This airline is exactly what I want in a business class flight. Don’t care about service, don’t care bout IFE, don’t care about food, dont care about lounge access, don’t care about boarding. All I care about is the seat. This is a slam dunk
I agree, although I do like having the premium lounges available if I have a long layover and want a private, quiet place to take a nap. Otherwise, the lie flat seat is the only thing I really care about.
While I love this and am ok with the trade off. Can't wait to try it next week. But saying you don't care is a bit extreme. Just had the caviar service on Qatar last week. Such an awesome experience that is ceratinly worth more than $0. Would I pay double? No. But the flight price was not much more for much longer flights on Qatar. To be fair, USA to Tokyo is very expensive in business and I paid about half on Zip. Not excited about Narita.
Forget everything else, that seat would mean everything to me on a long haul. Load a few things to watch on my mobile and a few snacks and I would be very happy (and horizontal). Excellent review.
I flew Zipair out of SJC last October and the flights were packed going both ways. I’m surprised to see it so empty in your video. The full flat product was exactly what I wanted and I hope other airlines follow this model. I don’t care about all the business class extras and just want to be comfortable.
I’m still confused as to why the flight I was on was so empty. Everyone else has said that their Zipair flights have been full. I guess I got lucky. 🤷🏼♂️😄
I’m a JAL frequent flyer card member. Learned about ZipAir in Jan. Saw a price of $209 from LAX > NRT one way ECN class. Booked that flight immediately just for the price. Had a row all to myself. Felt just like a normal JAL flight minus the amenities and in flight service.
I flew on zipair 4 times. 3 out of the 4 times, the plane was full. the 1 time the plane was near empty was a few weeks before cherry blossom season. also, recently ana and jal started lowering their prices for some SFO to NRT flights for non peak season. To the point where economy seats on JAL was within $100 rt of a Zipair flight. At those prices, I'd take the JAL flight. JAL at that point is cannabalizing itself as it owns Zipair.
Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for showing where the check in terminal is. My friend and I were at the airport and couldn’t find it but we found your video and you saved us SO much trouble, THANK YOU!!! And you’ve earned a subscriber
The changes Delta made last year to their Skymiles program made me question why I kept chasing elite status for over 20 years. It all started out innocently enough, I wanted to be able to reserve emergency row seats which were only available to elite members. Thanks to new low cost carriers like Norse, which you've reviewed, and Zipair, the decision to no longer chase status was made easier. My only fear is, like you said in both Norse and Zipair reviews, they may not be able to survive if load factors remain low.
I’m right there with you! I stopped chasing status around 2015 or so - now I just fly whatever is the most fun and or convenient. There’s a lot of great airlines out there, and I’m glad that we have these low-cost options such as Zipair and Norse. For now anyway. 😬
Took Zipair from San Jose to Narita. About a month ago and bought lie flats seat. All seats were booked even economy. It will depend on the season. They are VERY strict on the weight of your carry on and I didn’t realize you get 8 kilos more than the standard 7 kilos. You purchase your meal beforehand. All others are purchased via the app. Other than that, great way to get to Tokyo if you just want space to sleep. Bring your own blanket and especially pillow.(Zioair pillow is an inflatable piece of plastic.)
I think zipair is having a pretty significant impact on the tourism industry in Japan despite the low load factors shown here.. the low cost it has created for traveling to Japan is contributing to the large tourism boom. Along with the very favorable fx rates, this has made a trip to Japan much more attainable for many than it was in the past.
I love Zipair I’ve flown them probably 20 times now from sfo, san jose, Singapore, Bangkok, both full flat and economy and it’s always been great. The economy seats are empty a lot when I fly too so I hope they can survive because the price is amazing. It blows my mind people are paying 3 times this for other airlines for I guess better food 😂
20 times! That’s a lot more than I’ve heard anyone else do it. I’m surprised that you liked economy so much though - from what I saw, it looked really tight.
I appreciate the review, Scott. I’ve been interested in trying Zipair since Simply Aviation’s review of the airline. Thinking if I can find a cheap SWA flight from Iowa to the west coast, flying Zipair might be in my future soon. Hopefully, as you said, they are still around though.
I did the math a while ago for an economy seat on Zipair for the LAX-NRT route. American was also flying LAX-HND, and its prices were such that even if you purchased a single option from Zipair, it made sense to just book AA instead. The experience would not be as good as a Japanese full-service airline, but you'd still get way more than on Zipair. It only made sense if you were not planning to purchase a single option (which does constitute a large amount of travelers).
This is not business class, its lie flat. I fly business long haul. I get on, have a meal and SLEEP for 8hrs. I dont care about service when I am asleep! So I pay and upgrade with points to sleep lying down, and miss the service? This is great. Its cheap, pay for what you want, and lie down sleep. The money I save I can upgrade my hotel and omakase every dinner!!!
I would have liked to known how much the difference was between economy and business was for you. I was looking at Zipair as well from SFO to Japan for my honeymoon in September but had never heard of the airline before. I'm debating choosing United Airlines that includes one meal and 2 checked in bags for free vs. Zipair.
This airline offers tremendous value for families. Unfortunately, those of us with small children can’t use the full flat. Looking forward to trying them out!
@@ForeignBagelThe model is pretty successful. ANA too just this year started a subsidiary, Air Japan to get in on the medium haul and long haul low cost train. I wouldn’t bet on it going away anytime soon.
Took zip air (premium seat) from SIN to LA via Narita when it was first introduced. Really impressed. But recently I notice their fares went up significantly. The other issue is the lack of flexibility (tickets are almost nonrefundable).
Yes, I agree - the nonrefundable thing is a problem IMHO. I tried to take this flight last October, but I had to cancel. I didn’t get any of that money back. It’s all gone. 😫
This is basically what im after, economy service with a flat bed. China Airlines / southern/ Eastern are actually going good deals on business class seats, although just be carefull on flight times and lengthy transfers
ZIPAIR is great! For short hauls they offer great prices upgrades at the airport also, if you don’t mind taking a gamble on flying in economy if the flight is full. We paid ¥10,000 (US$65) from Seoul to Narita. They offer good prices for longer haul too but I wouldn’t want to take the risk of having to sit in economy for a longer flight so for longer trips we always just book in advance and the prices are still very reasonable. And a big bonus of no small kids 😂
My partner and I loved this option when flying to Tokyo from SFO and couldn't believe how affordable it was. Sure, it's not luxurious like JAL or ANA per se, but having so much personal space in that lie-flat was so clutch. We found the amenity kit add-on purchase not really worth the price (the pillow IMO is worthless) and would probably just bring our own blankets next time. The onboard snacks and food for purchase were so affordable and cheaper than eating in the airport! Generally though we didn't like the hot meals they had available for pre-purchase, but that's mostly due to us being vegetarian/pescetarian and having limited options. I hope this pricing model somehow survives for our next trip to Japan though!
Yeah, your experience definitely helped me to figure out my plan for this flight (pre-purchasing a meal, skip the amenity kit, etc). It’s always better when someone else goes first I guess. 😆
Hello, and thank you for this review. I wanted to ask how far advanced did you book your flight? I'm trying to book for May of 2025 from Los Angeles, but I see the days aren't available.
You’re very welcome! I booked about three months in advance. I’m not sure why they’re not showing availability for May 2025 though. That is surprising.
@@sanspotterI believe that the window side toilets behind business class where the ones that had them. The exact registration of the plane I flew on was JAB26J.
Having flown to Japan several times, that was fascinating! What struck me was that the "other" airlines seem to be charging thousands of dollars for the meals. I mean, that that's the only real difference right? So Zipair should offer the same meals as the others for an extra say $300. I bet they would make a profit on that. Zipair should just order the same meals the catering services sell to the other airlines.
Right now with the YEN so depreciated , Japanese flying abroad is an all time low post lock down. Even for Hawaii, the Japanese inbound tourism is only around 40-50% to normal numbers. Also when did you fly to do your review on the ZipAir? depending on the season, for the Japanese, it can also affect their travel patterns. Early May is Golden Week so if this was before or after golden week then the crowd is gone.
This was on April 30th - which was the start of Golden Week I guess. The LAX flight was sold out on this day though, so i hope the SFO flight being so empty was just a freak thing.
Great video Scott! I really enjoyed this one, Zipair's cabin lie-flat product certainly is INTERESTING... 🤔 Also, turbulence can still be very dangerous no matter how much you fly or are used to it it can still be fatal, so always wear that seatbelt! Not sure I'd try Zipair lie-flat as I don't care so much about having a lie-flat product but any flight on a Japanese carrier has to be good right? Also, at 3:44 Zipair is owned by JAL 🇯🇵 so I don't think they want their low-cost subsidiary Zipair to fail! 😆 Cheers 🥂 my friend what a great video I hope to fly to Japan on ANA, JAL or Zipair someday we shall see if I ever have the money to fly to anywhere in Asia or Japan 🇯🇵 🤑 -Caleb's Aviation
It was 1/4 (ish) the cost of ANA or JAL. 😆 Honestly though, I never like saying how much I paid for my flights in my reviews because it always brings out the trolls. As I’ve told others, the best way for you to determine if this is a good value or not is to compare it to the cost of other airlines for the day that you want to fly.
I'm shocked. The few times I went through the process of speccing out a ticket on Zip for this same flight it was always sold out. Having said that my schedule only allows me to travel to Japan in December/January and August/September.
Can you tell me where your carryon baggage is weighed and what happens if you buy bottles of water airside to carry on, which cause you to exceed the 7 kg.
if you use a soft bag like a duffle bag which is a little bigger than the definition of the size but it is soft enough to fit into their go-no-go cage, would it count as ok to use?
@SANspotter I have watched and commented on your reviews for a long time now. I think you're highly underrated when it comes to subs. It's only a matter of time before you explode. Or I'm just weird like you :D
Have you experienced a lot of turbulence consistently while flying to Japan? I've never been but that's what I've heard is expected, and I don't like turbulence either.
Honestly, I experienced much worse turbulence 10+ years ago coming from Asia back to the US. It seemed much worse back then. Maybe I’ve just been lucky recently…
I always expect the flight to get bumpy an hour before arriving at Narita, same thing with Seoul. Usually worse in the winter for some reason. I get my bathroom ritual done by then so I can remain buckled in in the last hour.
It looks like a good deal to me, I don’t normally care about the meals or snacks that much during a flight. Especially I can get so much great food in Tokyo later😅
A lot of people have asked this question - and I didn’t feel comfortable sharing it at first (because prices vary so much from flight to flight), but I paid about $1400(US).
@@sanspotter walmart sells travel pillows that are very comfortable. I've been using them since about 2015. You can sometimes find zipper pillow cases f Ifor them.
Nope. Only because I’m of the opinion that the price that I (or anyone else) pays doesn’t really matter. The only true way of determining whether you think it’s a good deal or not is to compare prices of Zipair and other airlines for the day that you want to fly. 👍🏻
Hi scott! @8:00 you mentioned you get to choose a meal for FREE as a "full flat passenger" i thought you had to pay for everything other than the full flat seat... thanks! just wondering
Good catch. To be honest I can’t remember if I paid for that or not lol. I went back and checked my receipt for the flight, and I don’t see anything in the list of fees about a meal.
@@sanspotter thanks for replying back, I made a reservation recently and had to pay for every single thing, up to the pillow and “blanket” that you needed lol even the advance seat reservation I had to pay for, but I did buy the package, I don’t think it saves me anything though just less hassle, great review and thanks again, happy and safe travels!
They have cheapest fare that allow you just have 7 or 8kg of hand carry luggage and seat only. They also have bundle fare for seats +1 check in bag of less than30kg and hand carry bags + 1 meal + free seat selection. They charge extra for extra food & drinks, extra services like priority check in or lounge access
I honestly think for the price It’s super worth it It’s more than 50% cheaper than the next airline that flies to Tokyo Everything is ala carte though Seat picking to checking baggage But even with all the added fees is still cheaper than Jal or Ana
Totally agreed. JAL and ANA can get really expensive during peak travel seasons. JAL is especially specially expensive out of my home airport (San Diego). Fingers crossed that Zipair will expand in the US!
I think Zipair is an interesting airline, they have a nice product and good planes. I hope they're around for a long time, (Also i loved seeing that Air France 777 when you were in the terminal).
Hi Scott it was not possible to reach via e-mail. So one suggestion to you. Justin and me flew on FRENCH BEE from LAX to Paris in premium class. (sorry including champagne and gourmet meal) USD 1300,- round trip. From Paris you can travel on SCNF to Germany high speed train. Fantastic. The flight LAX-ORLY-LAX was great .US carriers should learn from that. Think about it. Would love to hear from you. They also have services from San Francisco.
I’m actually surprised you liked French Bee. Doesn’t seem like your kind of airline. 😆 But yes, that is one that I’d definitely like to try. Glad you had such a good experience!
@@sanspotter Scott as long as they do serve me French champagne and a gourmet meal ..I say oui.....well service was top notch. Staff was FANTASTIQUE and for 1300 bucks you wont get a better seat from California to Europe and back in premium class. Plus try the SCNF train service . even in coach class it is really good. French Bee flies into Paris ORLY airport. Not CDG. Dont fly during the times of the olympic games. You`d pay at least 3 times more!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved the seat set up but can’t imagine not having a video screen. Good thing you spent most of the time sleeping in your comfortable flat seat. Great review as usual👍 😉
It is strange to me that, ZipAir can offer you a free meal to choose from but they can't offer an IFE in premium economy class. I don't understand that part.😕
Let’s just say it was the price of premium economy. The only true way of determining whether you think it’s a good deal or not is to compare prices of Zipair and other airlines for the day that you want to fly. 👍🏻
Of course I’m still going to test out those KLM seats, because there’s just no way of knowing whether or not a video screen will make it a completely different experience. 🤔😆
These will be cancelled soon. I did one in econ and it was not cheap. Base price includes NOTHING. If you carry one and check one bag, the additional fee will put you close to regular airlines. AA and AS often have slightly more expensive fare than ZIP base but include luggage and meals. Once the initial gush of people trying ZIP is done, they will realize the savings is not that much.
It takes a special kind of person to enjoy flying longhaul on a low cost carrier. Perhaps doing it in a lie flat seat would be worth it if one were to pay for the extras, but if I had a choice of flying a legacy carrier in premium economy or an economy with extra legroom, the legacy carrier would be a no brainer, which is why this flight was so empty. I'm venturing to guess that people have tried it and opted for the alternative. I'd be interested to know how Air Japan fares in comparison to ZipAir.
😂😂 fair enough 😂😂 Thanks for all the great content, will be sure take a moment from the SAN sky club next weekend and chuckle about all of the things you’ve said about your home base (not that JFK is anything to rave about…lol) Cheers dude, keep up the great work
Hi Scott! I can’t believe you didn’t pay for a blanket and pillow lol. Yeah, I could definitely do that lie flat seat. You would never catch me in any economy seat for that long of a flight. How much did you pay though? And yeah, that was a very empty flight. I wonder why? Thanks for another hilarious flight review!❤️✈️
Thanks! Yeah, I guess I wasn’t as tough as I thought I was. Paying for a blanket and pillow is the right move. 😆 I’m surprised that so many people want to know how much I paid for this. Unfortunately, I’ve learned never to talk price, because it always brings out the trolls (telling me that I got ripped off or whatever). To those people I say: you can check the price on the Zipair website. 🤓
Note to self: If i have to fly on a commercial plane for 10hrs, i will probably bring my own blanket onboard in advance just to avoid paying for one. 😅
you got everything wrong, is NOT business class, it's full flat seats, they are not offering a "premium" service, you can't compare JAL o ANA business class to ZIP air full flat seats, ia not the same product
I'm going to guess that cache of snack items cost you $40 at SFO! Lots to say about this one...SFO departures are among the most picturesque on the planet. After flying 1.5 million miles, I have to believe that you have a collection of old neck pillows at home...couldn't you have brought one? I think Zip is just using an ala carte business model and when you don't put anything on your "plate" then the experience looks really bare bones. Long term, I can't see it succeeding, but about 3 years ago, you flew on Breeze and I told you then that they would be gone in a year, but they're still here and growing, so I obviously know nothing about the airline world. But yeah, if they can't fill those DreamLiners consistently, they will be out of business very quickly.
Yeah it’s so hard to figure out these long haul low cost airlines. Some succeed, most fail - which seems to go against common sense IMHO. I’d think that most people would jump at the chance to save a little money in exchange for a simpler experience. Doesn’t seem to be the case! And yeah…that pile of stuff was almost $30. 😵😄
Load factor issue not looking promising. Obviously the legacy carriers are doing all they can to retain customer loyalty via frequent flyer programs--and it's working from the looks of it. Good report. Thanks!
Another great SanSpotter video. 5:27 I can only see 'shitball'. And that is an interesting one, considering the adjustments that are being made below the screen. 8:05 Or maybe it was meatball? Great flight, I am confused how it was not booked to the brim. Worrying.
Haha, yeah ‘shitball’ would have worked considering how turbulent I knew the departure was going to be. I think I was saying something clever about the seatbelt. Unfortunately I wasn’t clever enough to remember exactly what it was. 😄
Hi, so you are back in town? I have to admit I have never heard about carrier. Second having had a glance on that "meal"... I would be starving! And I am not a heavy eater. I am slim, not skinny, though... at my age of 66! I know you told me that this is a so called low-cost airline. OK.OK. But I would feel ashamed to serve that nice little nothing to my passenger. I know that you do not drink alcohol well, at least on flights. So no word from me here on that topic. Big "pros" here I do assume that the crew treated you in a courteous manner. Like on every Japanese airline. Plus seat looked quite decent I would say. I was shocked to perceive that extremely low loadfactor. They loose money on operations like that. Therefore keeping that in mind the crew could have offered you a blanket and some free snacks. I never get over this how low inflight service regulations in 2024 are. Yes low-cost. Thanks for video
You’re very welcome Claus! Yes, this was a fairly big trip to Asia (with many good flights), and I’m back home now trying to do something with all that content. Anyway - all good points. Time will tell if the low cost long-haul thing will work out though. Based on how many airlines struggle with this, it may not last. We’ll see.
This airline is exactly what I want in a business class flight. Don’t care about service, don’t care bout IFE, don’t care about food, dont care about lounge access, don’t care about boarding. All I care about is the seat. This is a slam dunk
smart you! I feel the same
and its cheaper than a full service airline economy
I agree, although I do like having the premium lounges available if I have a long layover and want a private, quiet place to take a nap. Otherwise, the lie flat seat is the only thing I really care about.
Same here. I just want safety, cleanliness, and a lie flat. Trying YVR-NRT later this fall.
While I love this and am ok with the trade off. Can't wait to try it next week. But saying you don't care is a bit extreme. Just had the caviar service on Qatar last week. Such an awesome experience that is ceratinly worth more than $0. Would I pay double? No. But the flight price was not much more for much longer flights on Qatar. To be fair, USA to Tokyo is very expensive in business and I paid about half on Zip. Not excited about Narita.
Forget everything else, that seat would mean everything to me on a long haul. Load a few things to watch on my mobile and a few snacks and I would be very happy (and horizontal). Excellent review.
Thanks, yeah, I tend to agree. The seat is the most important thing on a long flight (by far) as far as I’m concerned.
Yep this. I'm tempted to fly to Asia now
@@sanspotterno wonder their economy is crashing 😂
I'm a weirdo who loves watching airline reviews and you're the best reviewer bar none. Thanks so much for your content, Scott.
From one weirdo to another - Thanks so much! 😄
I second the emotion ✨️
I don't see that as weird. It's educational in its own sort of way.
I flew Zipair out of SJC last October and the flights were packed going both ways. I’m surprised to see it so empty in your video. The full flat product was exactly what I wanted and I hope other airlines follow this model. I don’t care about all the business class extras and just want to be comfortable.
I’m still confused as to why the flight I was on was so empty. Everyone else has said that their Zipair flights have been full. I guess I got lucky. 🤷🏼♂️😄
It was empty probably because it's the least popular tourist season for Japan, unless you love 95 F everyday.
I’m a JAL frequent flyer card member. Learned about ZipAir in Jan. Saw a price of $209 from LAX > NRT one way ECN class. Booked that flight immediately just for the price. Had a row all to myself. Felt just like a normal JAL flight minus the amenities and in flight service.
I flew on zipair 4 times. 3 out of the 4 times, the plane was full. the 1 time the plane was near empty was a few weeks before cherry blossom season. also, recently ana and jal started lowering their prices for some SFO to NRT flights for non peak season. To the point where economy seats on JAL was within $100 rt of a Zipair flight. At those prices, I'd take the JAL flight. JAL at that point is cannabalizing itself as it owns Zipair.
Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for showing where the check in terminal is. My friend and I were at the airport and couldn’t find it but we found your video and you saved us SO much trouble, THANK YOU!!! And you’ve earned a subscriber
The changes Delta made last year to their Skymiles program made me question why I kept chasing elite status for over 20 years. It all started out innocently enough, I wanted to be able to reserve emergency row seats which were only available to elite members. Thanks to new low cost carriers like Norse, which you've reviewed, and Zipair, the decision to no longer chase status was made easier. My only fear is, like you said in both Norse and Zipair reviews, they may not be able to survive if load factors remain low.
I’m right there with you! I stopped chasing status around 2015 or so - now I just fly whatever is the most fun and or convenient. There’s a lot of great airlines out there, and I’m glad that we have these low-cost options such as Zipair and Norse. For now anyway. 😬
Took Zipair from San Jose to Narita. About a month ago and bought lie flats seat. All seats were booked even economy. It will depend on the season. They are VERY strict on the weight of your carry on and I didn’t realize you get 8 kilos more than the standard 7 kilos. You purchase your meal beforehand. All others are purchased via the app. Other than that, great way to get to Tokyo if you just want space to sleep. Bring your own blanket and especially pillow.(Zioair pillow is an inflatable piece of plastic.)
Your voice is the best, so engaging...should do commercials!! We love your videos! Thanks
I flew twice with ZIPAIR from Narita to LAX and i would like to say this is the best low cost airlines....
I think zipair is having a pretty significant impact on the tourism industry in Japan despite the low load factors shown here.. the low cost it has created for traveling to Japan is contributing to the large tourism boom. Along with the very favorable fx rates, this has made a trip to Japan much more attainable for many than it was in the past.
I love Zipair I’ve flown them probably 20 times now from sfo, san jose, Singapore, Bangkok, both full flat and economy and it’s always been great. The economy seats are empty a lot when I fly too so I hope they can survive because the price is amazing. It blows my mind people are paying 3 times this for other airlines for I guess better food 😂
20 times! That’s a lot more than I’ve heard anyone else do it. I’m surprised that you liked economy so much though - from what I saw, it looked really tight.
I appreciate the review, Scott. I’ve been interested in trying Zipair since Simply Aviation’s review of the airline. Thinking if I can find a cheap SWA flight from Iowa to the west coast, flying Zipair might be in my future soon.
Hopefully, as you said, they are still around though.
You’re very welcome! Definitely do it if you can - it’s a neat airline.
I did the math a while ago for an economy seat on Zipair for the LAX-NRT route. American was also flying LAX-HND, and its prices were such that even if you purchased a single option from Zipair, it made sense to just book AA instead. The experience would not be as good as a Japanese full-service airline, but you'd still get way more than on Zipair. It only made sense if you were not planning to purchase a single option (which does constitute a large amount of travelers).
This is not business class, its lie flat. I fly business long haul. I get on, have a meal and SLEEP for 8hrs. I dont care about service when I am asleep! So I pay and upgrade with points to sleep lying down, and miss the service? This is great. Its cheap, pay for what you want, and lie down sleep. The money I save I can upgrade my hotel and omakase every dinner!!!
Zipair flies between Tokyo Narita, and Vancouver international Airport in Canada. It’s so popular that it’s sold out until the end of July.
That’s good to hear. Zipair deserves to live! 👍🏻
I’ve taken 4 round trips from sfo on zip. All my flights have been 70-100% full so far.
My daughter is flying Zip Air out of LAX in early June. I hope her experience is as good as yours.
I’m willing to bet that she’ll enjoy the experience very much!
I would have liked to known how much the difference was between economy and business was for you. I was looking at Zipair as well from SFO to Japan for my honeymoon in September but had never heard of the airline before. I'm debating choosing United Airlines that includes one meal and 2 checked in bags for free vs. Zipair.
Wow I would love this! I hope they stick around for when I’m ready to head to Japan
Everything I’ve heard tells me that they’re doing OK. They should be around for a while!
This airline offers tremendous value for families. Unfortunately, those of us with small children can’t use the full flat. Looking forward to trying them out!
Zip to it on ZIPAIR🛫 Awesome flight review there SANspotter👍 That economy cabin looks pretty much the same as Jetstrar
what an amazing price for this flight! I looked it up right away - so it seems pretty booked up this year - maybe next year! Thanks for the video!
Yeah, it’s a pretty good value most of the time (as long as you don’t mind the lack of a video screen and limited meal options).
I liked flying zip air last year. Definitely was full up both directions LAX-Narita So weird to see it so empty in your video!
Maybe they do better at LAX. I wanted to fly out of LA but the full flat cabin was sold out.
@@sanspotter could be because they also serve San Jose as well? If it weren't for JAL keeping it on life support the airline would have folded already
@@ForeignBagelThe model is pretty successful. ANA too just this year started a subsidiary, Air Japan to get in on the medium haul and long haul low cost train. I wouldn’t bet on it going away anytime soon.
Just curious how would whole thing be sustainable if the econ cabin was not filled up on such long block hours flight🤔🤔
Good question! Perhaps they’re making a lot of money from cargo and premium passengers, so it doesn’t really matter if economy is full or not.
@@Jay-Ward Hence running an airline business is literally where you need spend big money before starting to make money
@@hamtairo This is Japan Airline(JAL) subsidiary.
Took zip air (premium seat) from SIN to LA via Narita when it was first introduced. Really impressed. But recently I notice their fares went up significantly. The other issue is the lack of flexibility (tickets are almost nonrefundable).
Yes, I agree - the nonrefundable thing is a problem IMHO. I tried to take this flight last October, but I had to cancel. I didn’t get any of that money back. It’s all gone. 😫
Flying the exact same flight and seat in august! Can't wait!
always appreciate the flight reviews... just flew the same flight about a week ago... load factor didnt see to be a problem.. only a few seats open..
Others have said the same, so hopefully this was just an anomaly. FWIW, I tried booking this out of LAX and it was sold out.
This is basically what im after, economy service with a flat bed. China Airlines / southern/ Eastern are actually going good deals on business class seats, although just be carefull on flight times and lengthy transfers
Fantastic video Scott, definitely giving Asian Norwegian vibes.
Thanks Ryan! “Asian Norwegian” is a good way of putting it. 😄
Great Video, We are Flying LayFlat in October for our Trip to Japan and I cannot wait to experience it.
Hello. If you don't mind me asking, what was the ticket price you paid for that month?
@@abnerguajardo250 For Roundtrip tickets for 2 people will all the Extras added Both ways, it was around $4,800 USD. Well Worth it, IMO
Thanks for the info + video!
You’re very welcome!
ZIPAIR is great! For short hauls they offer great prices upgrades at the airport also, if you don’t mind taking a gamble on flying in economy if the flight is full. We paid ¥10,000 (US$65) from Seoul to Narita. They offer good prices for longer haul too but I wouldn’t want to take the risk of having to sit in economy for a longer flight so for longer trips we always just book in advance and the prices are still very reasonable. And a big bonus of no small kids 😂
I hate lounges and no service can ever wow me. All I want and a good seat. Zip is for me.
My partner and I loved this option when flying to Tokyo from SFO and couldn't believe how affordable it was. Sure, it's not luxurious like JAL or ANA per se, but having so much personal space in that lie-flat was so clutch. We found the amenity kit add-on purchase not really worth the price (the pillow IMO is worthless) and would probably just bring our own blankets next time. The onboard snacks and food for purchase were so affordable and cheaper than eating in the airport! Generally though we didn't like the hot meals they had available for pre-purchase, but that's mostly due to us being vegetarian/pescetarian and having limited options. I hope this pricing model somehow survives for our next trip to Japan though!
Yeah, your experience definitely helped me to figure out my plan for this flight (pre-purchasing a meal, skip the amenity kit, etc). It’s always better when someone else goes first I guess. 😆
Nice video ‘lil spotty ! I was liking that hip hop beat.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello, and thank you for this review. I wanted to ask how far advanced did you book your flight? I'm trying to book for May of 2025 from Los Angeles, but I see the days aren't available.
You’re very welcome! I booked about three months in advance. I’m not sure why they’re not showing availability for May 2025 though. That is surprising.
Did you have to position your feet at a weird angle like on Singapore Airlines 777?
I would like to try Zip Air next time I go to Asia. Thanks for the review!
You’re very welcome! Gotta give them a try if you can. Well worth it!
I'm confused - some videos of ZipAir show washlet bathrooms, some say they don't - are there different trims?
I have flown zip air before and the have bidets in certain bathrooms on the planes.
Dang it! Can’t believe I missed that. Good excuse to try it again I guess. 😄
Haha
@@sanspotterI believe that the window side toilets behind business class where the ones that had them. The exact registration of the plane I flew on was JAB26J.
Which would you prefer; ANA premium economy or ZipAir lay flat? Thanks 😀
Zipair all the way! It’s hard to beat a fully lie flat seat IMHO.
@ thank you, I appreciate you.
Having flown to Japan several times, that was fascinating! What struck me was that the "other" airlines seem to be charging thousands of dollars for the meals. I mean, that that's the only real difference right? So Zipair should offer the same meals as the others for an extra say $300. I bet they would make a profit on that. Zipair should just order the same meals the catering services sell to the other airlines.
I suspect that they’re going to be raising prices as time goes on. It’s just too cheap right now IMHO.
Right now with the YEN so depreciated , Japanese flying abroad is an all time low post lock down. Even for Hawaii, the Japanese inbound tourism is only around 40-50% to normal numbers. Also when did you fly to do your review on the ZipAir? depending on the season, for the Japanese, it can also affect their travel patterns. Early May is Golden Week so if this was before or after golden week then the crowd is gone.
This was on April 30th - which was the start of Golden Week I guess. The LAX flight was sold out on this day though, so i hope the SFO flight being so empty was just a freak thing.
Great video Scott! I really enjoyed this one, Zipair's cabin lie-flat product certainly is INTERESTING... 🤔 Also, turbulence can still be very dangerous no matter how much you fly or are used to it it can still be fatal, so always wear that seatbelt! Not sure I'd try Zipair lie-flat as I don't care so much about having a lie-flat product but any flight on a Japanese carrier has to be good right? Also, at 3:44 Zipair is owned by JAL 🇯🇵 so I don't think they want their low-cost subsidiary Zipair to fail! 😆
Cheers 🥂 my friend what a great video I hope to fly to Japan on ANA, JAL or Zipair someday we shall see if I ever have the money to fly to anywhere in Asia or Japan 🇯🇵 🤑
-Caleb's Aviation
what was the cost? You didn't bother mentioning that other than to say it was about 1/4 the cost of ANA or JAL.
It was 1/4 (ish) the cost of ANA or JAL. 😆 Honestly though, I never like saying how much I paid for my flights in my reviews because it always brings out the trolls. As I’ve told others, the best way for you to determine if this is a good value or not is to compare it to the cost of other airlines for the day that you want to fly.
I'm shocked. The few times I went through the process of speccing out a ticket on Zip for this same flight it was always sold out. Having said that my schedule only allows me to travel to Japan in December/January and August/September.
Can you tell me where your carryon baggage is weighed and what happens if you buy bottles of water airside to carry on, which cause you to exceed the 7 kg.
They never weighed my carry-on bag. If it happens, it’ll be during the check-in process.
I Havent Experience A Low Cost Airlines Whit Full Flat Seat.Great Video And nfo
Thanks! Yup, Zipair is definitely worth trying.
if you use a soft bag like a duffle bag which is a little bigger than the definition of the size but it is soft enough to fit into their go-no-go cage, would it count as ok to use?
It’s ok if it fits!
Great flight.
It was pretty good!
@SANspotter I have watched and commented on your reviews for a long time now. I think you're highly underrated when it comes to subs. It's only a matter of time before you explode. Or I'm just weird like you :D
I’m flying end of November. Hopefully not too crowded 😮.
November is not a very busy time to Japan, so you may be in luck!
Have you experienced a lot of turbulence consistently while flying to Japan? I've never been but that's what I've heard is expected, and I don't like turbulence either.
Honestly, I experienced much worse turbulence 10+ years ago coming from Asia back to the US. It seemed much worse back then. Maybe I’ve just been lucky recently…
I always expect the flight to get bumpy an hour before arriving at Narita, same thing with Seoul. Usually worse in the winter for some reason. I get my bathroom ritual done by then so I can remain buckled in in the last hour.
So how much was the seat ?????
It looks like a good deal to me, I don’t normally care about the meals or snacks that much during a flight. Especially I can get so much great food in Tokyo later😅
Good point. Sleep all the way to Tokyo and then gorge yourself on ramen and sushi (and curry) when you get there!
Hi, very interesting review and airline
Question, how tall are you? Were you comfortable laying down fully and sleeping? Thank you 🙏
I’m 5’-10” - no issues at all fully stretching out. 👍🏻
@@sanspotter that’s good. Thank you for responding!
What was the total cost sorry for all the questions
A lot of people have asked this question - and I didn’t feel comfortable sharing it at first (because prices vary so much from flight to flight), but I paid about $1400(US).
@SANspotter: will you test the new Alegris from Lufthansa?
Eventually!
Bring your own travel pillow and blankie. I always travel with travel pillow and a fleece throw.
That definitely would have come in handy on this flight!
@@sanspotter walmart sells travel pillows that are very comfortable. I've been using them since about 2015. You can sometimes find zipper pillow cases f Ifor them.
How tall are you? Were you able to stretch all the way out?
5’-10”. No problem stretching out all the way.
What is this website called? 0:54 I’ve recently seen a lot more TH-camrs in this area use it.
Those maps are from Mult.dev (a mobile app). 👍🏻
@@sanspotter thanks.
did you cover the price you paid?
Nope. Only because I’m of the opinion that the price that I (or anyone else) pays doesn’t really matter. The only true way of determining whether you think it’s a good deal or not is to compare prices of Zipair and other airlines for the day that you want to fly. 👍🏻
Hi scott! @8:00 you mentioned you get to choose a meal for FREE as a "full flat passenger" i thought you had to pay for everything other than the full flat seat... thanks! just wondering
Good catch. To be honest I can’t remember if I paid for that or not lol. I went back and checked my receipt for the flight, and I don’t see anything in the list of fees about a meal.
@@sanspotter thanks for replying back, I made a reservation recently and had to pay for every single thing, up to the pillow and “blanket” that you needed lol even the advance seat reservation I had to pay for, but I did buy the package, I don’t think it saves me anything though just less hassle, great review and thanks again, happy and safe travels!
They have cheapest fare that allow you just have 7 or 8kg of hand carry luggage and seat only.
They also have bundle fare for seats +1 check in bag of less than30kg and hand carry bags + 1 meal + free seat selection.
They charge extra for extra food & drinks, extra services like priority check in or lounge access
So they are a Japanese Southwest for long-haul with assigned seats… not bad….
And lie flat seats!
I honestly think for the price
It’s super worth it
It’s more than 50% cheaper than the next airline that flies to Tokyo
Everything is ala carte though
Seat picking to checking baggage
But even with all the added fees is still cheaper than Jal or Ana
Totally agreed. JAL and ANA can get really expensive during peak travel seasons. JAL is especially specially expensive out of my home airport (San Diego). Fingers crossed that Zipair will expand in the US!
Sad that they’re not doing well! Seems like a really nice airline
I think it depends on the route. I tried to book this via LAX and it was all sold out.
I tried installing the app how did you book
I just used the website (didn’t have any issues). 👍🏻
I think Zipair is an interesting airline, they have a nice product and good planes. I hope they're around for a long time, (Also i loved seeing that Air France 777 when you were in the terminal).
I hope they’re around for a long time as well! It was a really good experience. A little different- but good.
Really surprised how empty the plane was. Also, weird not having a video screen on long haul!
Probably would’ve been just as comfortable to take one of the empty rows back in economy class and stretch out!
They have system where you can stream their video/music thru their own wifi using your own devices/screen.
Hi Scott it was not possible to reach via e-mail.
So one suggestion to you.
Justin and me flew on FRENCH BEE from LAX to Paris in premium class. (sorry including champagne and gourmet meal) USD 1300,- round trip. From Paris you can travel on SCNF to Germany high speed train. Fantastic.
The flight LAX-ORLY-LAX was great .US carriers should learn from that.
Think about it. Would love to hear from you. They also have services from San Francisco.
I’m actually surprised you liked French Bee. Doesn’t seem like your kind of airline. 😆 But yes, that is one that I’d definitely like to try. Glad you had such a good experience!
@@sanspotter Scott as long as they do serve me French champagne and a gourmet meal ..I say oui.....well service was top notch. Staff was FANTASTIQUE and for 1300 bucks you wont get a better seat from California to Europe and back in premium class. Plus try the SCNF train service . even in coach class it is really good. French Bee flies into Paris ORLY airport. Not CDG. Dont fly during the times of the olympic games. You`d pay at least 3 times more!!!!!!!!!!!
When you add all the extras, it almost comes out as the same cost on a normal business class fare on JAL.
Yeah, you have to be careful. It adds up fast.
Loved the seat set up but can’t imagine not having a video screen. Good thing you spent most of the time sleeping in your comfortable flat seat. Great review as usual👍 😉
Thanks! I definitely would’ve slept more if I didn’t have to make a video though. 😆
Amazing video as always! What app are using at @9:10
Thanks! That’s the Flighty app.
Scott you’re back! I thought you’d disappeared off the face of the earth... 😢 #worried
I’m still here! I really gotta figure out how to make these videos simpler (so I can do more).
It is strange to me that, ZipAir can offer you a free meal to choose from but they can't offer an IFE in premium economy class. I don't understand that part.😕
At least the streaming in-flight entertainment was pretty good. I wasn’t even expecting that to be honest.
They had to save money some how.....
I'm wondering how much it cost for that flight?
my questions too
Let’s just say it was the price of premium economy. The only true way of determining whether you think it’s a good deal or not is to compare prices of Zipair and other airlines for the day that you want to fly. 👍🏻
4:47 these seats are the same as KLM 787-9 / 787-10 's too :) Minus the screen
Of course I’m still going to test out those KLM seats, because there’s just no way of knowing whether or not a video screen will make it a completely different experience. 🤔😆
Just subscribed you have an awesome video will you be flying zip air again
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. And yes! I enjoyed this quite a bit and I hope to do it again at some point.
These will be cancelled soon. I did one in econ and it was not cheap. Base price includes NOTHING. If you carry one and check one bag, the additional fee will put you close to regular airlines. AA and AS often have slightly more expensive fare than ZIP base but include luggage and meals. Once the initial gush of people trying ZIP is done, they will realize the savings is not that much.
I fear that by the time I'm hoping to go to Japan in the next year that JAL will decide it isn't working and will ax Zip Air.
I hope not! But history has shown that airlines within airlines don’t often last all that long.
It takes a special kind of person to enjoy flying longhaul on a low cost carrier. Perhaps doing it in a lie flat seat would be worth it if one were to pay for the extras, but if I had a choice of flying a legacy carrier in premium economy or an economy with extra legroom, the legacy carrier would be a no brainer, which is why this flight was so empty. I'm venturing to guess that people have tried it and opted for the alternative.
I'd be interested to know how Air Japan fares in comparison to ZipAir.
Yes Zip Air provide free internet thru out the flight whereby the other Full Service Airline charge so much.
Listen to youtube music is perfectly finr
I mean, I won’t need inflight entertainment if I will spend most of my hours sleeping on the flat bad.
Very true. That flatbed was nice!
Perhaps it was a good thing it wasn't provided on the flight. The IFE movies would have been in japanese as a low cost cutting measure. 😅 😊
Just bring your own mobile devices
Where you been Scott?!
Busy working on this Zipair video. 🧑🏼💻😆
😂😂 fair enough 😂😂
Thanks for all the great content, will be sure take a moment from the SAN sky club next weekend and chuckle about all of the things you’ve said about your home base (not that JFK is anything to rave about…lol)
Cheers dude, keep up the great work
Come on guys get San to 100k Subscriber. Ive been watchign him for 3 years now and still not there.
Thanks for the support! My videos are definitely an acquired taste. 😆
Hi Scott! I can’t believe you didn’t pay for a blanket and pillow lol. Yeah, I could definitely do that lie flat seat. You would never catch me in any economy seat for that long of a flight. How much did you pay though? And yeah, that was a very empty flight. I wonder why? Thanks for another hilarious flight review!❤️✈️
Thanks! Yeah, I guess I wasn’t as tough as I thought I was. Paying for a blanket and pillow is the right move. 😆 I’m surprised that so many people want to know how much I paid for this. Unfortunately, I’ve learned never to talk price, because it always brings out the trolls (telling me that I got ripped off or whatever). To those people I say: you can check the price on the Zipair website. 🤓
Note to self: If i have to fly on a commercial plane for 10hrs, i will probably bring my own blanket onboard in advance just to avoid paying for one. 😅
Nice experience
Yes it was - I hope to do it again someday.
you got everything wrong, is NOT business class, it's full flat seats, they are not offering a "premium" service, you can't compare JAL o ANA business class to ZIP air full flat seats, ia not the same product
Ok.
I dont need a screen, my edibles will keep me entertained all the way 😬
II rather buy a fully decked out ipad and pay for 1 year of netflix and still be cheaper than 1 business class ticket to tokyo. yeah sign me up
I need the other airlines to sit up and take notice. Like some here, i just want comfort. I could not care less about entertainment and blankets.
It’s an interesting concept for sure. Can’t believe that it took this long for an airline to try it.
I'm going to guess that cache of snack items cost you $40 at SFO! Lots to say about this one...SFO departures are among the most picturesque on the planet. After flying 1.5 million miles, I have to believe that you have a collection of old neck pillows at home...couldn't you have brought one? I think Zip is just using an ala carte business model and when you don't put anything on your "plate" then the experience looks really bare bones. Long term, I can't see it succeeding, but about 3 years ago, you flew on Breeze and I told you then that they would be gone in a year, but they're still here and growing, so I obviously know nothing about the airline world. But yeah, if they can't fill those DreamLiners consistently, they will be out of business very quickly.
Yeah it’s so hard to figure out these long haul low cost airlines. Some succeed, most fail - which seems to go against common sense IMHO. I’d think that most people would jump at the chance to save a little money in exchange for a simpler experience. Doesn’t seem to be the case! And yeah…that pile of stuff was almost $30. 😵😄
Load factor issue not looking promising. Obviously the legacy carriers are doing all they can to retain customer loyalty via frequent flyer programs--and it's working from the looks of it.
Good report. Thanks!
Thanks! Yeah, I haven’t heard reports of low load factors across the board for Zipair, so hopefully this was just an anomaly.
ZIPAIR is the LCC subsidiary of JAL
I can’t believe I didn’t know this. I really thought it was an all new startup.
Another great SanSpotter video.
5:27 I can only see 'shitball'. And that is an interesting one, considering the adjustments that are being made below the screen.
8:05 Or maybe it was meatball?
Great flight, I am confused how it was not booked to the brim. Worrying.
Haha, yeah ‘shitball’ would have worked considering how turbulent I knew the departure was going to be. I think I was saying something clever about the seatbelt. Unfortunately I wasn’t clever enough to remember exactly what it was. 😄
@@sanspotter Seatbelt… very probably. Probably more probably than shitball. Props for leaving it in 😁
Surprised he doesn’t seem to know zip is a subsidiary of JAL, who leases their old jets to them.
Interesting - I didn’t know that! I assumed they were completely independent.
Yup, Zipair is the wholly owned low-cost subsidiary of JAL, and Air Japan is the low-cost equivalent for ANA
Hi, so you are back in town?
I have to admit I have never heard about carrier.
Second having had a glance on that "meal"... I would be starving! And I am not a heavy eater. I am slim, not skinny, though... at my age of 66!
I know you told me that this is a so called low-cost airline. OK.OK.
But I would feel ashamed to serve that nice little nothing to my passenger.
I know that you do not drink alcohol well, at least on flights. So no word from me here on that topic.
Big "pros" here I do assume that the crew treated you in a courteous manner. Like on every Japanese airline.
Plus seat looked quite decent I would say.
I was shocked to perceive that extremely low loadfactor. They loose money on operations like that.
Therefore keeping that in mind the crew could have offered you a blanket and some free snacks.
I never get over this how low inflight service regulations in 2024 are.
Yes low-cost. Thanks for video
You’re very welcome Claus! Yes, this was a fairly big trip to Asia (with many good flights), and I’m back home now trying to do something with all that content. Anyway - all good points. Time will tell if the low cost long-haul thing will work out though. Based on how many airlines struggle with this, it may not last. We’ll see.