Low-cost airline Zipair launches new Vancouver to Tokyo service

Inaugural flight of Zipair at Vancouver International Airport on March 13, 2024. (Vancouver Airport Authority)

The inaugural Zipair flight connecting Vancouver and Tokyo departed this morning, marking increased linkages between Canada’s second busiest airport and Japan and the low-cost airline’s first service to Canada.

The first passengers on the service to Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) were treated with fanfare and gifts to mark the occasion.

Zipair, the discount carrier owned by Japan Airlines, launched today to begin its initial operating frequency of three roundtrips (six flights) weekly, with flights scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Then, starting on July 23, 2024, just in time for the busy travel season, Zipair, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines, will expand this direct, non-stop service to five roundtrips per week (10 flights per week) from the addition of flights on Tuesdays and Fridays.

You might also like:

All flights will depart YVR at 10:45 am and arrive at NRT at 12:25 pm the next day. For return trips, flights will take off from NRT at 3:40 pm and arrive at YVR at 8:45 am on the same day.

Zipair’s fleet is entirely composed of Boeing 787-8 aircraft, each carrying 18 full-flat, business-class-style seats and 272 standard economy seats.

Full-flat seats start at only C$1,102 (JP¥118,559) for flights from Vancouver to Tokyo and JP¥105,335 (C$979) for flights from Tokyo to Vancouver. This is just 20% to 40% of the fares on the business class seats of other airlines operating on the route with fully reclining seats that enable passengers to lie down horizontally.

Standard seats each way start at C$352 (JP¥37,887) for flights from Vancouver to Tokyo and C$306 (JP¥32,960) for flights from Tokyo to Vancouver. This is less than half of the economy fares of the other airlines operating on the route, but there is a big caveat: as a low-cost airline, Zipair requires passengers to pay added fees for any extra baggage allowances — both carry-on and checked bags — and onboard meals and amenities. The airline provides a variety of options and permutations for these extras.

zipair vancouver international airport yvr march 13 2024

Inaugural flight of Zipair at Vancouver International Airport on March 13, 2024. (Vancouver Airport Authority)

The existing non-stop flight options between Vancouver and Tokyo entail routes operated by Japan Airlines and Air Canada reaching NRT and All Nippon Airways reaching Haneda Airport (HND). Each of these three airlines currently flies roundtrip (two flights) daily for a total frequency of three roundtrips (six flights) per day.

Zipair also flies on eight other international routes between NRT and San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Jose, Singapore, Seoul, Manila, and Bangkok. They first announced their Vancouver service in November 2023.

Zipair’s new service between YVR and NRT is expected to generate about $17 million in economic output and $9 million in GDP annually and support 115 full-time jobs within BC.

YVR Airport New Flights 2023-2024

February 7, 2023: Toronto, Ontario (YYZ) — Porter Airlines, 3x daily
May 17, 2023: Atlanta, Georgia (ATL) — WesetJet, 4x weekly (seasonal)
May 19, 2023: Nashville, Tennessee (BNA) — WestJet, 2x weekly (seasonal)
June 1, 2023: Washington, DC (IAD) — Air Canada, 5x weekly (seasonal)
June 15, 2023: Boston, Massachusetts (BOS) — JetBlue, daily (seasonal)
October 28, 2023: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB) — Air Canada, 4x weekly
March 13, 2024: Tokyo, Japan (Narita; NRT) — Zipair, 3x weekly
April 3, 2024: Singapore (SIN) — Air Canada, 4x weekly
April 11, 2024: Montreal, Quebec (YUL) — Porter Airlines, daily
April 28, 2024: Detroit, Michigan (DTW) — WestJet, daily (seasonal)

You might also like: