From D.C. to Japan with Miles and Points

Now that I’ve shared the highlights of our 12-day adventure in Japan [link], along with a glimpse of our stay in Tokyo [link], it’s time to fulfill the requests of friends and family who were curious about our journey from Washington, D.C. to Japan. Planning a trip for a group of six can be quite a task, but let’s explore how we managed to book our flights to this incredible destination.

Our journey began with a basic Google Flights search to check the prices for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Tokyo in June. We found that economy-class tickets from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) were around $2,200 per person. However, we soon realized that flight costs vary based on the departure airport and chosen travel dates. With this essential baseline knowledge in hand, I ventured into the world of airline loyalty programs. The world of frequent flyer miles and loyalty programs offers many opportunities.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

My journey began with a visit to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Despite Virgin Atlantic’s recent entry into the SkyTeam alliance, they maintain exclusive partnerships with other airlines, including ANA from the Star Alliance group. What caught my attention was their award chart (please see the screenshot below).

For example, booking a round-trip economy class ticket on ANA through the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club would cost just 65,000 points. But the real treasure was the 95,000 points required for a business-class ticket, granting access to one of the world’s top-notch business-class experiences, especially from the eastern USA. Even lesser points, if traveling from the western USA.

However, as I dug deeper, I found that they didn’t have the availability for our party of six, be it in business class or economy. It’s worth noting that ANA can be a bit restrictive when it comes to award availability. Another drawback of the Flying Club is the absence of online ticket booking. Instead, you have to navigate a Star Alliance search tool to find available award space and call their customer support to book the ticket online. When it came to hunting for open or available reward tickets, we found United Airlines’ and Air Canada’s websites to be quite the handy tool.

American Airlines AAdvantage

I decided to switch gears and explore the realm of American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Despite some recent changes that had devalued the program, it still retained its value, especially when it came to partner awards that weren’t subjected to dynamic pricing. I knew that the most cost-effective way to make the most of my miles was by tapping into American Airlines’ international partners within the Oneworld Alliance. After poring over the award charts provided by American Airlines (please see the screenshot below), I discovered that I could book economy class seats on Japan Airlines for only 35,000 AAdvantage miles each way. If I wanted to upgrade to business class, I’d need an extra 25,000 miles, totaling 60,000. This alternative sounded promising, but there was a catch: the available flights did not coincide with our vacation dates. Undaunted, I continued my search for the finest travel option for our group.

While the journey to Japan posed its challenges, a stroke of luck awaited us on the path of return. Amid my quest, I stumbled upon six available seats from Haneda Airport (HND) to JFK, and it was precisely for our preferred date, July 2. An opportunity too good to pass up. I didn’t rush into booking these return tickets. Instead, I made a note of this excellent find and kept exploring. I considered all possibilities, weighed the options, and eventually circled back to the American Airlines website. There was just one small hiccup—I didn’t have enough AAdvantage miles. Thankfully, I had been steadily accumulating points through Bilt rewards. I transferred the required points to boost my AAdvantage miles, and with everything set, I secured our return tickets for the July 2, 2023 return from Haneda Airport (HND) to JFK in New York City.

So, we managed to secure our return tickets for July 2, 2023, from Haneda Airport (HND) to JFK in New York City. It might not have been the most convenient sequence, as we bought our return tickets before sorting out the outbound leg and from an airport a bit farther from home. However, sometimes in the world of travel, you have to adapt to ensure your adventure comes to life. My top priority was to secure those six tickets using points and miles, which led to this decision.

The cost of this return journey was a mere 35,000 AAdvantage miles per person, along with a nominal fee of approximately $40. This fee encompassed taxes and carrier-imposed charges.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

My next step was to delve into the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, and to my disappointment, I discovered that the miles required for flights to and from Tokyo had increased. Specifically, if you aimed to book Japan Airlines economy class tickets from the Midwest or the East Coast, it now demanded 42,500 Alaska miles (compared to the previous rate of 35,000 miles; please refer to screenshot below). The rates for the West Coast remained unchanged.

I tirelessly scoured for flights that matched the schedules of our party of six, but regrettably, I couldn’t find any that suited our needs. This led me to the conclusion that the Alaska Mileage Plan wasn’t the ideal choice for our journey. It seemed that AAdvantage miles offered a more promising deal with their saver awards, often requiring only 35,000 miles for similar routes. The remaining challenge was to find flights that accommodated the schedules of all six travelers. Having already secured the return flight, I was halfway to our goal, and I was determined to piece this puzzle together.

ANA Mileage Club

My next destination was the ANA Mileage Club, and I was eager to explore the opportunities it had to offer. ANA is renowned for its limited availability of premium-cabin award seats, especially in business and first class. When you’re fortunate enough to come across one of these elusive awards, you get the chance to book a round-trip flight between the USA and Japan.

The cost of these flights varies based on the class of travel and the season. For economy-class seats, they generally require between 40,000 to 55,000 miles. If you’re looking for a more luxurious experience in business class, you can expect to pay anywhere from 75,000 to 90,000 miles. This option was particularly enticing and among the best available.

However, there’s a caveat when dealing with ANA. They only allow you to reserve round-trip awards, and you can use miles for yourself and your family, but not for friends when traveling from the USA to Japan.

When it comes to the flights from the USA to Japan, ANA classifies international flight awards based on zones, cabin classes, and seasonal variations. The round-trip flights between Japan (Zone 1) and the USA fall under the “Asia to North America” zone. Keep in mind that the mileage requirements may change depending on the time of the year.

You might wonder why I revisited the ANA program – simply put, I was hoping for a stroke of luck. Unfortunately, that luck never materialized. Right from the start, when I was exploring Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and had no success finding any ANA awards using the Star Alliance search tool, I knew the odds were against me. Nevertheless, in the world of points and miles, I’ve seen some unexpected outcomes, so I decided to give it a shot and give it my all.

Delta SkyMiles

My next step led me to Delta SkyMiles, although I didn’t have high expectations. Delta was one of the first airlines to do away with its award chart, and the cost of flights in SkyMiles can be quite unpredictable. It depends on various factors like your route, the date, time, the number of stops, and Delta’s discretion. Sometimes, the price in SkyMiles is similar to the cash price, but not always. Delta miles can be as unpredictable as some people call them “pesos.”

Delta occasionally offers unadvertised sales or flash sales where you can find great deals for domestic and international flights using your miles. When I checked departing from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), it showed me the lowest price was around 165,000 Delta SkyMiles plus a $6 fee. At that point, it seemed like paying with cash might be a better option.

However, I decided to be a bit flexible and tried searching for flights from Atlanta and Minneapolis (MSP) as my departure cities. To my surprise, both of these routes showed availability, but the MSP route had seats available for all six of us at 28,000 points per person. I was super excited, and without overthinking how we’d get to MSP from the Washington, D.C. area, I decided to book the tickets that same day.

Later, after the initial excitement had worn off, I needed to figure out how to get from the Washington, D.C. area to MSP. Delta was once again showing a flash sale, offering economy class tickets for just 5,000 points, which was a better option compared to paying in cash. So, I booked the trip for June 17.

Our flight to Haneda Airport (HND) in Japan was scheduled for June 19. Despite the two-day gap, I was fine with it because we had some unfinished business in Minnesota since our last visit in the summer of 2019. We missed out on exploring the Duluth area back then, so we wanted to make it a sort of revenge trip and cross it off our bucket list. Perhaps I’ll write about our unplanned trip to Minnesota another time, but for now, let’s focus on our journey to Japan. It may not have been a perfect plan and didn’t turn out exactly as I had hoped, but it definitely saved us a lot of money.

In a Nutshell:

Our journey to Japan was more than just reaching the destination; it was an adventure in itself. Allow me to break down the costs and miles/points used for each leg of our trip:

So, there you have it, folks. While it might not have been a flawless journey, it was undoubtedly an adventure filled with savings and memories that we’ll cherish forever. I hope that by sharing my experience, you’ve gained a general idea of the various loyalty programs I explored, from Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, ANA Mileage Club, and Delta SkyMiles. The lesson here is that comparison and flexibility are key. By thoroughly exploring and leveraging different loyalty programs and being open to traveling from alternative departure cities, you increase your chances of scoring great deals. Good luck with your travel plans, and please feel free to leave a comment to share what you might have done differently or your own travel tips and experiences!

Disclaimer: This article is neither sponsored nor paid, and I am not affiliated with any of the mentioned programs at the time of writing.