Travelers will have more flight options to visit Japan this summer.
Announced Thursday, American Airlines will launch a new flight route between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on June 28. The new route makes American the only U.S. carrier to operate nonstop service between both airports.
The new flight route has a duration of approximately 14 hours and 35 minutes and will operate on a Boeing 777-200. The flight will depart New York at 11:25 a.m. and land in Tokyo at 2:30 p.m. the next day. The return service departs Tokyo at 4:30 p.m. and arrives in New York at 4:35 p.m.
“American’s new daily flight will offer roundtrip connections to more than 30 cities across Japan and East Asia operated by Japan Airlines, including major cities such as Osaka, Sapporo and Fukuoka,” the airline said in a release.
Travelers interested in getting one of the first seats on the new route can begin purchasing tickets starting Feb. 26.
The flight route was originally announced in November 2023, and was subject to approval from the United States government.
“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,” American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning Brian Znotins said in the release.
Japan Airlines currently operates two daily departures between JFK and HND, leaving at 1:30 am and 1:20 pm each day.
Haneda Airport is located closer to Tokyo’s city center than Narita Airport, and is only a 30 minute train ride to the Tokyo Station.
Tourism to Japan is on the rise. Over 25 million foreign travelers visited Japan in 2023, according to government data. Search interest for Tokyo specifically is up 104 percent year on year, according to booking site KAYAK’s 2024 Travel Trends report shared with T+L.
Tokyo is also known for its luxurious high-rise hotels, including the Aman Tokyo which was rated the winner in the 2023 “World’s Best Awards” for top-rated hotels in Tokyo by T+L readers. Other hotels that were highly ranked include the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Hilton Tokyo, Conrad Tokyo, and the ANA InterContinental Tokyo.
