American Resumes Nonstop Chicago-Tokyo Flights After 7-Year Gap

After a seven-year absence, American Airlines is flying nonstop between Chicago and Tokyo again — daily, starting March 27, 2027. Here’s what travelers need to know.

American Airlines will resume daily nonstop service between Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on March 27, 2027, ending a seven-year gap in the carrier’s transpacific schedule.

The announcement on Wednesday follows United Airlines’ move less than two months earlier to launch its own nonstop Chicago-Tokyo route, on Oct. 24, 2026 — putting United in the air on that route roughly five months before American. The Tokyo route will be American’s 11th long-haul destination from O’Hare and comes as the airline works to strengthen its Chicago hub during its 100th anniversary year, expanding its presence there as it competes with United’s own growth in the city.

American CEO Robert Isom traveled to O’Hare’s Terminal 3 to mark the announcement at the Hall of Flags, where the carrier also held a celebration for employees and members of the Chicagoland business community.

“American is proud to mark a new chapter in travel from Chicago with service to Tokyo,” Isom said. “Built on the strong foundation of our 100-year history in Chicago and an incredible partnership with Japan Airlines, this new service is a testament to our continued commitment to make our hub stronger, broaden choices for customers and keep Chicago competitive on the world stage. Coupled with our continued investments enhancing the customer experience from start to finish, American is incredibly excited for the future ahead.”

American last flew the Chicago-Tokyo route in January 2020, before the route was suspended. The airline said Tokyo remains one of Asia’s largest premium business and leisure travel markets.

The new service will fly on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in American’s standard configuration — not the carrier’s newer Flagship Suite-equipped 787-9s — with 285 total seats: 30 Flagship Business seats, 21 Premium Economy seats, 34 Main Cabin Extra seats and 200 Main Cabin seats. Flight AA153 will depart O’Hare at 12:35 p.m. and arrive in Narita at 3:30 p.m. the next day, a scheduled flight time of 12 hours and 55 minutes. The return flight, AA154, will depart Narita at 5:50 p.m. and land in Chicago at 4:20 p.m. the same day, a flight of 12 hours and 30 minutes. The route covers about 6,272 miles each way and will operate daily, year-round.

The new American flights will complement daily Chicago-Tokyo service already operated by Japan Airlines, American’s Pacific Joint Business partner, which launched its own nonstop O’Hare-Narita route on June 1, 2025. JAL also flies daily between O’Hare and Tokyo’s Haneda airport. American said its new flights are timed to connect with JAL service from Narita to destinations including Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei and Ho Chi Minh City. AAdvantage members will be able to earn miles and Loyalty Points on JAL flights, use systemwide upgrades between Chicago and Tokyo, and access lounge and baggage benefits for elite status holders. The American-JAL Pacific Joint Business agreement, which allows the airlines to coordinate transpacific operations, has been in place since April 1, 2011.

American’s Chicago hub is now the fastest-growing among the country’s legacy carriers, the airline has said. It added 100 new daily departures ahead of spring 2026, pushing peak daily departures at O’Hare past 500 — a 30% increase over the prior year — and has added more than 30 new destinations from the airport in recent years. American’s O’Hare hub ranks third in size behind its hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth and Charlotte, the airline has said.

Chicago city and business leaders welcomed the new route. Phil Clement, president and CEO of World Business Chicago, said the service would help drive the local economy.

“New nonstop service between Chicago and Tokyo is a significant economic development win and a powerful investment in our city’s global competitiveness,” Clement said. “Direct global connectivity is essential to attracting business, expanding trade, supporting tourism and creating jobs. American Airlines continues to be a strong partner in advancing Chicago’s growth, and this route will strengthen our ties to one of the world’s leading economic centers while creating new opportunities across Chicagoland.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also praised the announcement.

“Chicago is proud to celebrate American’s new flight to Tokyo-Narita,” Johnson said. “We look forward to welcoming more visitors from Japan to experience all that Chicago has to offer and to sharing in the richness of Japanese culture, while offering Chicagoans a new direct connection to explore Japan firsthand. These landmark investments at O’Hare International Airport reflect our continued commitment to growth as a premier global city and an international hub for travel and commerce.”

United’s competing Chicago-Tokyo service, announced in May, will fly a Boeing 787-8 and connect through Star Alliance partner ANA to 21 destinations across Asia. Once both carriers are flying alongside JAL, O’Hare will host up to five daily nonstop flights to Tokyo across three airlines. American and United also compete head-to-head on nonstop flights between O’Hare and Tokyo’s Haneda airport, where ANA flies as well.

Tickets for American’s new Chicago-Tokyo flights will be available for purchase on aa.com and through the American Airlines app.

Alongside the Tokyo announcement, American confirmed two new domestic routes from O’Hare: service to Charlottesville, Virginia, resuming in November after a previous suspension, and service to Ontario, California, resuming in December after last operating in 2021.

American has also been investing in its O’Hare facilities, including a new Admiral’s Club lounge spanning more than 10,000 square feet. The airline’s Flagship Suite seats — lie-flat seats with a privacy door that American says no other U.S. airline offers from Chicago — are currently available on O’Hare flights to London.

American, a founding member of the oneworld alliance, traces its roots to April 15, 1926, when a predecessor airline flew the first scheduled air mail route between Chicago and St. Louis. The carrier, which trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker AAL, now operates more than 6,000 daily flights to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries, employs about 130,000 people and serves more than 200 million customers a year, according to the airline.