American Airlines to Launch Service Between Chicago and East Asia

by Krish Patel

A fourth airline will soon be flying between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Tokyo, Japan. Joining the already existing flights offered by ANA, JAL, and United, American will relaunch service between ORD and Tokyo Narita (NRT). The new flight is part of a joint-venture agreement with OneWorld partner Japan Airlines. 

Starting March 27, 2027, American will start flying daily between Chicago and Tokyo, marking the end of a seven-year pause. From 2020, AA stopped serving Tokyo from O’Hare, but is bringing back the route next year using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. 

American will deploy its standard 787-9 aircraft on this route, which features 30 seats in Flagship Business, 21 Premium Economy recliners, and 234 Main Cabin seats (34 Main Cabin Extra). The 787-9s in the AA fleet have the B/E Aerospace Super Diamond Seat, which is a similar configuration onboard some of the airline’s Boeing 777-200ERs. 

Flagship Business on an American Airlines 777-200ER from Santiago SCL to Miami MIA

Besides serving an Asian destination from Chicago, this route offered by American will connect Japan Airlines’s network through a OneWorld partnership. Besides Narita, JAL serves over 10 destinations in Asia, which includes Delhi, Singapore, and Bangkok. American does not have an extensive route network in Asia compared to Delta and United (the latter is very extensive throughout Japan), so they heavily rely on partner airlines like JAL, Qatar, and Cathay Pacific for flights to and within the region. 

Japan Airlines already serves Tokyo (both HND and NRT) from Chicago, allowing American AAdvantage members to enjoy travel benefits when flying with JAL. Thanks to this new route, OneWorld frequent flyers will also have more options when traveling to Asia from the Midwestern United States.