Houston will soon be getting a new long haul airline, offering affordable flights across the Pacific…
Continue reading: Japan’s Quirky ZIPAIR Launching Tokyo To Houston Flights
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Since we’re talking about a Japanese airline, you can at least trust that the crew will be friendly
Think about all the countries or cultures where you cannot say the same. Those countries and cultures have a problem for the next generation to address. Friendliness should be table stakes. It’s a shame and a moral failing to be known as inhospitable.
given that UA tried w/o success to move their IAH-NRT flight to HND, this new flight is bound to reduce the economics of UA's own flight.
I think ZIPAir is a great concept. For me the most important thing about business is being able to have space and lie down. I have my own NC headphones and a laptop which goes everywhere with me so I don't mind downloading films (which I actually want to watch) for the journey. When you look at the cost of NH/UA on that sector at around >$5000... I am prepared to miss out on mediocre airline food and bedding and use the $4000 saving to stay in a top end luxury hotel for a real sleep and michelin starred restaurants for real food.
One thing to note is that most of the countries where you cannot say the same are in a progressive/liberal society, meanwhile where you can say the same are in conservative society.
Liberals don't give a damn or deny about this, but the current status of Japan or whatever they admire was only achievable because the LDP constructed a safe and stable society based on their conservative thoughts.
Liberalism ruined the Western world. The US is now a total sh*thole, and Europe is either already the same or becoming one.
May God protect Asia from hypocritic liberal agenda.
Would it be like taking a Shinkansen? Plenty of travelers just buy bento boxes and other nibbles from a convenience store right before their journey. As long as Wi-Fi is usable, clean seats and toilets, it actually wouldn't be that bad!
They do serve relatively different markets though: the UA flight serves corporate contracts, which ZipAir won't, and also leverages the UA hub at IAH, which ZipAir doesn't have access to
Given the popularity of their lie-flat product (it seems always sold out by departure time), you wonder if they should consider increasing the size of their business class cabin?
Of course hard to change cabin config, but that seems to be what's keeping their airline afloat?
Off topic, but today United announced 3 new routes from Tokyo/Narita - Kaohsiung ,Ulaanbaatar, and Koror!
https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125351
No changes, no refund.
I feel like an idiot for loving the USA now that I've learned it's a sh+th*le. What a rube I am.
There is something especially hilarious about someone saying "may God protect Asia" which, with the exception of a handful of countries, is overwhelmingly Buddhist, animist, or officially atheist. It makes me think that maybe someone doesn't have the greatest grasp on world culture.
"Since we’re talking about a Japanese airline, you can at least trust that the crew will be friendly"
Not friendly. Polite. There's a big difference, even though it may appear the same at the surface...
Live in your delusional world and keep lying to yourself. It's the free will you libs brag about, no?
There's a reason why Americans are simply inferior.
laughable of you to equate conservativism in Japan with conservatism in the US. this is a country that has universal healthcare, publicly subsidized higher education, and a near total ban on firearms for the general public. as a died in the wool progressive, i would gladly consider voting for a republican if they promised to deliver those things
people like you seem to forget that the worst places in the US for quality of life, healthcare, education, public safety, and drug usage are also the ones that have been continually ruled by conservatives. or is it somehow NYC's fault that life expectancy in Mississippi / Alabama / Louisiana / Tennessee is 5+ years lower than the national average?
Why do you play semantics? The US east coast is often described as "kind but not nice" while the west coast is "nice but not kind." The elaboration is that on the east coast, a motorist would stop to change your tire while cursing you out for being too stupid to do so on your own. On the west coast, a motorist would say oh you have a flat tire, that is so sad, and drive away without helping you.
Guess what? 99+ percent of the time your interactions with people in public are not of the type where you desperately need help. 99+ percent of interpersonal interactions are superficial, and it is widely accepted that those superficial interactions are much more pleasant, friendly, polite, well mannered, whatever you want to call it, in Japan.
It's also laughable that the US east coast is so stupid that they can't walk and chew gum at the same time: they can't help you and simultaneously maintain decorum.
As a frequent flyer on the SFO/SJC to NRT route I just love the ZIPAIR concept. I bring my own food, pillow and blanket (theirs in any case is very tatty). The ZIPAIR fully lie flat seat has one good feature which is 9ths can stretch your legs right away. No need to move your seat closer which you cannot do while take off! The biggest issue with ZIPAIR is you cannot get a refund regardless of reason. Still I would love it if there was a west cost version into Europe. Lie flat seats is all I need!
I think Mason needs to calm down and perhaps look at the facts instead. I'm currently living in Norway, a very liberal country, with high living standards and a substantially lower crime rate than America. We have high taxes which pay for free education and healthcare. The highest crime rates in the US are in the poorer, conservative, religious states run by Republicans. These states also have the highest numbers of mass shootings. No other liberal countries have mass shootings every other week. the majority of recent mass shootings have been by someone who has been radicalised by far right ideology.
Anyway, more to the point, how is any of this relevant when we are talking about a new airline route? Maybe stick to the topic next time.
How much do big 1.5-2L bottles of water and paper cups actually cost for the airline? I think at minimum this level of service should be included in the fare
US customer service is a commodity, and the overwhelming default is to get packaged fake friendly service versus genuinely nice hospitality. You notice this onboard US carriers where seniority is rewarded more than service performance, and in restaurants where people voluntarily pay extra for no added value.