Compare 16 loyalty programs for Chicago to Tokyo award flights, with economy seats from 31,000 points.
Chicago to Tokyo is a long-haul US–Japan corridor, and nonstop award space shows up on four carriers, including American Airlines and Japan Airlines. It's priced by 16 programs, and economy starts at 31,000 points on an American Airlines nonstop. Qatar Airways Privilege Club prices that seat lowest, so defaulting to American Airlines' own program can mean overpaying. This page compares every way to book ORD–NRT on points.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 American AirlinesAA | 31,000Lowest | 54,500Lowest | 119,000pts | 100,000pts |
 KLMKL | 33,000pts | 56,875pts | 115,000pts | Not available |
 Japan AirlinesJL | 35,000pts | Not available | Not available | 100,000pts |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 35,000pts | Not available | Not available | 185,000pts |
 Cathay PacificCX | 38,000pts | Not available | 115,000pts | Not available |
 Qatar AirwaysQR | 38,000pts | Not available | 200,000pts | Not available |
 DeltaDL | 39,375pts | 72,000pts | Not available | 213,200pts |
 Air FranceAF | 40,000pts | 65,000pts | 148,500pts | Not available |
 EmiratesEK | 40,000pts | 99,000pts | 110,000pts | 299,300pts |
 United AirlinesUA | 42,000pts | 65,000pts | 98,010Lowest | 85,000Lowest |
When award seats between Chicago and Tokyo price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 33,000 |
| Dec 2026 | 33,000 |
| Jan 2027 | 33,000 |
| Feb 2027 | 33,000 |
| Mar 2027 | 31,000 |
| Apr 2027 | 31,000 |
| May 2027 | 31,000 |
| Jun 2027 | 33,000 |
| Jul 2027 | 31,000 |
| Aug 2027 | 43,200 |
| Sep 2027 | 49,000 |
| Oct 2027 | 76,100 |
13 airlines with award seats between Chicago and Tokyo, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAA
Air CanadaAC
AeromexicoAMAlaska AirlinesAS
JetBlueB6Cathay PacificCXDeltaDLEmiratesEK
Etihad AirwaysEY
LufthansaLHQatar AirwaysQR
Turkish AirlinesTKUnited AirlinesUAWhat to know before booking Chicago to Tokyo with points.
About 6,260 miles, roughly 13h05 nonstop. Tokyo runs 14 hours ahead of Chicago (15 while Chicago is on standard time). The data runs November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for 12 months. Counting well-covered months only, March–May 2027 are among the cheapest, at 31,000 points, while November 2026, December 2026, and September 2027 (33,000–49,000) run higher.
Chicago to Tokyo is served by American Airlines, Air Canada, Air France and 25 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 16 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 31,000 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
At about 6,260 miles from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT), a nonstop runs roughly 13h05, give or take with the winds. The nonstop award space in the data is split across American Airlines, Japan Airlines, United Airlines, and ANA. Aircraft logged on those nonstops include the Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787-8, and Boeing 787-9. Expect mostly connecting results: only about 4% of the award options in the data are nonstop.
On a long-haul trip like Chicago–Tokyo, pick the cabin before the program. The cheapest economy seat is a partner award on an American Airlines nonstop, so the lowest price is also the quickest trip. The data doesn't include taxes on that seat, so confirm the cash portion at checkout. Premium economy runs about 1.8 times the economy price and business about double. Qatar Airways Privilege Club is a bank-points transfer partner, but transfers are one-way, so confirm the seat before moving anything.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club is cheapest in economy at 31,000 points on an American Airlines nonstop. American AAdvantage wins premium economy at 54,500 points. Avianca LifeMiles takes business class at 60,500 points. Air Canada Aeroplan's 85,000-point first-class fare connects; treat it as mixed-cabin until each segment's cabin checks out. The first-class routing changes airports in Toronto, from Pearson (YYZ) to Billy Bishop (YTZ), so allow transfer time.
The Chicago–Tokyo nonstop is contested on points, with carriers from oneworld (American Airlines, Japan Airlines) and Star Alliance (United Airlines, ANA) all showing award space. That gives partner currencies from both alliances a way onto a nonstop. Connecting awards near the price floor run through Seattle, Toronto, and Mexico City; they're the fallback when the nonstop is full. The lowest business-class award here is a Star Alliance partner booking: Air Canada seats through Avianca LifeMiles.
Arriving in the Tokyo area, Haneda (HND) has priced economy from 33,000 points across the tracked dates, above Narita, so it's a backup for when Narita space is gone. Haneda has nonstop flights from Chicago in the data too. Pricing the round trip? Tokyo to Chicago is tracked separately, and awards can price differently each way. If the destination is open, Chicago to Anchorage prices from 10,000 points at last check.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside Chicago to Tokyo.
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Common questions travelers ask about the Chicago to Tokyo route.
