The 12 Best Ways To Fly Business Class to Asia on Points

North Americans are spoiled with choice when it comes to flying across the Pacific Ocean. Some of the world’s best airlines are based in Asia, and fortunately, many offer direct flights to destinations across Canada and the United States.
What are the best airlines to get you across the Pacific? Which points currencies should you be focusing on? What are the availability patterns like, and how far in advance should you book?
In alphabetical order, let’s look at the 12 top-choice airlines for booking transpacific flights in a lie-flat seat with a reasonable number of points and minimal out-of-pocket expenses.
1. Air Canada
Air Canada serves many Asian hub cities, and it continues to add new routes and restore previously suspended ones. There are direct flights to Bangkok, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Mumbai, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo (Haneda and Narita) from Montreal , Toronto , or Vancouver .
With Aeroplan , pricing for most of these flights is subject to the distance-based tiers on the “Between North America and Pacific zones” section of the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart. Destinations in India are subject to the “Between North America and Atlantic zones” section.

For Vancouver-based travellers, a direct flight to Tokyo or Osaka squeezes in at 4,701 miles and 4,942 miles, respectively, which is satisfyingly placed in the first distance band. This means that in theory, a direct flight in business class with Air Canada should cost as few as 55,000 points.
Fly Air Canada Signature Class to Asia
With the exception of the Vancouver–Singapore route, most others fall in the second distance band. In theory, this means that a seat in business class could cost as few as 75,000 points, while the others in the third distance band could cost  87,500 points.
The reality, however, is that you’ll be hard-pressed to find many seats available with these prices. In many cases, booking directly into business class will skew the price threefold or fourfold.
If you have status with Air Canada, one method to work around dynamic pricing is by employing the “Latitude Attitude” and using your Aeroplan Elite Status to your advantage.
By booking in a cheaper economy fare and using eUpgrades to upgrade to business class, it’s sometimes possible to bring the redemption cost back down to a much more palatable level when dynamic pricing is skewed the wrong way.

If you’re able to score business class seats with Air Canada at a reasonable price, you’ll benefit from direct flights to Asia, a consistent hard product, and a familiar soft product.
For some, direct flights take precedence over anything else, and since every single seat on Air Canada flights can be booked with points, you’ll always have options available.


Plus, Aeroplan points are fairly easy to come by, especially with one of the many co-branded credit cards available.




Aeroplan Credit Cards






Credit Card
Best Offer
Value












CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card


70,000 Aeroplan points

$599 annual fee


70,000 Aeroplan points
$399


Apply Now











TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card


Up to 40,000 Aeroplan points†

$139 annual fee


Up to 40,000 Aeroplan points†
$735


Apply Now











TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Card


Up to 20,000 Aeroplan points†

$89 annual fee


Up to 20,000 Aeroplan points†
$434


Apply Now











TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card


Up to 75,000 Aeroplan points†

$599 annual fee


Up to 75,000 Aeroplan points†
$714


Apply Now











CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card

CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card


Up to 60,000 Aeroplan points†

First Year Free


Up to 60,000 Aeroplan points†
$714


Apply Now











CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card

CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card


Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points†

First Year Free


Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points†
$609


Apply Now











CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Card

CIBC Aeroplan® Visa* Card


10,000 Aeroplan points†

$0 annual fee


10,000 Aeroplan points†
$210


Apply Now











American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card

American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card


Up to 100,000 Aeroplan points

$599 annual fee


Up to 100,000 Aeroplan points
$819


Apply Now











American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card


90,000 Aeroplan points

$599 annual fee


90,000 Aeroplan points
$611


Apply Now











American Express Aeroplan Card

American Express Aeroplan Card


45,000 Aeroplan points

$120 annual fee


45,000 Aeroplan points
$720


Apply Now








2. ANA
ANA has one of the best business class products that you can book with points, and the Japanese carrier should be one of the first places to look if you’d like to treat yourself to a world-class flight experience on your way to Asia.
ANA’s sole Canadian destination is Vancouver, while it also serves Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, New York JFK, Chicago, and Washington DC in the US.
In addition, a “wildcard” routing for residents of eastern Canadian cities could be to fly down to Mexico City first, and then hop onboard ANA’s Mexico City–Tokyo Narita daily service. Chilaquiles and chirashizushi in one trip – what’s not to love?
Fly ANA business class from North America to Tokyo for as few as 55,000 Aeroplan points
If booking with Aeroplan , both Seattle and Vancouver fall within the first distance band of the “Between North America and Pacific zones” chart.
A seat in business class on either of these routes would cost only 55,000 points, plus a modest amount of around $100 in taxes and fees .

From all other destinations, you can expect to pay  75,000 points for a direct flight in business class. If you’re connecting from other North American cities, be mindful of the distance flown, as it may bump you up to the third tier at 87,500 points.
However, it’s worth noting that there are some ongoing issues with ANA award availability through Aeroplan, so you may need to look to other programs for the time being.
Another great way to book ANA business class, and First Class for that matter, is with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club . Coming across Flying Club miles is a bit more involved than, say, Aeroplan, but the reward is well worth the effort.
In the US, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a 1:1 transfer partner with Amex US Membership Rewards , with the occasional transfer bonus , as well as Citi ThankYou Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards . You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at the optimal ratio of 60,000 points = 25,000 miles.




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Transferring Marriott Bonvoy Points into Airline Miles







A one-way flight between Western North America and Japan prices out at 45,000 miles, and from Eastern North America, 47,500 miles. 
Indeed, it doesn’t get much better than this for an excellent product, as long as you can find award space.
In terms of availability, ANA can be somewhat unpredictable. Generally speaking, they release award seats quite reliably at around 355 days prior to departure, but sometimes they’ll also release surprise batches of last-minute availability across all their North American destinations.
If you want to book ANA business class, be sure to search far in advance, consider taking a positioning flight to different airports if need be, and be open to booking something else and then potentially changing to ANA later on.
ANA operates Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 777 aircraft on these routes. For the 777, keep an eye out for the newer planes that offer an outstanding business class product, known as “The Room “.
Keep an eye out for ANA’s “The Room” business class on select routes
ANA’s other business class seat designs are cozy and private, while the top-notch Japanese food and highly attentive service will no doubt be the highlights.





ANA Flight Reviews









Video: 13 Hours in ANA New First Class "The Suite" - Tokyo to New York







Video: ANA Business Class, Vancouver to Tokyo (A Japanese Feast)







Review: ANA 777 New Business Class London to Tokyo







Review: ANA 787-8 Business Class Perth to Tokyo







Review: ANA Business Class Tokyo to Beijing







Review: ANA First Class Los Angeles to Tokyo











3. Asiana Airlines
If you’re looking to fly to Korea in comfort and style, count Asiana Airlines business class among your options for crossing the Pacific.
The Incheon-based airline doesn’t fly to Canada, but serves a good handful of US destinations, such as Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York JFK.
Excluding Honolulu, all US destinations fall within the second distance band of Aeroplan’s “Between North America and Pacific zones” chart. This means that a direct flight will cost 75,000 points in business class, plus a reasonable $74 in taxes and fees .

While it doesn’t leave much wiggle room, you can squeeze in a connection to other Asian hub cities and still remain under the second distance band. For example, flying from Seattle to Bangkok via Seoul will cost only  75,000 points.  

Award availability on Asiana tends to be quite favourable, and there are often two or even more seats available on the Seattle and Los Angeles routes at the beginning of the schedule. The New York route is certainly more popular among East Coast travellers, and therefore a little tougher to find space on.
While it may be wise to pick ANA , Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, and Japan Airlines over Asiana, if those options aren’t available, then the bibimbap dinner course onboard Asiana Airlines should be something of a treat as well.





It’s worth noting that Asiana and Korean Air are set to merge into a single entity. When this happens, Asiana will become a SkyTeam-member airline, and the availability with Star Alliance loyalty programs may change.
4. Cathay Pacific
Moving away from Aeroplan for a moment and into the domain of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan , American Airlines AAdvantage , British Airways Executive Club , and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles , Cathay Pacific business class can be a very comfortable way to fly to Asia. This is especially so if you’re looking to travel onwards to further points in South East Asia or beyond.
When booking Cathay Pacific business class flights, the only program with availability these days is Asia Miles. For the past few years, there hasn’t been any award availability for long-haul premium flights provided to other programs, and it’s unclear if this will ever change.
For Canadians, earning Asia Miles is relatively easy, as it’s a transfer partner of Amex Memberships Rewards at a transfer ratio of 1:0.75 and RBC Avion points at a 1:1 ratio. There’s also the Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® – powered by Neo for earning miles on daily spending.
In the US, Asia Miles is a transfer partner of Amex US Membership Rewards , Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Capital One Miles at a 1:1 ratio.
Redeeming Asia Miles for Cathay Pacific flights is subject to a distance-based award chart. 

At 6,392 miles, a one-way flight from San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Vancouver to Hong Kong in business class would cost 84,000 miles,  while flights from other North American destinations, including Chicago, New York, Toronto, and Boston, price out at 110,000 Asia Miles.



Fly Cathay Pacific business class from North America to Hong Kong



It’s worth noting that the award pricing with Asia Miles isn’t the most competitive. However, it remains the only viable way to book Cathay Pacific business class flights with points for now.
Some reviewers have pointed out that Cathay Pacific business class is slightly overhyped by the airline’s glowing reputation, but overall, the reverse herringbone seating and professional onboard service should make it one of the more enjoyable ways to fly to Asia.





Cathay Pacific Flight Reviews









Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong to Paris







Review: Cathay Pacific First Class New York to Hong Kong