I’ve been fortunate to visit Japan numerous times and it’s always been magical — especially the small villages like Kinosaki Onsen. Well, there’s some great news coming because according to The Washington Post: “Japan is inching closer to a full reopening, with an announcement likely in the coming days.”
Another sign that they’re reopening is a new budget Japanese airline just announced a new route with an incredible sale, including their lie-flat business class seats.
ZIPAIR Tokyo announced it is launching flights between Tokyo Narita and Mineta San José International Airport on December 12. Reservations for the service just opened today and the carrier will offer a low inaugural fare to help drum up business for the new nonstop service between Japan and the Bay Area.
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ZIPAIR was established in 2018 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines. Offering complimentary Wi-Fi for all classes of travel, the carrier operates the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner configured in a 290-seat layout. One of the few international airlines to provide a contactless inflight experience, ZIPAIR`s self-ordering payment system is accessible to order meals and goods through a personal smartphone or tablet. Based out of Tokyo Narita, ZIPAIR currently operates to 5 international destinations, including Bangkok, Seoul, Honolulu, Singapore, and Los Angeles.
But in a few months, you can add San Jose, California to the list as they will initially offer three flights per week between Japan and Northern California. The flight schedules are subject to relevant government approvals. The flight schedule will be as follows:
December 12-December 13, 2022
ZG30 (Flight number): Departs Narita (NRT) at 16:00 (4pm) and arrives San Jose (SJC) at 8:00 (8am)
ZG29: Departs SJC at 10:00 (10am) and arrives NRT a day later at 14:30 (2:30pm)
January 2-March 11, 2023:
ZG30: Departs Narita (NRT) at 16:00 (4pm) and arrives San Jose (SJC) at 8:10 (8:10am)
ZG29: Departs SJC at 10:10 (10:10am) and arrives NRT a day later at 14:30 (2:30pm)
If you purchase by November 30 (or until supplies last) the introductory one-way coach fare is $229.80 and a roundtrip business fare is $1,615.
Airfare shown above are inclusive of taxes and applicable airport fees. Taxes for the Tokyo-Mineta San José route are converted at 144.45 yen per dollar. (As of September 14, 2022). Each fare includes a maximum of 7kg (15.4 pounds) of carry-on baggage allowance. Additional fees apply for optional services, including inflight meals, checked baggage, seat selection (including in business class).
Zipair is a terrible airline. They have so much fine print on their ticketing and have completely useless customer service. I’d avoid this airline at all costs.
I’m hearing that many Japan citizens don’t want their government to allow an influx of tourists.
Ever notice that the really good airlines NEVER have such sales? There is an obvious reason why…
I flew ZipAir from Tokyo to Los Angeles a month ago. They do nickel and dime you on things like luggage but it was still less than half the price for a ticket then what the other companies wanted.
The plane seemed new, the free meal was small and without extras though the extra snacks and such were very reasonably priced, and I had free (satellite quality) internet the whole trip.
600 bucks round trip is an absolute steal.
We flew from Narita to LAX last month and found Zipair to be surprisingly nice for a budget airline. Sure, baggage was expensive, but the plane was super clean and service very professional.
I live in Japan and want to thank ZipAir for offering a reasonable option.Had to fly home to LAX fora family emergency and was pleased to find Zipair price about half of other carriers.
Someone above mentioned free meal. There’s no free meal. You get nothing. No blanket, pillow, water, or even a plastic cup costs ¥10.
Be prepared and you’ll save. Otherwise you’ll pay a lot for extras. I brought a steak takeout dinner on I and a filtered water bottle to be safe! Free internet entertainment hub offers about 10 free movies to watch on your own device.
Rubbish airline, does not accept most American CC. It’s an inept system with absolutely NO CUSTOMER SERVICE at all.
At the airport there are no CUSTOMER service agents nor any Phineas number you can call, other than an on-line chat which is the most laughable and frustrating thing there is. I made a call to Malaysia which is their call center the call was $59.00 only to hear the same stupid scripted nonsense from that agent. The billing process is geared for the company to use Japanese credit cards. I know this for a fact, as I tried 5 different us CC’s non were accepted, but then I tried my Japanese CC and it was accepted….
Any way….dumb and dumber airline.
Zipair might be a cheap airline but they are the worst. Zero flight changes, no credits for cancelation, no customer service, and no reps anywhere including the airport. If you know 100% that SPECIFIC flight is the one you will take that’s fine. But any changes you can kiss your fare good bye.
I’m considering a Zipair flight to Tokyo but would like to go in April. As of now, it appears flights are only available through the end of March. Any idea if/when April flights will be available?
I would wait before booking that far ahead with a low-fare carrier. I would do it around 60 or less so you can get your money back from your credit card company if they go bankrupt