Houston will soon be getting a new long haul airline, offering affordable flights across the Pacific…
ZIPAIR adding Tokyo Narita to Houston route
Japanese low cost carrier, and Japan Airlines subsidiary, will be launching flights between Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Houston (IAH). Specifically, the service will launch as of March 4, 2025, and will operate 4x weekly, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with the following schedule:
ZG16 Tokyo Narita to Houston departing 10:00AM arriving 6:45AM
ZG15 Houston to Tokyo Narita departing 8:45AM arriving 1:50PM (+1 day)
The 6,643-mile flight is blocked at 11hr45min eastbound and 14hr5min westbound. The airline will use a Boeing 787-8 for the route, featuring 290 seats, including 18 flat beds, and 272 standard economy seats.
Flights on the route are already on sale. Economy fares seem to start at just over $300 one-way, while seats in the carrier’s fully flat product start at just over $1,300 one-way.
The Tokyo to Houston market is already served by both All Nippon Airways and United Airlines, which partner with one another. So clearly this is a way for rival Japan Airlines to enter the market, through its low cost carrier subsidiary. It’s an interesting way to compete, focusing on price sensitive customers.
Currently ZIPAIR’s destinations in the United States include Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO), on a year-round basis, and San Jose (SJC) on a seasonal basis. This will be the carrier’s longest route yet.
Flying with ZIPAIR is a unique experience
ZIPAIR is a fascinating little airline. The airline currently has eight Boeing 787-8s, with plans to grow the fleet by at least two more jets. The airline has acquired aircraft both through leases from Japan Airlines, as well as through other means.
I’ve reviewed ZIPAIR’s full flat product (sort of business class), and it was unlike anything I’ve experienced. The seats are pretty great, as they’re reverse herringbone, and in a 1-2-1 configuration. However, there’s no seat back entertainment, but rather there’s free Wi-Fi (which I’d consider to be a good tradeoff, personally).
What’s so interesting is the extent to which the product is unbundled. It’s not like a premium economy product on another airline, where some services are included. But rather you have to pay for everything individually, from a bottle of water, to a snack, to a pillow.
For those of us into miles & points, I tend to think that redeeming miles on a full service carrier is a better option. That being said, if you value a flat bed, don’t have miles, and don’t want to totally break the bank, ZIPAIR’s premium product is a solid value.
Bottom line
Japan Airlines’ low cost carrier, ZIPAIR, will be launching flights between Tokyo Narita and Houston using Boeing 787-8s. The service will operate 4x weekly, and will bring some competition in the market to the Star Alliance carriers.
The ZIPAIR experience is pretty no frills, but it can represent a great deal, and the free Wi-Fi helps with passing the time. Since we’re talking about a Japanese airline, you can at least trust that the crew will be friendly and plane will be clean.
What do you make of ZIPAIR’s Houston service?
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