ZIPAIR Flight Review: Budget flight from Singapore to Tokyo (With a Young Child!)

At the end of every year, my family spends most of our time in Japan. We would fly from Singapore as a family to spend the holiday season with our family who lives in Tokyo.

This is a tradition we have kept for many years. We usually fly Japan Airlines (JAL) overnight to Haneda for this annual trip. Before COVID, this flight would reliably cost us about S$800-900 per person.

But in 2023, after Japan finally opened up from its COVID lockdown, there was a record-level renewed interest in visiting Japan – especially from Singapore. This high demand drove the price of flights to Japan by multiple folds and we could no longer justify flying our usual flights.

That’s when I learned about ZIPAIR and decided to give it a try. While I’m not usually one to fly low cost carrier for flights over 4 hours, the price was too attractive.

For comparison sake, if we had flown our usual flight with JAL on the same dates, it would have cost us S$5,000 for two adults and a 4-year-old child for a roundtrip from Singapore to Tokyo.

With ZIPAIR, we only paid S$1,500 TOTAL for the three of us! This includes a round-trip ticket with paid amenities of two checked-in bags at 30 kg each, three meals on one of the legs, and extra legroom seats for all three of us, making it a nearly identical experience to flying the full-service carriers.

So, was it worth it? Let’s go into more detail about what it was like to fly the ZIPAIR flight from Singapore to Tokyo. Here are a few topics I will cover:

1. What is ZIPAIR?
2. My experience on the ZIPAIR flight from Singapore to Tokyo
   1. ZIPAIR Schedule and Flight Release
   2. Booking ZIPAIR
   3. Flight Check-in
   4. Inflight Experiences and Amenities
   5. Pre-booked hot meals
   6. Types of Seating on ZIPAIR
3. Tips for flying with ZIPAIR and what to pack
4. Conclusion: Is ZIPAIR worth it?

What is ZIPAIR?

ZIPAIR is a relatively new airline, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines (JAL). First launched in 2020, ZIPAIR offers similar Japanese hospitality you can expect on full service JAL flights but at a much lower cost, because you only pay what you want. At an additional cost, you could still enjoy the same amenities as when you fly full-service economy class – such as inflight meals, snack, drinks, blanket, check-in bags.

Lastly, I want to note that ZIPAIR currently only flies to Narita Airport, which is a bummer as Narita is much further away from Tokyo than Haneda.

As we were traveling with a young child and plenty of luggage and our accommodation was not near a subway station, we ordered a private car transfer to reach Tokyo which cost us an extra S$150 one way. But, even then, it’s still much cheaper than flying full-service carriers!

If you do not want to order a private car, make sure to check out the Keisei Skyliner route or the Narita Express (N’EX) and see if your accommodation can be easily reached from there.

My experience on the ZIPAIR flight from Singapore to Tokyo

Having flown ZIPAIR on my most recent flight to Tokyo (and then back to Singapore), here are things I noticed throughout the experience, from booking to taking the flight to landing:

1. ZIPAIR Schedule and Flight Release

Flight Schedule – ZIPAIR currently only flies one flight daily between Singapore and Narita Airport. This was a bummer as there is no flexibility in terms of the timing of the flight. As of 2024, the flight schedule for Singapore to Narita is as follows:

SIN to NRT	00:40 AM – 08:25 AM
NRT to SIN	4:40 PM – 11:10 PM

Parents will immediately notice that these timings are ideal for young children, but we sucked it up and took it anyways. I have to tell you, my son was already 4 years old when we took that flight but the midnight flight was still rough. We were so tired when we arrived in Narita in the morning since we could not sleep on the plane until almost 3 AM.

Schedule Release – When does ZIPAIR release its flight schedule? Well, speaking from experience, ZIPAIR releases its schedule per season for each route. There is no specific time for this, so if you’re booking for the next season then all you can do is pay attention to the notification page. And again from experience, it is usually released in bulk about 1.5 to 2 months before the start of the new season.

Here is an example of the announcement when they released the schedule for the Singapore route Winter 2023 schedule.

2. Booking ZIPAIR

Flight Package and Optional Services (Amenities) – While booking your flight, you will be asked to select the flight package:

If you are keen on all the benefits included in the package, then you can go ahead and add the package. However, you will also be able to add them separately later on as Optional Services. Here are the prices:

• ZIPAIR Express Services (S$29.05) – Priority Check-in at the airport
• Amenity Set (S$24.20) – Includes blanket, slippers, eye mask, neck pillow, ear plug
• Inflight Meal – Ranges from S$13-28 depending on the dish you chose

Here are the fees for selecting seats:

• Extra legroom: S$48.00
• Window or aisle near the front: S$18.00
• Middle seat: S$13.00
• Window or aisle near the back: S$16.00
• Not able to recline: S$4.00

And here is the baggage fees:

• Baggage Check-in (30KG): S$51.00/piece
• Sports Equipment: S$72.00 – 109.00 per piece depending on the size

Given the fees, the price of the packages is justified. However, if you’re traveling as a family with small children, you might not want to select the package for everyone since your children might not need their own check-in baggage.

3. Flight Check-in

The check-in experience at Changi Airport was very smooth. ZIPAIR Check-in desk at Changi is located at Terminal 1. We arrived 2 hours before our flight and though there was a queue forming, we only spent about 15 minutes in the queue.

As we have prepaid our check-in baggage, the luggage processing was immediate. We also brought 3 check-in bags (one per person) but they did not check or weigh our bags.

On the way back to Singapore from Narita Airport, the check in was equally smooth. There is a machine that will print your boarding pass, but we ran into issues with the baggage self check in. They also weighed our carry on this time.

4. Inflight Experiences and Amenities

Being a low-cost carrier, there were no free amenities on the flight unless you had paid for it when you booked the flight. However, there was FREE Wifi (!!) and limited entertainment.

Let’s dig more into them!

Free Wifi – YES! A budget airline that comes with inflight wifi at no additional cost? I am in heaven. In my experience though, the wifi was spotty. It is good for messaging and light browsing. Sometimes, I can’t load anything at all. However, I don’t think this was specific experience to ZIPAIR. It was consistent with my experience with inflight wifi on Singapore Airlines. Inflight Wifi relies on satellites, so the connectivity highly depends on the location of the plane when you’re trying to access wifi.

Inflight Food and Drinks Menu – Yes, ZIPAIR does offer meals, snacks, and drinks for purchase during the flight. Everything can be either ordered when you book your ticket, or inflight through the web app that you can access by scanning a QR code on board. The inflight menu is available about 1-1.5 hours after take-off. I have to say, I was quite impressed with the menu. It was very sensibly priced. A 500ml bottle of water costs ¥250 or S$2, which is comparable to the price in convenience stores in Singapore and Japan.

I do have to warn you that the meals are limited in quantity and some of them sold out halfway through the flight.

Inflight Shopping – There are a few items available onboard that you can purchase, such as neck pillows, blankets, sanitary napkins, etc.

Inflight Entertainment – Similar to the inflight menu, entertainment can be accessed through the web app. You do need to access them from your own device though, so bring an iPad or tablet if you want an extra screen to watch the movies. You will also need to bring your earphones or headphones for sound.

Charging Port / Power Outlet – YES, there is a charging port on the plane! I did not notice them until the end of my return leg back to Singapore because of the extra legroom seats. For these seats, the charging port is located BELOW the seat and I did not see it. Anyway, the charging port consists of one USB charge and one universal plug.

5. Pre-booked hot meals

On my way back to Singapore, I pre-booked some meals for us since we were flying from 5 PM to midnight. I booked the Pork Katsudon, Gyudon, and a cold soba.

ZIPAIR is a subsidiary of JAL, so I expected the meal to be at the level of JAL. However, the meals that I received were… let’s just say, all of them left much (MUCH) to be desired, both in terms of presentation and taste.

Gyudon is a dish that is difficult to mess up. Even a home cook like myself regularly makes this dish at home so I thought it was a safe choice. But somehow, messed it up they did. The sauce for the gyudon was thick, as if they added too much cornstarch, and it was too overly sweet. The rice that came with also had a weird mushy texture.

I had a bite of the pork tonkatsu, which suffers the same fate of having sauce that are too thick and sickly sweet. The soba was probably the most okay out of the three.

If I fly ZIPAIR again next time, I’ll pack my own meal from the konbini or eat before the flight at Narita Airport, because I just can’t fathom eating those dishes again.

6. Types of Seating on ZIPAIR

Extra Legroom Seats (Row 18) – Since the flight was already significantly cheaper than a full-cost carrier, I decided to “splurge” by getting extra legroom seats at Row 18. My husband is tall, so he suffers the most onboard low-cost carriers. I figured it would be worth it. And, it was not much of a splurge, to be honest – it only costs S$48 per person to book that row.

Overall, we were happy with the seat, but it’s worth noting that the armrests on most of these seats are fixed. It was not ideal for my son since he would want to lie his head on my lap to sleep.

However, the first two extra legroom seats in the middle (seats D and E, to be exact) DO have armrests you can lift. I booked these seats by chance on the flight back to Singapore, and having the moveable armrest really helped my son sleep.

ZIP Full-flat seat – For most people, this is what truly separates ZIPAIR from other low-cost carriers. ZIPAIR doesn’t have a business class, but they have seats that can lie flat just like a business class seat would. And they cost the same or even less than flying economy at a full-service airline. If you are not flying with a child, I highly suggest the full-flat seats. The fully reclining seat will allow you full comfort on the overnight leg to Tokyo! I was keen to book this, but we couldn’t since my son is too young. Only children 7 years old and above can enjoy the ZIP Full-flat seat.

Tips for flying with ZIPAIR and what to pack

Here are some items that I would do and bring on the next flight with ZIPAIR:

• Snacks for my son – Yes, there was an inflight service where we could have ordered reasonably-priced snacks, but there was not much that my son would like from the menu. Also, the inflight services became available only about 1-1.5 hours after take off. On the overnight flight, this means the inflight service wasn’t available until about 2 AM.
• A tablet and headphones – There is no dedicated screen for inflight entertainment, but there are a few movies you can watch on your device.
• Bring your own entertainment – The inflight entertainment option was quite scarce, so I would recommend downloading your favorite shows through your favorite streaming app.
• Extra blanket or scarf – It gets pretty chilly on the plane, so dress appropriately and bring extra layers if you aren’t planning to buy the amenities set.

Conclusion: Is ZIPAIR worth it?

Yes, absolutely! If you’re cost-conscious, I truly believe ZIPAIR is one of the best ways to travel to Tokyo at the moment.

Of course, it has its pros and cons, which I have gone into details in this post but for your convenience, I will summarize below:

• Pros: Cost-effective, comfortable seats, reasonable inflight amenities pricing, reasonable luggage fees, free wifi, charging port.
• Cons: Flies only to Narita Airport, inflight meals left a lot to be desired, only one flight per day on the Singapore <> Tokyo route, no inflight screens for entertainment.

All things considered, for me, the pros of ZIPAIR greatly outweigh the cons. Especially in terms of cost – I was certainly not prepared to pay the eye-watering price of S$5,000 that the full-service airlines were asking for, vs the S$1,500 I ended up paying for my ZIPAIR flights.

And that’s all my experience and thoughts about flying ZIPAIR! Overall, I was quite happy with the cost paid and the experience on the flight.

Tokyo Travel Guide: If you are visiting Tokyo, you might want to check my Tokyo Itinerary post. I have also written many posts about traveling around Japan.

See you next time! 👋

Note: I paid for my family’s tickets for the ZIPAIR flight referenced in this post. All thoughts and opinions are honest and remain my own.