ZIPAIR to launch NRT-SJC in Dec 2022 and introduce new livery
 

https://www.zipair.net/en/notification/112

no specific date for the NRT-SJC launch other than December 2022. ZIPAIR will also introduce a new livery, starting with the decal version this month. The new livery will be progressively rolled out from Dec 2022 and is expected to completed by Spring 2023

More explanation of why the livery is being changed.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles...0m/0bu/016000c

Ridiculous.

I am pretty sure the airline received many phone calls from those usual people who call up businesses to inquire about unintended "inappropriateness" found in their products and services. Regardless, I like the new tail design (reminds me of jetBlue and AA). The bold serif font on the fuselage is still a meh.

I am looking forward to seeing their pricing in the ridiculously expensive norcal-Japan market.

The LAX-NRT business fare is decent but not THAT low once you factor in the additional costs. So don't hold your breath for a jaw-dropping LCC fare on the SJC route.

piggybacking on this thread, but wondering if anyone was able to accrue JAL miles when flying Zipair?

Not directly as ZIPAIR is not a JMB partner for mile accumulation. But you can earn ZIPAIR points and convert those to JMB miles.

https://www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/jmb/zipair/index.html

sorry should have been more specific. has anyone done this (converted to JMB) or found out accrual rates for ZIPAIR points?

They are now saying they will fly SJC-NRT and NRT-SJC on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, starting December 22.

Their website is terrible to navigate. They charge extra for carry-ons, baggage, and meals -- at least. Maybe other things too and except for various packages, it's unclear how much the charges are for each individual item.

Among other things, you need to know your passport details in order to even book a ticket.

FWIW, I was able to book using my father in laws old pp number and their email support was quite responsive when I subsequently wrote in to update them with the renewed number.

You don't know your passport number as readily as your phone number or email address??

It can always be updated later or at check-in. In case you got a new passport between booking and flying.

Nope, and I don't remember my global entry number either!

But there are lots of other ways that their website sucks. For example, when it asks if you want to add "extras" (on this airline, even water is an "extra"), you can select a package or say you want to select them individually. If you do the latter, it just moves on, giving you no way to select.

For the SJC/NRT route, they only publish schedules for 3 months out from the start date. I would try them for a later 2023 trip to Japan but they are not ready to admit they will still be flying then!

I must admit that their lowest flat-bed seat fare, even adding the most expensive "extra" package, is way lower than anything else, under $2k round trip, which is a real deal for a flat bed seat.

Update: As of today, October 22, 2022, flat-bed seat round trips have gone up significantly. Still a good deal but no longer an amazing deal. They are now $2,400 and up through their current published schedule (end of March, 2023). And they are only at that level because the Yen is so weak, if the Yen were at a normal level, they would be over $3,000.