A Japanese leisure airline has just launched non-stop service between Canada and Tokyo, allowing Canadians to easily travel to Japan and enjoy a luxury flight for the price of economy tickets.
With Japanese food and amenities available on board and more service to come, here's what you need to know about the new airline.
On March 13, low-cost airline Zipair launched its inaugural flight from Vancouver International Airport to Tokyo's Narita International Airport.
Vancouver is Zipair's first (and so far, only) Canadian destination, though it also flies to Los Angeles, San José Mineta, and San Francisco International Airport as well as several airports in Asia.
According to Vancouver International Airport, by the end of March, Zipair will be flying between Vancouver and Tokyo three days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
Starting July 23, the airline will expand its scheduled service to five days per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Business-class style seating
Zipair operates Boeing 787-8 aircraft, each carrying 18 full-flat seats and 272 standard seats.
One of the nicest features of the new airline is its full flat seating, which is similar to business class seating on board airlines like Air Canada and WestJet.
Full flat seats on Zipair. ZIPAIRTokyo | X
Full flat seats are located at the front of the aircraft and allow the passenger to lie down horizontally.
Unlike other carriers though, Zipair's seats come at a great price --- while you'd pay upwards of $9,000 to fly in business-class seats from Vancouver to Tokyo with an airline like Air Canada, pricing for Zipair's full flat seats starts at $1,102.16, which is even less than what you can expect to pay for economy seats with major Canadian airlines.
Its standard seats also come at a great price. According to Zipair, standard airfare from Vancouver to Tokyo starts as low as $352.16 one way.
What's available on board?
On board, travellers can look forward to Japanese-style meals like Asian-style sautéed beef sirloin, ginger pork and rice, and chicken sautéed in a seafood chili sauce, as well as beverages including green tea and milk tea, available for purchase.
Zipair also offers complimentary Wi-Fi, as well as amenity kits with blankets, eye masks, slippers and more that travellers can purchase before their flight for 2,500-3,000 yen (CA$22-27).
Regarding baggage, Zipair allows travellers to bring two carry-on items. Baggage with a combined weight of 7 kilograms is free of charge, though additional fees apply for baggage that exceeds this number.
For checked baggage, travellers will have to pay CA$73 if travelling from Vancouver to Tokyo, or 7,000 yen (about CA$64) if travelling from Tokyo to Vancouver.
According to YVR, the launch of Zipair makes it easier for Canadians to travel on one of the airport's "most in demand international routes."
Ready to get going? Trips can be booked now on Zipair's website.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.
