My wife and I flew on ZIPAIR 3 times last year from SF Bay Area to NRT and paid around $560RT each time with free wifi (cheaper than 2-night stay in Maui). We brought one backpack and our own food.

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

3 times lucky!!! Yes definitely way cheaper especially when you go outside of school schedules!!

I always carry an empty plastic soft drink bottle in my backpack. If on a long flight, I bring a larger empty plastic bottle. After going thru security, I fill the water bottle with water before boarding. You can stick the water bottle in the pocket behind the seat in front of you during the flight. I also bring a small empty thermos in my backpack... and when in the terminal, buy coffee from a terminal eatery then fill the thermos before boarding. I also bring a nice cushiony $8 neck pillow which I bought at Ross and sit on it during the flight to keep my butt from getting sore. For my in-flight entertainment, I bring a book to read and a journal notebook to write in.

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

Great tips!! Definitely takes pre-planning with budget airlines

Great review! Thanks! My friend was just asking about Zipair! I think you addressed his questions. Great job as always!!

@thisjalife

5 ай бұрын

Thanks! Did you fly Zipair? I’ve heard so many mixed reviews!

@scooternak53

5 ай бұрын

@@thisjalifeNo, we usually go JAL/ANA/UNITED.

@thisjalife

5 ай бұрын

@scooternak53 we usually go ANA but we tried it!!

@MiriamPrell

2 ай бұрын

I’m willing to try it once, and only one way. Additionally, we’re accustomed to either business class or premium economy, so we’ll try the lay flat seats. Recent reviewers seem to like it. Thanks for your review!

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

@MiriamPrell absolutely would love to hear your thoughts back here when you do! What are you doing for the other way? Buying two one way tickets?

on the standard seats with the value package, can you bring a small carry on, backpack, and a large checked bag?

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

Yes to checked bag and everyone gets the minimum carry on amount! Just be careful on the weight and size!

I’ll have 2 small kids with me… we will be taking the economy/standard seats - which is fine bc I’m 5 ft & my kids are small …. but when boarding - do we get to go in first to select our seats? Is it like southwest airline seatings? My husband (6ft) & 2 older sons will take the business seat. They should be very well rested! 😅

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

Wow lucky other half of your family! You do not get to choose. We purchased seat selection so I’m actually not sure what happens if you don’t!! I assume they’ll assign you a seat at check in and it’ll have a boarding group number with it

Did they measure the carry on bags? My bag is 22 inches tall which is a little over the 55cm (21.65 inches) max they have listed on their website.

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

They didn’t measure mine precisely but it could depend on the airport. That seems like a very small difference and if anything they’d probably put it up against a wall/image with the measurements

I flew the same route a few months back and was kinda shocked by the meal size too 😂 I wasn’t sure if I’ve just become used to the huge American portions. Love the 白い恋人 option tho, it’s cheaper than buying from the airport, also a convenient souvenir cuz my friends outside of Hokkaido love them but they can’t usually get them unless they go to the airport. Personally, their “business” full flat seats are of better value. It’s essentially only twice of a regular economy fare (ANA, UNITED) and you can lie down. It’s probably the best value available.

@thisjalife

5 ай бұрын

Yessss they had some good affordable souvenirs! I’ll have to go lie flat next time!

I need help with the booking part. There was no review on that. Id like to book 6 mo ahead but I can't seem to see that far ahead on their calendar. Am I missing something?

@thisjalife

25 күн бұрын

They release at a certain schedule basically twice a year - check out this video if you haven’t already! kzread.info/dash/bejne/jKN9j6aiZpbPh9I.html

I am contemplating using ZipAir from Hawaii to Japan, thanks for the review. How comfortable are their coach seats, legroom, reclineability. I've seen other reviews of their lie-flat seats but was wondering about the coach seats. Mahalo

@thisjalife

5 ай бұрын

Honestly pretty similar to any other coach seat! Reclines back a bit but they have full WiFi (even if a little slow) which is nice!

@nateshf9303

4 ай бұрын

My wife and I flew from SFO to HNL on a different airline, spent two nights in Hawaii and then flew on Zip to NRT for $190 one way. Very satisfied!

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

That’s amazing!!! Thanks for the tip

@nateshf9303

4 ай бұрын

@@thisjalife As you probably already know, Japanese airlines are super clean and their services are impeccable even though Zip is considered a ‘budget’ airline. (But fares have gone up 30%.)

Good to know. I’m a person that take flight experience as part of trip experience. I’m okay economy but do enjoy plane food, entertainment on board, and stress free check in luggage. I will pass as well. Thank you.

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

You and my husband both!! What will you fly instead?

Excellent Video!! Worth a try for the price!! 😊🇯🇵 ✈️

@thisjalife

14 күн бұрын

I have a follow up coming with my friend’s review/tips too! Have you tried already?

@tonycruz9026

14 күн бұрын

@@thisjalife waiting for your new video. Have not tried yet.

@thisjalife

14 күн бұрын

@tonycruz9026 have plans? Or just researching?

Flying Zip next week.😁 HNL to BKK...with connection at Narita. found a super low price in Feb. Lay Flat was $1200 one way including the premium package x 2. I like that you are able to book one way and the price is the same 😀

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

So excited for you! You’ll have to let me know what your experience is like!

@LuckyCatAdventures

Ай бұрын

@@thisjalife this will be my 2nd time flying Zip, they now offer express check & priority luggage for an additional $25. I bought that too. Hate waiting in line . I'll let you know how that goes 🤣

Is the zipair express service worth it, its 20 bucks but you’re able to get your baggage first or early than normal?

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

I haven’t been offered it but making a follow up on additional services that are supposedly here!

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

If you try let me know, I’d do that in a heart beat

3 - 3 -3 seating configuration on an international flight???

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

Ours was!

I also stressed a bit about my carry-on weight and was surprised it wasn't weighed at LAX for my flight to NRT, nor for the return flight. Even though my flight was full (based upon the people who eventually arrived at the gate) there were very few people checking in when I was, so my wait was only about 10 minutes to get to the ticket agent. The PASSPORT READER didn't work for my passport either (though I seemed to be the exception) and even at the ticket counter there was a problem with reading my passport. Thankfully those were my only delays at NRT. For the price I paid, I would have been willing to overlook a lot of subpar experiences, but (excluding the passport reader) I had none. I'll most likely fly with ZIPAIR for my future trips to Japan.

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your experience!!

@Tasnim1970

2 ай бұрын

you were very lucky..they checked the weight of my check in baggage and my carry on..oh and the carry on weight they also added my backpack weight to the luggage weight..never in any of the dozens of airlines I ever flown did anyone check backpack weight..not a big deal because I was underweight but be warned they COULD do it if you are not lucky

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

@Tasnim1970 yesss they did that on the way back!

Does the plane meal need to buy on board?

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

You can buy it in advance so you can choose what you want - you can buy something on board but the selection will be very slim at least in my experience

Great video. I like your english. Awhich state do you live in. Were they strict with the baggage

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

From CA they didn’t even weigh it!! And thanks, I was born in the US

@duaneowens7777

Ай бұрын

@@thisjalife sounds great. How did you survive without any TVs for all those hours...

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

@duaneowens7777 load up your own devices! I’m a huge audiobook person plus had some video work to do and some movies/shows for the kids!

@duaneowens7777

Ай бұрын

@@thisjalife that sounds great..

First flight with them in oct. Unfortunately the plane ticket with luggage upgrade turned into similar price with air canada price with similar luggage. So will just go with it and see how it goes. Plus me and my brother dont mind buying snacks and drinks at the airport after security for thw flight. We dont like plane food anyways

@thisjalife

3 күн бұрын

You’re going with air Canada or zip?

@LilSaint001100

2 күн бұрын

@@thisjalife Zipair as it was the most decent at the time. Booked it in march 2024 for OCT flight. but at the time air canada was around 1.5k cad and zIp was 900. lol. but now its 1.2k from air canada. lol

Fill a backpack with snacks and drinks. No need to buy from the airline. Will be returning to Manila from Tokyo in 2 days.

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

Your meal too? Though you have a shorter flight! There are tons of rice balls you can get too for the way back - we are big fans of combini onigiri!

Thank you for your very enlightening review. We used your advice to book our add-on's. If you do your homework and understand that it is a "Discount Airline" then you won't be disappointed on your flight and we saved enough to pay for our rooms in Tokyo.

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

So awesome - glad it was helpful in setting expectations and making an informed decision! When are you going?

@hathor2

4 ай бұрын

exactly you get what you pay for. glad i'm based in APAC so i just need the free wifi and the extra leg space that even Singapore airlines economy does not provide

i am also planning to go to tokyo. Which attractions do you recommend to go to

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

Depends on a lot of things but are you going solo, with kids, what do you enjoy?

@duaneowens7777

Ай бұрын

@@thisjalife I enjoying doing the city tour or hop on hop off bus? Are they any in tokyo. How much money do you think would be enough for a week in japan for a family of two?

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

@duaneowens7777 there is! I love klook.com for easy tickets if you want to try www.klook.com/en-US/activity/87165-sky-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tokyo/ you can even use my code “ThisJALife” for a discount on certain tickets. The budget question can really range based on what you’re looking to do and EAT!

@duaneowens7777

Ай бұрын

@@thisjalife wow that so much. I like your smile. You are so energetic. What would I do without you. nice to meet you. I am justin, i am currently living in china as a student studying environmental engineering. Since you are US born is speaking japanese a challenge for you like it is for me

Everyone: "No in-flight entertainment? 😱" Me, a frequent Southwest flyer: 🤷‍♂️ I'm willing to put a few movies on my phone if it means cheaper tickets

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

Though southwest does have entertainment through your device! Their WiFi connection seemed better than zip

Im worried about the leg room, those seats look close together.

@thisjalife

17 күн бұрын

Pretty similar to any other airline!

How long was the flight ✈️? Thank you

@thisjalife

14 күн бұрын

About 12 one way and 10 the other.

@ShelbyA2LA

14 күн бұрын

@@thisjalife thank you .

@thisjalife

14 күн бұрын

@ShelbyA2LA absolutely! Are you flying from the Bay Area also?

I was considering this airline for my next trip but I just came back, and inbound passport control in Japan is such a nightmare that I may take a break from visiting Japan.

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

Oh really? It took really long or what was your experience?

@blureader1164

2 ай бұрын

@@thisjalife I am trying not to exaggerate but it took 2-3 hours just to get through passport control, even with a QR code. OUr luggage was sitting on the side, because it took so long to go through. Customs was business as usual. They implemented new kiosks for foreigners, but did not have the staff available to efficiently get all passengers to a terminal and process their entry. Since the culture does not think well out of the box (I am part of that ethnicity), no leadership suggested that some of us move to the old kiosks that were relatively empty once the Japan passport holders had processed through. Several flights landed within minutes of each other, so they should have been better prepared. I have family going to another airport in the fall, I will ask how it went.

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

@blureader1164 I get it! We happened to get lucky when they opened up a new line and we were pretty close to the first people they led to said new line. I haven’t traveled to other countries in a while but I hear you!

Hello….what gifts from USA would Japanese friends enjoy? I hear that they like food from Trader Joe’s….is that true? Skittles and starburst for kids? 49ers or Giants t shirts and hats? Thanks

@thisjalife

12 күн бұрын

Honestly it’s really hard to buy for people but my family enjoyed the local coffee and chocolates- I’m sure local team stuff would be welcomed too! It probably really depends on your people! A lot of sweets from here are too sweet.

are taxis really expensive in tokyo

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

Honestly I don’t take many because the transit system is so convenient but it isn’t absurdly proced! We almost always get a JR pass since we travel around a lot. With the price hike it might not be worth it for you but depends on your plans - have you checked out the other videos I have?

@duaneowens7777

Ай бұрын

@@thisjalife how much does the JR pass? must be interesting.

ohh what a stress, I think every airlines weights the bags !

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

Yes but usually they let you pay overweight or check in on the day of - I think that was our biggest concern

why is it cheaper that other airlines

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

No frills, pay as you go idea!

Maybe Zipair should remain domestic first

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

What do you mean? That would be a lot of competition for sure!

I love salmon

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

Yesss but sadly it was so little

Food like for horses

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

The food they serve?

Long flight with no entertainment and water?

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

You have to buy or prepare in advance. If you buy food they do give you a water bottle with it. Entertainment they do have WiFi but it can be iffy.

@bluekewne

4 ай бұрын

I flew ANA in 2019 & honestly aside for the small "First time in Japan" videos I hardly used the IFE & ended up using my phone to watch pre-downloaded movies. Plus as a frequent Southwest flyer - kinda used to it 😁 As far as water goes, bring a water bottle & fill it up in the terminal or buy a big bottle of water at the gate

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

Good points! Frequent southwest flyer here too so I get it! And yes i fill my water always even if they serve beverages so it’s part of my routine already.

@jaycelestino9114

3 ай бұрын

Can I bring water before boarding? Or they don’t let you bring water?

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

@jaycelestino9114 you can just fill up in the airport just like any other airline!

🍣 🍣 🍣

@thisjalife

2 ай бұрын

Did you fly?

U get what you pay for… why cant people understand that

@thisjalife

5 ай бұрын

There are a lot of mixed reviews even within my friend groups so this was to share our experience and recommend who perhaps shouldn’t use it.

@MosesGTC

Ай бұрын

I wanna know what I will get

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

Yes exactly!!

We flew Zip Air last summer. Eh… it’s shit, plain and simple… and that’s even comparing them to Southwest and JetBlue (Frontier and such are plain trash 😂)… or these days perhaps even United (with all their nickel and dime-ing). The flight from SJC to NRT, including check-in was OK. We prepaid for everything (luggage, carryons and food). The food choices were slim from SJC and were pretty shitty. The sweet and sour pork was 🤮. The soboro don was equally terrible. The curry rice was passable. Portion size was a joke… compared to the normal ANA and JAL stuff. No free drinks much less water… hell the availability of even water was tight. Stock up on the airport after security. The WiFi barely worked on both flights to order from the spare items they had available onboard. Internet? None. Better load up your phone and/or tablet before leaving. The charging sockets were garbage… too loose to keep a charger plugged in. If I remember correctly it did have a USB A port (in 2023?!!) that did work ok. The economy seats were like flying United or American. The passport scanner worked ok for U.S. passport, but Japanese passports with a notation (in parentheses) for alternative last names (e.g. Japanese married to foreigner and keeps last name in Japan, but takes husband’s last name abroad)… passport scanners don’t like that. Even in the U.S. Check-in in NRT was horrible. Got a medical device (e.g. CPAP machine) you’re traveling with? They are exempted from counting as a carry-on universally. Zip Air? Wants you to open it to verify that large handbag sized case is really a CPAP. Ok, not a huge deal. Then they pull out a chart of CPAP models and ask you to pick out the model, after which they go to their supervisor to Ok it. Maybe they’re a new person? Give me a break! In the country of “ the customer is god”? Pretty much everything was scrutinized far far more than it was in SJC. The food choices from NRT was much greater and much better. The butter chicken was actually not bad as well as the other selections. Verdict? Zip Air is trash, BUT it’s cheeeeeaaaaap trash. When I was 25, I’d put up with it for that low low price. However at 45? Ehhh… I dunno if it’s worth it when you normally have to deal with work stress, commuting stress and family stress and now on your time off you gotta put up with all that shit? Granted if you can/want to put out for the lay-flat seats, they are another huge bargain compared to flying business or 1st class on ANA, JAL, United, etc. but compared to Zip Air economy, they are spendy. All that being said our savings for 3 people was like $2000 compared to ANA… and well… we’re kinda cheapskates. So I want to say “no”, but that price makes it really hard. Ultimately it comes down to each person and what’s it’s worth to you.

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

I think we have very similar thoughts! Thank you for sharing your experience - it definitely helps others determine if it’s right for them. That CPAP story is horrible!!! Plus, we all had US passports and none of them worked!!!

The free wifi more than makes up for the lack of IFE.　正直エアージャパンより全然マシ。

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

What’s IFE? Was the WiFi super slow for you? How was the check in process I think that’s where it was really bad for us

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

Oh in flight entertainment 😆

Avoid this cheap air they don't give water so why flight atendendents to play on tablet

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

Flight attendants were playing on their devices?

americanos

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

??

Japanese passports seem to work so I guess the machine isn't really good with US passports. And the food quality is heavily dependent upon your point of origin. Even ANA and JAL struggle to offer the same quality of food in return flights to Japan because US food quality is not as good and catering options are limited. And US carriers have better food returning from Japan because they use Japanese catering services. Just look at how the rice was packed on your salmon flying to Japan. No food company (or parent) in Japan would pack rice like that for a Obento. And California produces excellent Japanese rice, so whoever is making the Obento has limited knowledge of Japanese food. (You can easily get a better Obento in Japan for 500 Yen.) There are certain flight destinations, such as quick turn-around flights, when airlines will pack for round trip, especially when local food quality cannot be trusted. But I fear that would defeat the purpose of Low-Cost Carrier.

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

All passports seemed hit or miss! They said older US passports work well but ours didn’t. The food could definitely be improved but we just bought them for convenience. The bentos in Japan are AMAZING 😻

This kind of vloggger that didn’t search much info of the airlines has a lot to say. Didn’t even know what the concept of LCC. Every check-in counter takes time, maybe for technical issues cannot read passport or not…. Should you blame everything at the airlines? 😅

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

This is made for the person that might not have done much research or to help know what to expect. Also I’d expect a passport reader to work more for its specific job than not since it worked a low percentage based on the line and what I saw.

Girl smh you flying a low cost airlines smh

@thisjalife

3 ай бұрын

It is, and people should know what it means so wanted to share our thoughts

some one said zip air is the worst airline in the world.

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

Was it my husband??? 😆

@macynguyen8864

4 ай бұрын

Try spirit or frontier 😂

@thisjalife

4 ай бұрын

😂 I was definitely prepped for that though I’ve never flown those for a reasom

Lazy not speaking english

@thisjalife

Ай бұрын

Who?