Anyone can score — all you need to know is the secret routes and the best possible premium ticketing strategy.
Getting a deal to Asia nowadays is a big pain in the bu**!
Business Class typically runs $6,000 to $10,000+ round-trip. First Class, $20,000 to $30,000. Business Class mileage redemptions for less than 200,000 miles each way are rare.
But don’t despair. Deals can be had with the right strategy.
The Same Deal Works for Two Different Travelers
Traveler #1: You’d like to go to Asia - and refuse to fly in less than Business Class - and don’t take no for an answer. You’re willing to fly on short notice.
Spontaneous, you are.
Traveler #2: You've already bitten the bullet, overpaid, and are looking for relief, perhaps even a better class of service altogether.
Creamed, you got.
I’ve written a lot about the Iterative Upgrade Mindset lately because travelers either avoid taking trips because they can’t be done both comfortably and affordably, or they’re just getting creamed by dynamic pricing.
Think of my Iterative Upgrade Strategy like Kaizen, that Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement that Toyota made famous. You know, the one where you make small, incremental tweaks over time instead of trying to nail everything perfectly on the first shot.
In the travel world, this means treating your flight booking as an ongoing project on long-haul trips when comfort (and cost) really matter - not as a one-and-done transaction. Because let’s face it: What are the odds you’re going to find the perfect deal on your exact route, date, airline, and class of service all in one magical search when you’re ready to book?
The Airlines Created the Game - We’re Just Playing It
Here’s the beautiful part: This approach turns the airlines’ own game against them. See, airlines are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They’ve got unfilled seats that become worthless the moment that plane takes off - like unsold produce going bad at the grocery store. But they can’t exactly advertise fire-sale prices without infuriating everyone who paid full freight 11 months ago.
And they certainly can’t train us to wait for deals, right? (Oops, too late.)
So what do they do? They get sneaky about it.
Today we’re going to talk about American Airlines’ recent award availability trends (no, you don’t need any AA miles to care!): how they release mileage award tickets close-in on SOME long-haul routes and how you can leverage this for bragging-rights upgrades or massive savings.
This actually works well with its partner, Japan Airlines, too.
Use This Strategy If:
- You’re a bags-packed traveler open to a last-minute trip in a week or up to four, OR
- You bought a ticket 11 months ago for full price and would like to upgrade the quality or cost of your ticket
AND
- You have miles, OR
- You don’t have miles
Asia Premium Class As Good as It Gets
Check this out. When was the last time you saw First Class available for just 80,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes? Or Business Class for 65,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes?
All screenshots from AA.com
Many Flights Operated by Japan Airlines
Typical First Class Fare One Way: $15,929.80
No Miles? No Problem.
Just take a look at this screenshot from AA.com. ANYONE can easily buy the miles required…
The airline runs sales on their miles off and on all the time. Right now you can buy up to 200,000 miles for $4,515. That comes to 2.3 cents per mile. Take a look:
You only need to buy as many miles as you need. The more miles you buy, the bigger the discount.
Need even more miles? Just use my unlimited buy-miles strategy.
What Kind of Airline Ticket to Asia Can You Get by Buying American Miles for 2.3 Cents Each?
Flying from the U.S. to/from Japan, my Buy Miles to Fly in Style Strategy looks like this:
Chicago > Tokyo Sample Strategy Savings
At the risk of repeating myself, that’s:
- Save $4,254 on Business Class ($460 more than Premium Economy - still a bargain for the upgrade), OR
- Save $23,236 on First Class, OR
- Get First Class for less than half the price of Business Class, OR
- Get a two-class upgrade to First Class from Premium Economy for just $156 R/T
The Data-Driven Travelers Advantage
Here’s what separates Iterative Upgrade travelers from conventional bookers:
- Conventional Bookers:
- Accept initial search results as final
- Book once and forget
- Pay premium prices for “security”
- Miss upgrade opportunities entirely
- Iterative Upgrade Mindset Travelers:
- Treat initial bookings as starting points
- Monitor systematically for improvements
- Understand inventory patterns
- Leverage airlines’ fear of empty seats
The Five Secret Routes With Close-In Business and First Class Seats to Tokyo and Beyond
Many Dates With Nine Business Class Seats Available on AA.com
Chicago > Tokyo
Not Going to Tokyo?
No problem. Business Class to Bangkok is just 10,000 miles more and all on one ticket, and has outstanding availability. Consider positioning flights if you’re not so lucky with onward connections.
Don’t Live in Dallas, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, or Seattle?
No problem. Business Class from Boise is just 10,000 miles more and all on one ticket. Consider positioning flights if you’re not so lucky with the domestic add on flight.
Boise Business Class Example
Don’t Live in a Major City AND Not Going to Tokyo?
No problem. Business Class from Birmingham, Alabama, to Bangkok is just 10,000 miles more and all on one ticket. Consider positioning flights if you’re not so lucky with all the connecting flights you’d like to have.
See for Yourself on AA.com
The Cancel Fee Equation
But Bennett, you’re telling me to change the ticket I bought many months ago for an opportunity that’s available a week or four before departure, right? Won’t I lose the value of the ticket I already bought and face high fees?
Thanks for asking.
Nowadays, cash tickets (aka published fares) can typically be canceled, and you can apply the full value of those fares to a future ticket for little or no cost on most airlines for up to a year. To confirm, ask airline reservations. Or you can find a link to “fare rules” online on the “manage your reservation” web page if you haven’t already read the rules when you purchased the ticket.
Mileage tickets can be canceled, changed, or redeposited for free or at a low fee these days.
Here are a few examples:
- American: Cancellation and redeposit of miles are free.
- Delta: Changes, cancellations, and redeposits are free.
- United: Changes, cancellations, and redeposits are free.
In other words, with most airlines (be sure to check with yours), it’s cheap and easy to change and improve your ticket.
Mix & Match Awards on Class of Service, Dates, and Available Deals
Look at multiple classes of service at multiple dates and find where they align on the travel dates you desire. Go where the deal is, mixing classes of service if you have to, or tweaking your dates to land the big prize deal.
Availability is hit and miss by day and class, so don’t hesitate if only Business Class is available one way and First Class is on the other. Fly First Class one way, Business Class the other - with kids in Premium Economy.
Why Be a Last-Minute Iterative Upgrader?
You might be thinking, “What the heck, Bennett, that sounds stressful; just let me buy the darn ticket and be done with it.”
Well, first of all, you need to consider that this ticket you purchased:
- Cost much more than you likely wanted to pay (in miles or cash), and/or
- Is in a lesser class of service than you want (say Premium Economy or Business), and/or
- May not be on your ideal airline (it has average seats or lacks the amenities you like), and/or
- May not be very convenient (number of stops, routing, airports, connection times, dates, etc.)
If you’re not into getting more for less, with a bit of effort, then this isn’t for you.
Iterative Upgrade Tactics
The Systematic Approach:
- Book your baseline ticket (Premium Economy, or Economy if you must, or higher if you can) for peace of mind
- Mark your calendar for the 14-day countdown
- Begin daily checking at day 14, focusing more as departure draws near
- Execute your upgrade when availability peaks
- Cancel your baseline ticket and bank the credit - only AFTER you have a new ticket and ticket numbers verified
- Repeat the process if you keep finding better options
The Iterative Upgrade Advantage Is Your Best Upgrade Friend
You’ve already done the grunt work of planning your trip - researched destinations, arranged time off, coordinated with travel companions. So why settle for your first booking when systematic improvement is not only possible but provable?
Our American Miles to Asia deep research validates what the Iterative Upgrade Mindset has always taught: small, systematic improvements compound into extraordinary results. They aren’t accidents. They’re predictable inventory management decisions by airlines that hate flying with empty premium cabins.
Airlines build their pricing system to extract maximum revenue from travelers.
Why not build your booking system to extract maximum value from the airlines?
Iterative upgraders understand the game differently. We know that “sold out” often means “wait a few days.” We know that premium inventory opens up as departure approaches on secret routes. Most importantly, we know that systematic checking beats random luck every time.
If you applied this upgrade mindset as a lifestyle, you’d consistently fly better for less while others pay premium prices for the illusion of security. The U.S. > Tokyo data doesn’t just prove the theory - it gives you the exact playbook for one of the world’s most coveted and expensive premium routes.
See you up front.