ZIPAIR has revealed that it will launch flights between Tokyo and San Francisco. Although the Japanese low-cost carrier has yet to announce a firm start date for the route, services are expected to begin in early summer. The Transpacific flights will connect ZIPAIR's hub at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) with San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and will be operated by the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
ZIPAIR will face stiff competition on the Tokyo - San Francisco route this summer in the form of Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, and United Airlines. Taking August 2023 as an example, all three carriers plan to fly twice daily between the two cities, with each airline connecting San Francisco to Narita and Haneda airports. According to data from Cirium, this equates to 1,415 seats per day in each direction.
San Francisco International Airport's director, Ivar C. Satero, celebrated the news of ZIPAIR's imminent arrival, saying,
"We are truly excited to welcome ZIPAIR service between SFO and Tokyo this summer. With this move, travelers can enjoy ZIPAIR's fantastic value and SFO's award-winning, world-class airport experience. We thank ZIPAIR for choosing SFO and are committed to making this new service a success."
ZIPAIR's growing international route network
San Francisco International Airport will be ZIPAIR's third destination in California. The airline began flying to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in December 2021 and just under one year later, launched services to San Jose International Airport (SJC). The flights now operate daily and five-weekly, respectively. ZIPAIR also connects Tokyo with Honolulu International Airport (HNL). Outside the US, ZIPAIR flies to Bangkok (BKK), Seoul (ICN), and Singapore (SIN).
All of the airline's flights are operated by the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, of which ZIPAIR currently has four in its fleet, with a further three on order. Each aircraft seats 290 passengers in a two-class configuration - 18 in business class and 272 in economy class. The Boeing 787-8s previously flew for ZIPAIR's parent company, Japan Airlines, and were passed to the low-cost subsidiary when it began operations in 2020.
If traveling through San Francisco International Airport, why not stop by Terminal 3 and say hello to the Wag Brigade?
Another new route - Tokyo to Manila
In addition to its new route to San Francisco, ZIPAIR also announced plans to launch flights to Manila (MNL) later this year, aiming to capture connecting traffic between the Philippines and the US. The carrier's president, Shingo Nishida, highlighted the rationale behind launching the two new services, saying,
"San Francisco has a very strong demand from both Japan and Asia, Manila is seeing an increase in traffic to and from Japan, and more and more people are heading from the Philippines to North America."
In a sign of his confidence in how the new routes may perform, Nishida said that the two new routes would become daily "as soon as possible."
Have you flown on ZIPAIR since the airline launched in 2020? Which route did you travel on, and how would you rate the service from the Japanese low-cost carrier? Share your experiences by commenting below.
Source: Aviation Wire, Cirium