Airports
Miami will pitch Japan Airlines on a Tokyo nonstop this month, and may offer a revenue guarantee
Miami has no nonstop to Japan. The county will pitch JAL at two meetings in late October and is weighing a revenue guarantee.
By Patrick Karsh, Founder, Lounge Frog ·
Page updated October 2026.
Miami International Airport has wanted a nonstop flight to Japan for about 15 years. This month it is making a fresh push. According to Miami Today, the county's Aviation Department will present an updated business case for a Miami–Tokyo route to Japan Airlines in late October.
The meetings
Miami Today reports two chances to make the pitch:
- The Routes World conference in Frankfurt, October 21 to 23.
- The Southeast U.S./Japan Joint Meeting in Nashville, October 25 to 27.
The Aviation Department could also present at a separate meeting at JAL's headquarters. The pitch uses an updated route study that the department prepared.
The money on the table
The county is also looking at a minimum revenue guarantee. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's report to commissioners describes it as "guaranteeing the airline a specific predetermined amount of revenue" on a new route for an introductory period. No dollar amount or time frame has been published. Airports use deals like this to lower the risk for an airline trying a long, unproven route.
In the same report, quoted by One Mile at a Time, the mayor wrote that "direct flights from Miami would significantly enhance access to Japan and Northeast Asia." She added that "JAL has begun taking delivery of new long-haul aircraft capable of operating nonstop service between Tokyo and MIA." Miami Today says more of those planes are due over the next two to three years.
Aviation Director Ralph Cutié told Miami Today in April that he felt "fairly confident" the route would happen. He said the timing was not certain.
Why it has not happened yet
The flight would be very long. Miami is the farthest southeast of the big U.S. airports, and One Mile at a Time notes it would be JAL's longest route to the United States. A shortage of long-range planes has been the main obstacle, according to Miami Today. JAL's newer jets are meant to help with that.
Tokyo is one of four long-haul cities the county asked staff to study in 2025. The others were Singapore, Riyadh and Asunción, Paraguay. The mayor's report names Tokyo as the earliest of the four.
The airport is also thinking about freight. Miami Today says officials mentioned possible future cargo flights to Japan with Nippon Cargo Airlines. MIA is already a major cargo hub. Its cargo grew 13.6% in 2025, to nearly 3.5 million tons. Belly space on a passenger flight could help make the numbers work.
What it would mean for lounge access
Japan Airlines is a oneworld member, like American, Miami's biggest airline. A JAL flight would give oneworld elites another premium cabin out of Miami. JAL has not said which lounge it would use, but oneworld partners usually share lounges at a hub like this. You can see what is open at the airport today on our Miami International page.
For now, travelers from South Florida still connect through another hub to reach Japan. Keep an eye on schedule news after the late-October meetings.
My take
I would love a Miami–Tokyo nonstop, and a revenue guarantee shows the county is serious. Still, a pitch meeting is not a route. I would not plan a trip around it until JAL puts a date on sale.
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