Is ZIPAIR The Best Airline For Traveling To Japan?

ZIPAIR is a relatively new Japanese airline that was only founded in July 2018. Two years later, it commenced operations, primarily working as a cargo carrier during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ZIPAIR is based in Tokyo and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines. The company works hard to make travel (both international and within Japan) easy and affordable for all.

Is ZIPAIR The Best Airline For Traveling To Japan?

The fleet is made up of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Even since it opened to passenger use, ZIPAIR has been a popular option for people traveling to and from Japan from a number of major locations. 

However, since ZIPAIR is such a new airline, you might wonder how good it actually is. In this article, we will take a look at just how good this airline is so that you can compare it to lines like Delta and United.

By the end of it, you should have an idea of which airline will work best for you. 

What You Need To Know About ZIPAIR

ZIPAIR prides itself on competitive prices that will beat just about any other airline. So, when you are taking a look at prices, you can be sure that you will not be paying more than you are expecting to. 

The Cost Of ZIPAIR Flights

Prices will be different depending on routes. While fares given in this article are accurate at the time of writing, they are subject to change as time goes on.

As such, if you are planning on using ZIPAIR for travel in the future, we would suggest double-checking the official ZIPAIR website for up-to-date details. 

We can offer you some information regarding the fare. These prices reflect the base fare, as well as taxes and carrier-imposed fees. Information on this can be seen below:

  • Tokyo to Seoul – prices from ¥‎33,600/₩388,000 (full flat); ¥‎11,660/₩124,000 (standard); ¥‎5,600/₩64,000 (U6 standard)
  • Tokyo to Bangkok – prices from ¥‎53,000/฿15,750 (full flat); ¥‎17,000/฿4,950 (standard) ¥8,000/฿2,350  (U6 standard)
  • Tokyo to Singapore – prices from ¥‎53,660/S$701 (full flat); ¥‎18,660/S$247.30 (standard); ¥‎7,600/S$117 (U6 standard)
  • Tokyo to Honolulu – prices from ¥‎69,000/US $573.20 (full flat); ¥‎29,000/US 209.20 (standard); ¥‎15,000/US93.20 (U6 standard)
  • Tokyo to San Francisco – prices from ¥‎99,000/US 916.20 (full flat); ¥‎44,000/US 356.20 (standard); ¥‎18,000/US 122.20 (U6 standard)‎
  • Tokyo to San Jose – prices from ¥‎99,000/US 914.80 (full flat); ¥‎42,000/US 334.80 (standard); ¥‎18,000/US 120.80 (U6 standard)‎
  • Tokyo to Los Angeles – prices from ¥‎97,000/US 904.20 (full flat); ¥‎37,000/US 284.20 (standard); ¥‎18,000/US 120.20 (U6 standard)‎

PLEASE NOTE: there are additional fares and service fees for in-flight meals, assigned seats, and check-in baggage. The estimated charges for full flat and standard eats may change based on individual flight seat availability.

Is ZIPAIR The Best Airline For Travelling To Japan?

When asking yourself this question, there are a number of additional things to take into consideration besides the base fares of plane tickets.

We will take a look at some of the most important things that you are going to want to consider before buying a ticket with ZIPAIR or any other airline.

What Other Additional Fees Should You Be Aware Of?

If you looked closely above, you will have noticed that the aforementioned prices do not include any in-flight meals, check-in baggage, or assigned seats.

This means that there are going to be additional fees during your flight should you choose any of these things. 

While this is not unusual for airlines, you should be aware of it. Many airlines offer in-flight meals and drinks free of charge, especially for long flights.

However, we will mention that the above-average quality of ZIPAIR’s food does set it apart from the others. 

Is ZIPAIR The Best Airline For Traveling To Japan?

Is The Seating Comfortable? 

Since ZIPAIR is a reasonably new airline, everything is in pristine condition. Seats are 17 inches wide and 31 inches from front to back.

All seats have USB ports and universal sockets, as well as holders for electronic devices such as phones and tablets. 

ZIPAIR Business class offers “lie flat” seats, which allow travelers to lie down comfortably and get some rest on their long flights.

Although you pay extra for this, it is a small price compared to many other business-class airlines. You can also upgrade to these seats if there is enough space on the flight. 

Airlines like Delta also have great business-class setups. However, it would be difficult to find prices that are better than the ones that ZIPAIR offers.

Does ZIPAIR Offer Entertainment For its Passengers?

There are no TV screens or any other kind of physical entertainment on ZIPAIR flights. However, there is no need for these things as all the planes have free Wi-Fi!

Passengers can quickly and easily connect to this Wi-Fi in-flight and enjoy the benefits. This means that you can use your own devices to connect to the online flight entertainment system and get access to what you might expect.

This will include music and movies, just like you would see in a different airline like Delta.

You do not need to pay any extra to access the online flight entertainment system.

Since each seat comes with everything you might need to make your viewing more comfortable (USB ports and universal sockets), there is no need to worry any further.

This might be seen as a great decision since screens in airlines are often damaged and faded from use.

The majority of other airlines will have screens on the back of seats or somewhere similar for passengers to use. Whether this is a good thing or not will depend on you and your preferences, however. 

ZIPAIR Flight Routes And On-Time Arrival Rate

Since ZIPAIR is still a new airline, it can be difficult to comment on and give an effective number for its on-time arrival rate.

The most recent data shows that the airline has a rate of 93.85%. Other airlines such as Delta have an on-time arrival rate of 82.14, and United Airlines just 71.8%

So, while the data might look promising, it’s important to remember that things can easily change. This also does not mean that your journey with ZIPAIR will be smooth and trouble-free, as issues are always going to crop up.

Final Thoughts

It could be argued that ZIPAIR is the best airline for traveling to Japan thanks to its competitive and low prices. It is fantastic for international travel as well as in-country travel from various points in Japan. 

The airline has a high on-time arrival rate so far, but it’s still early days. Overall, ZIPAIR has a lot of good things to offer, including above-average food and great seating, especially for a budget airline.

The on-flight entertainment system is also a point to mention again, which allows travelers to use their own devices while connected to the Wi-Fi provided. 

Overall, ZIPAIR is a fantastic airline to use if you are flying to Japan (or from Japan) and would like to keep the cost down.