Hello from Tokyo, as I’m in the middle of my current review trip! This trip just keeps getting more interesting, as I flew ZIPAIR’s Boeing 787-8 “Full Flat” business class on the short 1hr45min flight from Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita. For those not familiar, ZIPAIR is Japan Airlines’ ultra low cost subsidiary, which exclusively operates a fleet of Boeing 787s.
In this post I wanted to share my initial thoughts on the experience, and then I’ll have a full trip report soon.
ZIPAIR’s 787 business class is comfortable & basic
ZIPAIR is an ultra low cost carrier, so the airline includes very little with fares. What is unique about ZIPAIR is that the airline has a business class cabin with fully flat, reverse herringbone seats, referred to as “ZIP Full Flat.” The thing to understand is that this isn’t actually a separate class of service. Rather you’re just paying extra for the seat, and there are no other inclusions. There’s not even a curtain that’s closed between cabins.
Fortunately the premium for this product is shockingly reasonable. For example, for my flight, an economy ticket would have cost $177.75, while a reverse herringbone seat cost an extra ~$39.
ZIPAIR’s premium cabin is very comfortable. The reverse herringbones seats are well padded and spacious, and the cabin has 18 seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration.
Of course the immediate thing that stands out is the lack of personal televisions, as this is the first airline in the world to install reverse herringbone seats without personal entertainment. So instead, you’ll get a great view of the safety card for the entire flight!
Personal space is the greatest thing you can have on a plane, and in that sense, ZIPAIR offers phenomenal value, as basic as the product may be.
ZIPAIR’s free Wi-Fi, limited entertainment
While ZIPAIR might not have personal seat back entertainment, the airline does offer all passengers free Wi-Fi, and it worked reasonably well on my flight. It’s always funny to see the different approaches airlines take. On a full service airline you’ll typically pay for Wi-Fi, while on this ultra low cost carrier it’s free.
Given the choice between free Wi-Fi or seat back entertainment, I’d most definitely choose the former!
Now, ZIPAIR does offer streaming entertainment, but manage your expectations, as there were a total of 10 movies to choose from.
ZIPAIR’s inflight service is very limited
ZIPAIR fares include nothing in terms of food or drinks, so if you want anything, you have to order it. You can either place an order in advance, or you can place an order through the Wi-Fi portal on your device.
What’s interesting is that unlike on other ultra low cost carriers, the crew doesn’t come through the cabin with carts, trying to tempt people to buy anything. I’ve never been on a flight where the crew was as invisible. The extent of the service was them bringing people bags with their orders, and picking up trash once. That was it. Let me be clear — I’m not knocking them, that’s totally fine, it’s just that I’ve never experienced this service flow before.
I decided to live it up and get the full ZIPAIR experience, so I had pre-ordered quite a few things, and they were all brought to me in bags maybe 15 minutes after takeoff.
For example, I ordered the amenity kit, consisting of a blanket, an inflatable pillow, slippers, eyeshades, and earplugs, which cost $18.
I also ordered some white chocolate cookies, which will make a good gift back home, and which cost $6.
Then to eat on this flight, I ordered the sukeroku sushi set, which cost ~$10, plus a Coke Zero, which cost ~$3.
While this wasn’t close to a great business class experience, the value was phenomenal, and this was a perfectly edible meal for such a short flight.
Some other ZIPAIR musings
A couple of other random notes about ZIPAIR, which I can’t help but share. First of all, is there an airline startup with an uglier livery than ZIPAIR? I mean, this airline launched operations a few years ago, and the livery looks like it’s from decades ago. It almost looks like a retro livery. Now, in fairness, the airline used to have a more interesting tail design, but they had to change it because of Russia.
Next, as someone who loves airline boarding music, I appreciate how ZIPAIR has a dedicated boarding music track. The carrier’s boarding music is super fun, and that’s great for the carrier’s vibe (you can hear the music below, the ignore the talking — if anyone knows of a better track available online, please let me know).
Here’s the thing — the song is only 75 seconds long. I really enjoyed it the first time. Maybe even the second time. And the third time. But by the 12th time… well… it was a different story…
Bottom line
ZIPAIR offers a pleasant experience, and the carrier’s “Full Flat” business class product is an exceptional value. While it doesn’t come with any service, you get a huge amount of space for a small premium, and for many travelers, that’s going to be a good deal. While there’s no seat back entertainment, I’d say the free Wi-Fi makes up for that.
Now, I probably wouldn’t fly ZIPAIR again, and that’s simply because I have access to miles and points, so I can usually fly in a “real” premium cabin product at a great value. However, if I didn’t have access to miles, this is something that I’d book again in a heartbeat, because there’s value for money.
What do you make of ZIPAIR “Full Flat” business class?
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