American Airlines is making some additional changes at Tokyo-Narita. Now, not only is the carrier reducing flights to the airport, but American is also set to close the Admirals Club at Narita.

American closing down Narita Admirals Club

One Mile at a Time reports that the Dallas-based carrier will shut down the Admirals Club at Narita as part of a broader pullback from Narita. This change will come after the new Haneda flights take off in March of 2020.

American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge
American Airlines operates Admirals Clubs around the world. Photo: American Airlines

Due to new slot allocations at Tokyo-Haneda in 2020, American Airlines will be moving some flights from Narita to Tokyo-Haneda. As such, American will only have one flight per day into Narita from Dallas. So, it makes sense for American to close down the club from a financial standpoint. Although, having a pretty empty lounge prior to a flight for those premium passengers flying to Dallas would have been a truly excellent experience.

American Airlines Admirals Club
Some of American's Admirals Club are closed. Photo: American Airlines

Will American open a new Admirals Club in Haneda?

As of now, the answer is no. For one, Haneda has other lounges for American Airlines passengers. Fellow oneworld member JAL operates lounges at both Tokyo-Haneda and Narita that will replace the Admirals Club for American's premium passengers. And, as a hub lounge, the JAL lounge is likely to be a much better experience than an Admirals Club at Haneda.

Japan Airlines A350
Japan Airlines, or JAL, has lounge options for American Airlines passengers in Tokyo. Photo: Airbus

Having an Admirals Club in Tokyo-Narita (or Haneda) does not give American much of a boost. Most passengers would be connecting onto a JAL flight and, through a premium cabin ticket and alliance elite benefits, passengers anyways would receive access to a JAL lounge. For Admirals Club members, however, this could be a little confusing. However, it appears that the JAL lounge in Narita will become an accessible lounge for Admirals Clubs members.

Admirals Club
While American Airlines won't have an Admirals Club in Narita, passengers who have Admirals Club memberships will receive access to the JAL lounge. Photo: American Airlines

Overall

American Airlines is capitalizing on the new Haneda slots as the carrier moves away operations from the farther Narita airport. Haneda, as it is closer to the city center, is a much more desirable airport for many business travelers. Not to mention, American will still be able to leverage connections on JAL out of Haneda.

American Airlines 787
Photo: Simple Flying

While some changes airlines make end up being detrimental towards the passenger experience, this is likely to be less of a nuisance. While it may cause some confusion at first, American will still offer a lounge option for premium passengers.

Are you upset that American is closing down the Admirals Club at Tokyo- Narita? Let us know in the comments!