Even if you don’t fly to Japan, it might make sense to join Mileage Bank, the loyalty program of Japan Airlines. The reason: You can use this program to book flights on partner airlines that can get you almost anywhere in the world. Even better, JAL has one of the most generous stopover policies in the business. With a Mileage Bank partner award booking, you can visit multiple destinations on a single plane ticket, in some cases making up to seven stopovers on the same booking.
First, here’s how to earn and redeem your miles from Japan Airlines, then, a look at five sweet spot itineraries you can book using JAL Mileage Bank miles.
How to earn JAL Mileage Bank miles
To earn JAL Mileage Bank miles for one of these trips, there are several options.
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You can fly one of its partners and specify JAL Mileage Bank as your miles-earning preference.
If you haven’t flown it before, it’s only natural to wonder “Is JAL a good airline?” The short answer is, yes. While JAL business class might not stack up to All Nippon Airways’ business class (which is so luxurious it’s called “The Room”), nor does it compete with Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class, you more than likely will feel like you’re traveling in style in any of JAL’s cabins.
Best ways to redeem miles from JAL Mileage Bank
1. Alaska Airlines West Coast Hopper
Call this one the West Coast Hopper: Alaska economy flights from 6,001 to 8,000 miles in distance cost 45,000 Japan Airlines miles. This means you can board an Alaska Airlines flight in Seattle, fly to your first stopover in Maui, then stop over in San Diego and Cabo San Lucas before flying back to Seattle — all on the same ticket.
2. American Airlines East Coast Hopper
For the East Coasters, the sample itinerary we’re calling the East Coast Hopper is a series of flights through American Airlines that’s priced from the Oneworld Award Tickets Chart. For 40,000 JAL Mileage Bank miles, you can depart Chicago-O’Hare to your first stopover in…