Dallas — ZIPAIR Tokyo (ZG) has announced that it will offer flights between Tokyo Narita (NTR) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this summer.

From June 2nd to October 27th, ZIPAIR will operate five flights per week between NTR and SFO with the highly efficient Boeing 787-8.

San Francisco will be the airline’s third route across the Pacific, joining Los Angeles and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC).

Comments by SFO, ZIPAIR

“We are very excited to welcome the ZIPAIR service between SFO and Tokyo this summer,” said Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. “With this move, travelers can enjoy ZIPAIR’s fantastic value for money along with SFO’s award-winning, world-class airport experience. We thank ZIPAIR for choosing SFO and are committed to making this new service a success.”

“We are pleased to announce the launch of the San Francisco Tokyo Narita route, which will become our fourth gateway in the United States. Through our relationship with SFO, we are confident that this service will provide a valuable link for commercial and cultural exchange for our mutual customers,” said ZIPAIR President Shingo Nishida.

Featured image: ZG operates four Boeing 787-8s, with one more on order. Photo: ZIPAIR

When Japanese low-cost airline ZIPAIR Tokyo began direct flights from San Jose, California to the Japanese capital, BEN WANG was on board. Read his travelogue in our March 2023 issue.

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Japanese long-haul, low-cost airline ZIPAIR has announced plans to add San Francisco as its fourth US destination. The low-cost subsidiary of Japan Airlines plans to offer direct flights between Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this summer. However, an exact launch date has yet to be confirmed.

ZIPAIR launched non-stop services to nearby San Jose Airport in December. With the addition of San Francisco, the Japanese airline is strengthening its presence in the Bay Area – a key area for the Japanese market.

The airline plans to use a Boeing 787-8 to operate the 5,000+ mile route, which will have a total capacity of 290 passengers, including 18 fully reclining business class seats.

Photo: Courtesy of Boeing Global Services

“We are very excited to welcome the ZIPAIR service between SFO and Tokyo this summer,” said Ivar C. Satero, airport director at SFO. “With this move, travelers can enjoy ZIPAIR’s fantastic value for money along with 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 is a relative newcomer to the aviation industry, having formed in the summer of 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it had to postpone the start of passenger services and initially operated only cargo flights that year. However, the company started commercial passenger flights in late 2020, and its fleet of four Boeing 787-8s now flies to six international destinations worldwide.

The Japanese carrier currently flies to Bangkok (BKK), Seoul-Incheon (ICN), Singapore Changi (SIN), Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Jose (SJC) from its central hub in Tokyo Narita. San Francisco will be their seventh and fourth destination in the United States

ZIPAIR Inaugural San Jose Airport / Photo: Courtesy of ZIPAIR

The Japanese carrier will face intense competition on the Tokyo-San Francisco route as three airlines already operate non-stop flights between the two cities. United Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) operate all passenger services between SFO and Tokyo’s two airports – Narita and Haneda (HND). However, Zipair becomes the first low-cost airline to connect the two cities.

In addition to serving in San Francisco, ZIPAIR announced plans to begin direct flights to Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in the Philippines later this year.

“San Francisco has 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 traveling from the Philippines to North America,” said Shingo Nishida, Zipair’s president.

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The Japanese low-cost carrier has announced a new destination in the US as well as further regional expansion in Asia.

Photo: KITTIKUN YOKSAP | Shutterstock

ZIPAIR has announced that it will begin flights between Tokyo and San Francisco. Although the Japanese low-cost carrier has yet to announce a firm launch date for the route, flights are expected to begin in early summer. The transpacific flights connect ZIPAIR’s hub at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) with San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and are operated by Boeing 787-8.

ZIPAIR will face stiff competition from Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and United Airlines on the Tokyo – San Francisco route this summer. Using the August 2023 example, all three airlines plan to fly twice daily between the two cities, with each airline connecting San Francisco to Narita and Haneda airports. According to Cirium, this equates to 1,415 seats per day per direction.

Celebrating the news of ZIPAIR’s imminent arrival, San Francisco International Airport Director Ivar C. Satero said:

“We are very excited to welcome ZIPAIR service between SFO and Tokyo this summer. With this move, travelers can enjoy the fantastic value of ZIPAIR along with SFO’s award-winning, premium airport experience, making this new service a success.”

Photo: ZIPAIR

The growing international route network of ZIPAIR

San Francisco International Airport will be ZIPAIR’s third destination in California. The airline began flights to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in December 2021 and began flights to San Jose International Airport (SJC) just under a year later. The flights are now operated daily or every five weeks. ZIPAIR also connects Tokyo to 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 Boeing 787-8 aircraft, of which ZIPAIR currently has four in its fleet and another three on order. Each aircraft can accommodate a total of 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 handed over to the low-cost subsidiary when it began operations in 2020.

Photo: San Jose International Airport

If you’re 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 begin flights to Manila (MNL) later this year to accommodate connecting traffic between the Philippines and the United States. The airline’s President, Shingo Nishida, highlighted the rationale behind the launch of the two new services, saying:

“San Francisco has very strong demand from both Japan and Asia, Manila is seeing an increase in traffic to and from Japan, and more people are traveling to North America from the Philippines.”

As a sign of his confidence in the capabilities of the new routes, Nishida said the two new routes would become daily “as soon as possible”.

Photo: Viper Zero | Shutterstock

Have you flown ZIPAIR since the airline launched in 2020? Which route did you travel on and how do you rate the service of the Japanese low-cost carrier? Share your experience by commenting below.

Source: Aviation Wire, Cirium

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