Japan Airlines Airbus A350-1000 Routes & Flights

Japan Airlines is in the process of refreshing its long haul fleet, as the oneworld airline is gradually replacing its Boeing 777-300ERs with Airbus A350-1000s. Not only is the A350 a joy to fly in general, but these planes are particularly exciting, given that they feature an all-new passenger experience.

The A350-1000 is already in service on its first route. Now the airline has revealed the next few flights that will get this plane. While we don’t have an exact timeline, there’s an easy way to tell what Japan Airlines may be thinking, so let’s go over the details.

Let me emphasize that these A350-1000s are separate from the company’s A350-900s, which are exclusively used for domestic flights (and which have been in the news quite a bit).

Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 fleet progress

Japan Airlines has so far taken delivery of two Airbus A350-1000s, out of the 13 that the airline has on order:

• The first A350-1000 has the registration code JA01WJ, and operated its delivery flight from Toulouse (TLS) to Tokyo (HND) on December 14, 2023
• The second A350-1000 has the registration code JA02WJ, and operated its delivery flight on January 13, 2024

Japan Arlines is taking delivery of these jets progressively, and all 13 A350-1000s aren’t expected to join the oneworld carrier’s fleet until 2028, at which point the Boeing 777-300ERs will be retired. We don’t have an exact schedule for what deliveries will look like, but it’s expected that additional planes will join Japan Airlines’ fleet in 2024.

Japan Airlines’ current A350-1000 routes & flights

Japan Airlines is now flying the Airbus A350-1000 daily between Tokyo (HND) and New York (JFK). The airline operates two daily frequencies in the market, and the following frequency is the one to currently features this special jet:

JL6 Tokyo to New York departing 11:05AM arriving 10:50AM
JL5 New York to Tokyo departing 1:45PM arriving 5:15PM (+1 day)

Japan Airlines’ future A350-1000 routes & flights

Japan Airlines plans to next fly the Airbus A350-1000 on the following flights:

• Japan Airlines’ second A350-1000 route will be between Tokyo (HND) and Dallas (DFW), for frequencies JL11/12
• Japan Airlines’ third A350-1000 route will be the second daily flight between Tokyo (HND) and New York (JFK), for frequencies JL3/4
• Japan Airlines’ fourth A350-1000 route will be between Tokyo (HDN) and London (LHR), for frequencies JL43/44

Japan Airlines has announced no A350-1000 launch dates for the above route, though the airline states that all of the above routes should start to see the A350-1000 during the fiscal year 2024, which runs through March 31, 2025.

Fortunately there is a way we can guess what Japan Airlines is thinking in terms of timing, and it’s the same way we were able to estimate when Japan Airlines launched its first A350 route (and that allowed me to speculatively book a ticket).

Specifically, when Japan Airlines transitions from the 777-300ER to the A350-1000, the airline goes from eight first class seats to six first class seats. So even ahead of formally changing the plane on a particular route, Japan Airlines seems to tentatively start restricting first class inventory to six seats, so that it doesn’t oversell the cabin.

Well, Japan Airlines has started restricting first class availability on all of the above routes, as of the following dates:

• As of April 1, 2024, Japan Airlines is only selling up to six first class seats on the DFW flight
• As of May 1, 2024, Japan Airlines is only selling up to six first class seats on the second daily JFK flight
• As of October 1, 2024, Japan Airlines is only selling up to six first class seats on the LHR flight

Let me emphasize that there’s absolutely no guarantee that the airline will launch service in the above markets as of those dates. However, that timeline reflects what Japan Airlines clearly thinks is the earliest possible date on each of the above routes where we’ll see the new plane.

Now, I continue to think that the above timeline seems way too aggressive, and I can’t imagine all of the above frequencies would see the A350-1000 daily in that timeframe. That would require an absolute minimum of six frames, and possibly even seven or eight, depending on scheduling and spare aircraft.

I don’t believe Japan Airlines intends to take delivery of that many A350s so quickly, so only time will tell. However, as of now it’s the best guess that we have. If you want to redeem miles for this experience, see my guide to doing so.

It’s interesting what markets aren’t getting the plane

One thing I can’t help but point out is how noteworthy it is that both Los Angeles and San Francisco aren’t among the first several routes to get the A350-1000. That’s despite the fact that these are among the carrier’s shortest long haul routes, and the airline could even operate a daily roundtrip flight to San Francisco with one frame.

People often assume that Los Angeles and San Francisco are lucrative markets across the Pacific, because of tech and Hollywood. However, these are also very competitive markets, and yields across the Pacific from those airports can be tough. Japan Airlines hasn’t even consistently been offering first class to the West Coast in recent months.

Bottom line

Japan Airlines has put its Airbus A350-1000 into commercial service. The aircraft is initially flying daily between Tokyo and New York. The next destination to get the plane will be Dallas. Then after that, we can expect the second daily frequency to New York, followed by the London flight, to be the next routes to get the plane.

Officially we know that the goal is for these routes to get the A350-1000 by the end of the fiscal year 2024, but it seems like we may even see the A350 on some of these routes in the coming months.

What do you make of Japan Airlines’ Airbus A350-1000 routes?