A new 'basic' Japanese airline is launching flights between San Francisco and Tokyo starting at $325 one-way. See what it will be like onboard the Boeing 787 jets.
The carrier's first flight between Tokyo's Narita International Airport and San Francisco International Airport is scheduled for June 2.
Courtesy of ZIPAIR
Tickets are already available online and have a one-way starting price of $325 from San Francisco to Tokyo...
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...and of 35,000 Japanese yen — roughly $260 — from Tokyo to San Francisco.
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The $325 starting price is for the airline's standard value fare, not including airport charges, fees, and taxes.
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The $325 starting price does not include an in-flight meal and allows passengers a maximum of 15 pounds of carry-on baggage.
Zipair offers free WiFi to its passengers, but there are no TVs on the seats. Passengers can access the airline's onboard entertainment service through their own devices.
Courtesy of ZIPAIR
Zipair full-flat value fare starts at $885 per one-way ticket from San Francisco to Tokyo...
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... and 89,500 Japanese yen — around $670 — from Tokyo to San Francisco.
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Full-flat fare includes seats that are more spacious and secluded.
Courtesy of ZIPAIR
While the seats are wider, ZIPAIR's full-flat does not include perks like priority boarding or check-in, and passengers still have to pay extra for in-flight meals and extra baggage allowance.
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Zipair's San Francisco-Tokyo flights will connect the two cities five days per week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
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With the new announcement, San Francisco becomes the fourth city in the US to be served by Zipair.
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Zipair already connects Tokyo to Los Angeles...
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...San José Mineta International Airport...
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...and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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Zipair was founded in 2019. Its first flight took off October 2020.
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It is a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, one of the largest airlines in Japan and its national flag carrier.
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Zipair describes itself as a "basic" airline, "neither full-service nor a low-cost carrier."
Courtesy of ZIPAIR.
For the route, Zipair plans to use its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jets, which have 290 seats.
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Other airlines operating the Tokyo-San Francisco route include All Nippon Airlines, Japan Airlines, and United Airlines.
