Have miles? Good. Don’t Have miles? Good.
Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, or Vancouver to Tokyo – one of the world's most sought-after premium travel routes. But Business Class award space? Vanishingly rare nowadays. Nearly impossible to find, in fact.
And paying cash? Business Class will cost you $5,000-$8,000+.
I have a better way.
For solo travelers, couples, and flexible families alike.
THE OMAKASE APPROACH TO FLIGHT BOOKING
At an omakase sushi restaurant, you don't order. You trust. The chef serves you what's perfect right now – the tuna that arrived this morning, the uni at peak season, the sake that pairs with tonight's selections.
You're not choosing from what you want to be available. You're receiving what is available, at the moment of perfection.
Most travelers do the opposite with flights. They search for their exact dates, exact route, exact cabin on their exact airline – then wonder why nothing's available or everything costs a fortune.
The Iterative Upgrade Mindset works differently.
You understand that premium award space appears and disappears based on the airline's inventory reality, not your search preferences. You know that close-in availability often beats advance booking on hidden routes. You trust the timing rather than force the availability.
And just like omakase, when the conditions align – you get something spectacular.
THE BEAUTY OF PLAYING
THE AIRLINES' OWN GAME
Here's what makes this beautiful: You're using the airlines' own inventory management against them.
Airlines face an impossible equation. Empty premium seats generate zero revenue the second that door closes. But they can't advertise "desperate last-minute sales" without training everyone to wait for deals and angering passengers who paid full price three or nine months ago.
So what do some do on some routes? They quietly release award inventory close-in.
Today we're talking about All Nippon Airways' recent award availability patterns on multiple U.S.-Tokyo routes. ANA releases premium award space systematically in the final 21 days, and you can leverage this for extraordinary upgrades or massive savings.
Use This Strategy If:
- You're bags-packed ready for a spectacular and spontaneous premium trip departing within a week to four weeks
- You booked a ticket months ago and would love to upgrade quality while reducing cost
TOKYO PREMIUM CABINS:
WORLD-CLASS PRODUCT
Check this out. When was the last time you saw Business Class to Asia available using miles for less than 350,000 to 500,000 miles round-trip? Or for less than $4,800 to $8,800 if you’re paying in cash?
All of this is happening right now on All Nippon Airways flights from Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver.
And if you route through San Francisco on ANA's 777-300, you can book what the airline calls "The Room" – their industry-leading Business Class seat.
HAVE MILES? PERFECT.
DON'T HAVE MILES? PERFECT.
Here's where this gets interesting for everyone.
If you have ANA miles (or Amex points), perfect. You're ready to book.
If you don't have any miles? Also perfect. Simply buy them.
You can purchase American Express Membership Rewards points for approximately 2.5 cents each, then transfer them instantly to ANA. You only buy what you need. Let's break down what that actually costs.
Good news: ANA's award program prices Tokyo at only 100,000 miles round-trip in Business Class. That's $2,500 + about $400 in taxes.
Compare that to $6,000-$8,000 in cash.
Business Class on All Nippon – 100,000 Miles Round-trip:
Compare with Delta’s Business Class Cost - 8X to 9X More:
Let’s take a closer look at savings and upgrade cost potential.
WHAT KIND OF TICKET CAN YOU GET BY BUYING POINTS AT 2.5 CENTS EACH?
Flying from U.S. West Coast to/from Tokyo, the Buy Miles to Fly in Style strategy looks like this:
At the risk of being repetitive, that's:
1. Save $2,000+ on Business Class, or
4. Get an upgrade to Business Class from Premium Economy for only $430 more round-trip
Don't want to transfer points? You can also book ANA flights using United Mileage or Air Canada miles. Availability through partners is usually much more limited, but still worth checking if you’re flush with miles on those airlines, and yes, you can buy miles with those programs too and cheaply during their periodic sales.
THE DATA-DRIVEN TRAVELER'S 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 Tokyo data proves that patience and systematic checking beat panicked early booking every time.
WHY BE A LAST-MINUTE ITERATIVE UPGRADER?
You might be thinking, "Bennett, that sounds stressful – just let me book and be done with it."
But consider that the ticket you already purchased:
- Cost much more than you wanted to pay (in miles or cash), and/or
- Is in a lesser class of service than you want (Premium Economy when you'd love Business or First), and/or
- May not be on your ideal product (ANA's "The Room" is a game-changer), and/or
- May not be perfectly convenient (routing, dates, connections)
NOT FLYING FROM THESE FIVE CITIES?
That's not a problem. Think portfolio of options.
We're seeing close-in availability from Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver. That's five departure points. If you're not in these cities, position yourself there with a domestic connection. You can book it all on one ticket based on availability.
Even better: Route through San Francisco on the 777-300 to experience "The Room." Connect through SFO domestically, then fly ANA's flagship Business Class to Tokyo. Book it all as one award if possible.
Not flying to Tokyo?
ANA operates dozens of routes throughout Asia from Tokyo. Low-cost connections beyond Tokyo are readily available. Use Tokyo as your gateway to Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, and beyond. Buy separate tickets if ANA doesn’t have availability all on one booking.
THE CANCELLATION EQUATION
"But Bennett, you're telling me to change a ticket I booked months ago for an opportunity available a few weeks before departure. Won't I lose money on cancellation fees?"
Great question.
Nowadays, cash tickets can typically be canceled with full value applied to future tickets for little or no cost on most airlines for a year. Mileage tickets are often even easier to cancel. Check your fare rules in "manage reservation" or confirm with the airline.
In other words, with most programs, it's so inexpensive to change and improve your ticket that you shouldn't think twice about it.
HOW MANY SEATS ACTUALLY OPEN UP BEFORE DEPARTURE?
All Nippon does not offer award space for departures within 96 hours (four days). However, we've been monitoring Business Class to Tokyo routes closely, between 4 and 28 days from departure, and here's the data.
Each table shows seats available for solo travelers, couples, and families (4+ seats), organized by weeks before departure. Outbound flights first, return flights second.
You know I bring the data. Here it is for Business Class:
Seattle > Tokyo
Number of Days per Week Available
Tokyo > Seattle
Number of Days per Week Available
Los Angeles > Tokyo
Number of Days per Week Available
Tokyo > Los Angeles
Number of Days per Week Available
San Francisco > Tokyo
Number of Days per Week Available
Tokyo > San Francisco
Number of Days per Week Available
Vancouver > Tokyo
Number of Days per Week Available
Tokyo > Vancouver
Number of Days per Week Available
Chicago > Tokyo
Number of Days per Week Available
Tokyo > Chicago
Number of Days per Week Available
Remember, availability changes constantly. Use this for the purpose of a guide to quickly recognize patterns, and verify with your particulars.
MORE TIPS & THINGS TO REMEMBER
- Multiple cities =multiple chances: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver all show intermittent availability
- Mix & match cabins and routings and consider providing the kids with Premium Economy
- Route through SFO for "The Room": Book domestic connection + ANA 777-300 to Tokyo on one ticket
- Look at multiple dates: Availability varies by day – go where the deal is
ITERATIVE UPGRADE TACTICS: THE SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
- Book your baseline ticket (Premium Economy or higher) for peace of mind
- Mark your calendar for 21 days out
- Begin systematic checking at day 21, intensifying as departure approaches
- Execute your improvement when availability peaks
- Cancel your baseline ticket ONLY AFTER you have new ticket numbers confirmed
- Repeat if you find even better options
THE ITERATIVE UPGRADE ADVANTAGE IS YOUR UPGRADE INTELLIGENCE
You've already done the hard work – planned the trip, coordinated time off. Why settle for your first booking when systematic improvement is both possible and provable?
The omakase chef doesn't serve the same fish in January that he serves in June. He serves what's perfect now. Opportunity travelers do the same with premium cabin awards.
The airlines built their systems to extract maximum revenue from travelers who book early and never look back. But Iterative Upgrade travelers understand the game differently.
If you applied this mindset as a lifestyle, you'd consistently fly better for less while others pay premium prices, of fly in Premium Economy.
The Tokyo data doesn't just prove the theory – it gives you the exact playbook for one of the world's most desirable premium routes.
See you in "The Room."