The corridor between Los Angeles and Tokyo is one of the busiest transpacific flight routes in the region. Due to strong business ties, tourism, and cultural and personal connections, several airlines offer multiple daily flights. A significant diaspora of Japanese Americans in Southern California supports the number of airlines’ current capacity.
A popular air corridor between the United States and Japan
Seven different airlines serve this city pair, of which five fly the route with the Boeing 787. Before we understand the differences onboard the Boeing 787
, let’s look at the current competition features on the route.
Star Alliance
, 
oneworld
, and 
SkyTeam
all feature between LA and Tokyo, with carriers such as All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines (JAL), United, American, Delta, Zipair, and Singapore Airlines all enjoying a piece of the pie. An average of ten daily flights are shared between the airlines.
Seasonal variations play into the schedule here, with the most popular time of year to travel between June and August. Premium passengers have influenced airlines to consider their offering on the route, with the premium economy being one of the most popular cabin choices on this trans-Pacific route.
Over 467,000 Japanese Americans call California home
According to Statista, California has one of the largest Japanese communities outside of Japan, with over 467,000 residents. This has shaped the state’s Japanese cultural and social fabric. The first Japanese immigrants were recorded as early as the 1880s, with many arriving in the United States to help as laborers for agriculture and the development of the railways. Many settled in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Orange County.
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One of the United States’ busiest international airports is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), spread across nine terminals and 3,500 acres. With four parallel runways, the airport is a key transpacific hub.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo Haneda (HND)
Tokyo Haneda is 8.7 miles (14 kilometers) from Tokyo’s city center. With four runways, it is a popular choice as the closest airport in greater Tokyo to the city’s core. The airport can handle over 80 million passengers a year, making it one of the busiest in Asia. While Haneda primarily offers domestic services, international routes have continued to expand in the last decade. Below is the current schedule for March as per Flightradar24:
Airline
Flight number
From
To
Departure Time
Arrival Time
Equipment
Frequency
Delta
DL7
LAX
HND
11:05
15:05
Airbus A350-900
Daily
American Airlines
AA27
LAX
HND
10:55
15:05
Boeing 787-8
Daily
Japan Airlines (JAL)
JL15
LAX
HND
13:30
17:30
Boeing 777-300ER
Daily
United Airlines
UA39
LAX
HND
12:30
16:30
Boeing 787-10
Daily
American Airlines
AA169
LAX
HND
01:00
05:05
Boeing 787-8
Daily
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
NH105
LAX
HND
00:50
05:00
Boeing 787-8
Daily
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
NH125
LAX
HND
17:00
21:10
Boeing 787-8
Daily
The most popular aircraft type between Los Angeles and Tokyo Haneda is the Boeing 787-8, operated by 
American Airlines
and All Nippon Airways. United Airlines is the only other carrier operating the 787 family on the route, with the larger Boeing 787-10
. Japan Airlines operates another Boeing jet, the 777-300ER, which is the largest aircraft type on the route.
1:58
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Los Angeles to Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Narita (NRT) is the other main airport serving the greater Tokyo area. It is a major gateway for long-haul flights, and while it used to be the primary international hub, it now shares a number of international routes with its close rival, Haneda. Located in the Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo is 37 miles (60 kilometers) from central Tokyo and has two operational runways (a third is still under consultation). The airport can handle around 30 to 40 million passengers a year, with three terminals:
Terminal 1
Terminal 2
Terminal 3
Tokyo Narita was initially built in 1978 as an outlet for the overcrowding being experienced at Tokyo Handa. The airport has longer runways than Haneda, and with lower congestion, the airport has become popular for most international flights. Below are the current operators for March between Los Angeles and Tokyo Narita:
Airline
Flight number
From
To
Departure time
Arrival time
Equipment
Frequency / Notes
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
NH5
LAX
NRT
12:30
16:30
Boeing 787-9
Daily
Japan Airlines (JAL)
JL61
LAX
NRT
12:50
16:40
Boeing 787-9
Daily
Singapore Airlines
SQ11
LAX
NRT
13:45
17:40
Boeing 777-300ER
Daily (flight continues onto Singapore)
United Airlines
UA32
LAX
NRT
11:50
15:35
Boeing 787-9
Daily (flight number continues onto Cebu, this onward flight is operated by a United Airlines Boeing 737-800)
Zipair Tokyo
ZG23
LAX
NRT
10:35
14:25
Boeing 787-8
Daily
With all airlines operating daily services, the most popular aircraft family is, to no surprise, the Boeing 787. Singapore Airlines, which utilizes Narita as a stopover between Singapore and Los Angeles, is the only carrier in this analysis that operates the larger Boeing 777-300ER. All carriers above operate the route daily, providing abundant competition for those traveling between the two airports.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
What differentiates the two airports, specifically for All Nippon, is that it operates the Boeing 787-8 to Haneda, while the larger 787-9 is deployed on services to Narita. United Airlines operates the smaller -9 variant to Narita, compared to the 787-10 it deploys to the much closer Haneda.
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American Airlines’s 787-8 cabins
American’s 787-8s are configured with three classes onboard. Flagship Business allows all passengers to fully recline their seats into a fully flat bed. The layout is 1-2-1, allowing all passengers direct aisle access. Premium economy is available with a 2-3-2 configuration, providing travelers with more space than regular economy without the business class price tag. Features of premium economy include a 38-inch seat pitch, premium meals and drinks, and complimentary noise-canceling headphones.
The back of the aircraft offers Main Cabin Extra and Economy. The 3-3-3 configuration is the most common in this type of aircraft, with 31 inches of seat pitch and 17 inches of seat width. All seats include USB and power outlets, and passengers enjoy complimentary food and drinks onboard.
United Airlines’ 787-9 and 787-10 layouts
For United, its two different variants operating between Los Angeles and Tokyo allow the premium-heavy 787-9 to do the heavy lifting on services to Narita. The Boeing 787-10, which has fewer Polaris business seats, has more Economy Plus and Economy seats to serve the highly constrained Tokyo Haneda Airport. Both aircraft offer the below cabin types and total number of seats:
Cabin Class
Polaris Business
Premium Plus
Economy Plus
Economy
787-9
48
21
29
149
787-10
44
21
54
199
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All Nippon Airways’ 787-8 and 787-9 configurations
Both ANA variants offer Business, Premium, and economy class cabins. Focusing on Business, the 787-8 features the ‘cradle’ design, allowing passengers to recline back into their seats. The seat has a spacious 59-inch seat pitch and dividers between the seat next to you.
If you are traveling on the Boeing 787-9, business class is configured with a staggered design. Each seat has direct aisle access, an ottoman for storage and placing your feet, and a fully reclining seat.
Japan Airlines’ 787-9 setup
Japan Airlines deploys its Boeing 787-9 on flights between Los Angeles and Tokyo. JAL has three differently configured 787-9 layouts which can accommodate between 195 and 239 passengers. All three aircraft have three classes of service, including:
JAL Sky Suite (business class).
JAL Sky Premium (Premium economy class).
JAL Sky Wider (economy class).
Photo: Thiago B Trevisan | Shutterstock
All passengers enjoy Dreamliner technology to reduce jet lag, high-quality Japanese hospitality, and personal entertainment screens at their seats. Notably, the famous JAL First Class is absent on this aircraft, so first class passengers between Los Angeles and Tokyo must opt for the service offered on its Boeing 777 aircraft.
ZIPAIR’s 787-8s
A subsidiary of Japan Airlines, ZIPAIR is the only low-cost carrier operating this city pair. It deploys its 787-8 on the route while offering a minimalist experience for its passengers. The airline has two cabins of service, including Zip Full Flat (Business), which has a no-frills approach with no seat-back entertainment (bring your own device). Meals, drinks, and baggage are available at an additional cost.
Standard economy class continues the low-cost model, with a traditional 3-3-3 layout and no seat-back entertainment, and food, drinks, and baggage are available at an additional fee. Passengers are encouraged to pre-order meals when booking, and if you need to surf the web at 30,000 feet, you can purchase WiFi onboard. ZIPAIR Tokyo
is the perfect option for budget-conscious travelers with low fares compared to the other legacy carriers operating on the route.
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AloJapan.com