ZIPAIR Revealed - Japan's no-frills budget airline: USA to Tokyo

I flew from San Jose to Tokyo Narita with ZIPAIR, the budget subsidiary of Japan Air Lines (JAL). This quirky budget airline offers lie flat business class seats, but with no service. Everything is sold in bundles and you've got to pay for everything. So, what's it really like?

0:00 Intro
0:50 SJC Airport
1:45 Arrival of our 787-8 Dreamliner
2:51 The Club @ SJC Lounge (PriorityPass access)
3:55 Betterhelp advert sponsor segment
5:58 Boarding ZIPAIR "business class" flat beds
6:52 Taxi and Takeoff
8:08 FREE wifi!
8:30 Fares and how to book (and how almost nothing is included!)
9:30 Seat review
10:23 ZIPAIR paid meal service
11:00 Buy on board overview
11:29 Loo review
12:12 Bed time plus amenities
13:13 Optional, paid-for second meal
14:04 Approach and landing into Tokyo Narita
14:48 Conclusions, thank you and goodbye!

Date of Travel: 7 SEP 2023
Airline: Zipair
Livery: Zipair standard livery
Route: SJC-NRT
Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Flight Number: ZG 29
Miles: 5,154
Airborne time: 11h 27m

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[undeuxtroiskid]

The pricing and variety of the on-board products for sale is really good. $4.70 USD for a beer and a pringles at 40, 000 feet is amazing value.

[WalkingEng]

More airlines should go this way. Better than premium economy. I tend not to care about all the meals, priority boarding etc, but do like a flat bed. Great video and looking forward to more in this series.

[anthonylamesa]

The free WiFi on ZipAir -- and clean bathrooms with bidets -- make the experience better than U.S. full-service carrier in economy, as long as you don't mind just getting a single meal. I could even stream YouTube videos without interruption.

[plumbst]

I actually like zipair besides the upfront price: free WiFi, good flight schedule, and no meals is actually better because I’d rather buy bento boxes at the train station to eat whenever I want on the flight. Nowadays I’ll try to fly with miles to Asia and go back to the US with zipair because the flight is shorter.

[laurenhw]

I really like idea of being able to properly recline and not having to pay business class prices. I'd definitely pay to be able to sleep properly. For me that's the only thing I think makes business class so desirable.

[chanchan]

Zip air Japan will be starting service to Vancouver in march next year

[SjWhit]

I'm pretty excited about this airline now. I live in Korea so it would be easy to get to Tokyo to try out a long haul flight on Zip. I fly business class but I often find myself never using the entertainment because I always have my very nice tablet and I generally like, but don't really care about the food. This airline is perfect for me.

[rjt]

I love the idea of a flat bed with no TV or distractions. I'd sleep the whole way for a change.

[dianeschroeder]

This is the most comprehensive video I have seen about ZipAir, and now that I know more about them, I would definitely fly them, especially for the price of that lie flat seat. Thanks for sharing Paul!❤️✈️

[danielintheantipodes]

Personally, I can happily get by with ordinary food. The seat is a different story! That one looked very comfortable for the price. Thank you for the video!

[angelinaramon]

I live in San Jose, CA and plan on going to Japan in a few months. After watching your video, I think I'll be taking Zipair flat business. You sold me.

[TheTravelingHatter]

You make a compelling case for ZipAir. I tend to avoid budget airlines, but ZipAir sounds like they make the price savings worth it

[johnp]

The plane livery has the be one of the best. It has a hint of old school paint jobs

[kietero]

Welcome to Japan, Paul! I flew ZipAir October of last year with end-of-pandemic happenings. I flew the regular seat but I got the entire row to myself. Passengers who didn't could get up and move (they had to be in their assigned seats for meals and head-count though). Luckily, my empty row was natural. First thing - the seat pitch was AMAZING for a "back of the bus" seat. Also, because i was alone in my row, I got lie-flat for no extra charge! The crews on both flights were amazing and I most certainly will fly them on the regular on my next trip back to the States! A truly 8/10 experience! Great vid, Paul!

[satosato]

I'm glad that you could spend your time in Japan.

[dragon]

I'm for sure attending the Expo 2025 in Osaka. Hopefully ZIPAIR is still around by then and I can get a cheap off-peak fare. And I don't mind paying for the extras, plus they offer bundles/packages online. Aisle seat is my preference for long haul since I like to drink water and alcohol...no bothering the neighbors to get up

[MiriamPrell]

Thanks for this comprehensive review of ZipAir. The best part of business class is the lie flat feature and comfort overall of course, and this airline seems to fit the bill. I like this airline’s no-frills approach, too — a “basic airline” with what appears to be reasonably-priced a la carte options coupled with understated, excellent service. My jaw dropped when you showed us the bidet feature in the bathroom though. As one with three Toto washlet bidets in my three-toilet home, this amenity sold me on booking my March 2025 one way for two 😂😂 from LAX to NRT. As a result, I’ve also subscribed to your channel and look forward to watching more of your videos. Thanks, again, Paul.

[bspep]

Thank you for posting this vid! I am doing SJC to Narita next month via Zipair's lie flats. Honestly looking forward to the flight experience.

[tammypearson]

Looking forward to your Japanese adventures! I too, have always wanted to go to Japan. Enjoy!

[RedKanuck]

Thanks for the review Paul. I visit Japan often and since Zipair have plans to start a route from Vancouver next year, I'm keen to give this one a try.