American Airlines is finally bringing back one of its old-favorite international routes.
Starting March 27, 2027, the Fort Worth-based carrier will once again fly daily between Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Tokyo-Narita (NRT), ending a roughly seven-year hiatus after the airline last flew the route in January 2020. American announced the new service on Wednesday during an event at O'Hare.
American will fly the route daily using one of its older Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners with 305 seats: 30 in Flagship Business, 21 in premium economy, and 254 in economy.
The Boeing 787 is still one of the most comfortable aircraft flying long-haul routes today, but these older Dreamliners feature American's previous-generation business class and premium economy cabins. They're perfectly solid, though it would have been exciting to see the airline deploy one of its new premium-heavy 787-9P aircraft featuring Flagship Suites instead.
The new flight further strengthens American's joint venture with its Oneworld alliance partner, Japan Airlines (JAL), which already flies daily between Chicago and both Tokyo-Narita (NRT) and Tokyo-Haneda (HND).
When American's flight begins next spring, it will become the sixth daily nonstop between Chicago and Tokyo, joining JAL's two daily flights, two daily flights from All Nippon Airways (ANA), and United's daily service to Haneda.
According to Cirium schedules, only Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) will offer more nonstop flights to Tokyo from North America next spring, with 12 and seven daily departures, respectively. Chicago will edge out New York (JFK), while surpassing Seattle (SEA) and Vancouver (YVR), each of which will have four daily nonstop flights to Tokyo.
The Chicago flight joins American's existing Tokyo service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), and New York (JFK). Both Dallas and Los Angeles already see twice-daily American flights to Japan, while New York has one daily flight. Among those hubs, only Dallas also offers nonstop service to Narita.
While restoring a route like this might not sound like headline news, it's another sign American is trying to rebuild its long-haul network after spending much of the post-pandemic travel boom on the sidelines. As Delta and United added flashy new international destinations over the last several years, American has been constrained by a shortage of widebody aircraft after retiring part of its long-haul fleet during the pandemic – a problem exasperated by years of delivery delays from both Boeing and Airbus.
From a network perspective, the new route is an easy fit. American can funnel travelers from across the Midwest through Chicago while leaning on Japan Airlines' extensive network for onward connections throughout Asia. Likewise, travelers from across Asia will have another gateway into American's domestic network.
Still, this is a relatively conservative addition. Tokyo remains one of the world's most popular international destinations, but it's also one of the most competitive, especially from Chicago. For an airline that has spent years trailing Delta and United in international growth, it would have been intriguing to see American open an entirely new destination in Asia.
Instead, it's betting on a proven market while deepening its partnership with JAL.
Bottom Line
American Airlines is bringing back nonstop service between Chicago and Tokyo for the first time since early 2020.
The restored Chicago-to-Tokyo Narita route marks another step in the airline's gradual rebuilding of its international network after years of fleet constraints slowed long-haul growth. While it may not be the boldest addition to American's route map, it gives Chicago travelers another nonstop option to Japan and further strengthens the airline's partnership with Japan Airlines.
