Review of American Airlines Flight 26 on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Tokyo to Los Angeles

How much does business class cost to book on American Airlines?

Flights between the U.S. and Tokyo are relatively expensive, and it doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re booking close in or longer out at this point. Perhaps that’s why American Airlines is planning on deploying bigger planes on the route between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) next summer. The cheapest round-trip tickets available at the moment cost $848 in economy and a whopping $4,500 or more if you want to fly in business class.

I also searched high and low for mileage redemptions, but the most affordable tickets I could find cost 61,000 AAdvantage miles and $49 round-trip in coach. The least expensive business-class tickets required a whopping 305,000 miles plus $49. I do occasionally see saver awards for as few as 60,000 AAdvantage miles one-way in business class, but those awards are increasingly difficult to secure.

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Here is the range of round-trip cash and award rates on flights between Tokyo and Los Angeles over the next several months.

Checking in to and boarding business class on American Airlines

American Airlines operates from Terminal 3 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND).

There were 14 check-in counters, and all but three of them had agents helping customers when I arrived four hours before my flight to Los Angeles.

Three of the desks were for Priority passengers and three were for Main Cabin passengers; the rest were either bag-drop stations or other customer service stations. There were 11 kiosks where passengers could perform self-check-in.

Interestingly, there was also a biometric screening station, although it didn’t appear to be working.

Even though I had conveniently checked in for my flight online and gotten a boarding pass via the American Airlines app, I still wanted to see what it would be like checking in at the counters. I waited just one minute before a friendly woman asked for my passport. There were very short lines for the economy passengers, too.

The agent didn’t mention any lounges, although I knew I had access to several. American Airlines business-class passengers can expect the following priority services at the airport:

There was a fast-track security lane for first- and business-class passengers with automated gates activated by scanning your boarding pass.

Unfortunately, the priority lane dumped me back into the general security line, but I got to it faster than most of the other passengers, went through the automated immigration gates and made my way to the lounges I would have access to.

One of my favorite parts of traveling from Haneda Airport is the plethora of lounges available for passengers departing in business class or passengers with Oneworld status, including two Japan Airlines business-class lounges that passengers flying in business class on American Airlines can enter: the Sakura Lounge and the Sakura Lounge Sky View on the fourth and fifth floors of the terminal.

Neither lounge was crowded, though I got to the Sky View lounge just as it opened, so it was much emptier.

Both lounges featured an extensive selection of beverages (wine, beer, spirits) and various snacks and meals to fuel up for the flight ahead.

Both lounges were massive, with plenty of distinct seating areas and minimalist, Japanese-inspired design.

My top-tier status with American Airlines equates to Oneworld Emerald status, so I have entry into first-class lounges when flying on a Oneworld airline, including the magnificent JAL First Class Lounge.

A gorgeous hallway leads you into the main part of the lounge, where you’ll find multiple seating arrangements, including long desks with great views of the airport tarmac.

The dining area called JAL’s Table features a live-cooking station with fresh sushi, and you can use a QR code at each seat anywhere in the lounge to order a la carte items, including curries and Japanese delicacies.

One of my favorite spots was a back area called the Red Suite, which had a Champagne bar, unique seating areas and antique airline memorabilia, including model planes, globes and historical documents from Japan Airlines’ long history. There was even a shoeshine station.

There was a whole other floor upstairs with a staffed bar and more seating.

Of course, I took a little break and got a 20-minute massage from one of the lounge’s automatic massage chairs.

There were also showers available and all the amenities you could want for a long layover or quick preflight scrub.

It was a 10-minute walk to my gate, where boarding began promptly an hour before the flight. There were plenty of seats and charging towers in the boarding area, but there were only a few open seats left by the time I arrived.

Passengers in business class got to board in Group 1. That meant I was one of the first passengers on the plane.

The process was smooth and orderly, and the doors were closed several minutes before our departure time.

How comfortable was business class on American Airlines?

My flight, American Airlines 26, was operated by an 8-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with the tail number N813AN. This is the smallest Dreamliner variant, and the business-class cabin had just 20 seats. Here is the basic layout of the cabin and seats:

The cabin is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, which means all the seats have aisle access. The seats also lay flat, and I was able to get a good five hours of sleep during my journey.

Amenities in American Airlines business class

Already waiting at my seat when I boarded was a Bang & Olufsen headset, a bottle of water, a Raven + Lily-branded amenity kit and a paper menu.

The B&O headsets were great quality and made for a quiet and enjoyable sound experience. It’s just too bad American Airlines makes flight attendants collect them as early as an hour before landing, which really limits the experience.

Inside the amenity kit were most of the basics like an eye mask, earplugs, Pholk hand and body lotion, lip balm by Macabalm, and a dental kit. I found the absence of disposable socks strange, but I guess that’s a cost-cutting measure these days.

There was also a large plastic-wrapped pillow and Casper blanket at my seat. The bedding provided a good mix of warmth and comfort. American Airlines is in the process of rolling out more environmentally friendly bedding from Nest that doesn’t come in plastic. I got to try it out on a recent flight to London and it was also quite nice.

Wi-Fi provided by Panasonic cost $35 for the full-flight package with no data limits.

While I didn’t spend too much time online since it was a nighttime flight, as you can see below, Wi-Fi speeds were generally not great.

How was the food in American Airlines business class?

Overall, the food on this Tokyo flight was middling at best.

Passengers boarded to find menus waiting at their seats.

As we settled in, flight attendants offered water, orange juice or sparkling wine in plastic cups. The Italian Altemasi Trentodoc Brut they served retails for about $14 per bottle.

Flight attendants handed out warm towels about 20 minutes into the flight.

Warmed nuts were brought out about 10 minutes later with a selection of cocktails. The nuts were lukewarm and tasted a bit stale. I went for a club soda and cranberry, which the flight attendants offered to refill proactively.

As I mentioned, there were only 20 business-class seats on this plane and three flight attendants, including the purser Louis, who oversaw my row, so it made for a pretty good service experience.

The main courses on offer were:

• Grilled beef fillet
• Salmon fillet
• Polenta lasagna
• Steamed rice available on request

Louis was nice enough to bring me the Japanese meal he served to another passenger so I could photograph it.

For the Western meal, the first course was a small plate of tuna tataki in a plum sauce, along with a salad of seasonal greens with cucumber, ginger and snap peas. I chose the peppercorn ranch dressing but Japanese sesame soy dressing was also available. The tuna was delicious. I didn’t taste the plum sauce, but the breadcrumb crust was tasty.

White rolls, pretzel bread and wheat rolls were also offered with a pat of butter. The bread looked a bit dried out, but it was fine once some butter had been spread on top. I ordered the polenta lasagna as a main course.

It was filling, but watery and bland. The one thing that didn’t disappoint was dessert.

Choices for dessert were:

• A fruit-and-cheese plate
• Custom-made sundaes
• Panna cotta (an Italian cream dessert)

You really can’t beat the sundaes American Airlines offers as part of its long-haul business-class service. I had a hot fudge sundae with extra whipped cream. Classic but delicious.

The meal service was completed just over an hour into flight, which I appreciated since it allowed for more time for sleep.

Set up in the galley at the front of the cabin were small finger sandwiches and other small bites.

There were also several beverage options and a selection of packaged snacks, including Japanese crackers and other goodies.

Breakfast was served about an hour and 15 minutes before landing.

There were two choices for the meal, both served with a small salad with soy dressing. The options were:

• Stir-fried udon noodles
• Red pepper-and-onion quiche

The udon noodles were thick and doughy in a savory broth. The salad was a bit wilted, but dessert was a delicious opera cake with whipped cream and a single half of a strawberry.

Breakfast was far superior to dinner on this flight. The flight attendants were great at refilling my coffee, but Louis did ask me if I had a big meeting or something since I’d asked for so many refills! I replied that the cups were small.

The food in American Airlines’ long-haul business class just didn’t hold a candle to Japan Airlines, which I’ve flown a few times. In my opinion, that’s probably reason enough to choose Japan Airlines over American on this route if the price is similar. Flight attendants collected the Bang & Olufsen headsets about 40 minutes before landing.

Service throughout the flight was generally very good, with a friendly crew of nine flight attendants. Louis, who looked after me, was especially friendly when I pestered him with questions about the plane and seats. Flight attendants also regularly passed through the cabin to see if passengers needed anything, so overall the experience was very positive.

Would you recommend American Airlines business class?

An early departure from Tokyo and arrival in Los Angeles and a comfortable, if tight, lie-flat bed made for a decent flight. The service was nice, with an efficient and friendly crew. The experience wasn’t the best I’ve had on American Airlines, but I rate it as a perfectly pleasant experience overall.

Although it’s not my top choice for flying between the U.S. and Japan, I would recommend American Airlines business class if you apply an upgrade like I did. The seats aren’t the best, but they’re comfortable enough for getting some rest on a long flight.

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