder so many once-great and admired companies (Boeing, FedEx, GE, etc.) are mere shadows of what they once were. Boeing can’t build planes. FedEx has no idea where most of their packages are and GE now does one thing; build jet engines. The rest is gone. 

[GMIAC]

On 6/17/2024 at 5:44 PM, JPR said:

Singapore Airlines Business is the gold standard. You can even order from a large menu in advance of your flight.

I think food on airlines is varying degrees of bad; the best is just fine, nothing more. For me true luxury is space and comfort.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

16 hours ago, bebop bonnie said:

I think a stop at DFW then on to Japan might be easier connections on AA or JAL.

 

Yes, AA has a non-stop from DFW to Tokyo. I booked my own air, so did that one on a trip last year from Tucson. The other direction I booked through LAX or SFO.

Edited June 19 by 2012_Alaska_bound
corrected

[bebop bonnie]

2 hours ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

 

Yes, AA has a non-stop from DFW to Tokyo. I booked my own air, so did that one on a trip last year from Tucson. The other direction I booked through LAX or SFO.

Even with Global Entry, was LAX or SFO easier on return?  DFW? ORD?  From what I’ve read about these airports, MIA starts to sound good…🤪 Unfortunately MIA has no nonstops to or from Japan.

[caviargal]

37 minutes ago, bebop bonnie said:

Even with Global Entry, was LAX or SFO easier on return?  DFW? ORD?  From what I’ve read about these airports, MIA starts to sound good…🤪 Unfortunately MIA has no nonstops to or from Japan.

MIA is a nightmare IMO.  We just connected through MIA for the first time in years. Long and slow moving lines.  No priority for first and business.  TSA pre check got us a card so we did not have to remove shoes but we stood in the same awful lines.

[bebop bonnie]

1 hour ago, caviargal said:

MIA is a nightmare IMO.  We just connected through MIA for the first time in years. Long and slow moving lines.  No priority for first and business.  TSA pre check got us a card so we did not have to remove shoes but we stood in the same awful lines.

I do feel your pain!!  I use FLL or PBI for domestic, otherwise MIA is often my only choice!!😞