I just bought my Zipair tickets for next April. Obviously, a trip that will cost me a few thousand dollars, and two-to-three weeks of vacation time, is a decision not to be taken lightly. It’s also not worth dithering over since I know I am damn sure going.
So, anxieties stfu. Tickets purchased. Time for the rest of the planning, for leaning in hard to the Japanese study, and for getting excited.
This will be my second trip to Japan on Zipair, which I highly recommend for those without a ton of frequent flyer miles or unlimited disposable income. Zipair is a service of Japan Air, so it’s run fairly well. It’s not perfect, but you can avoid most pitfalls with some care and planning.
For starters, the Zipair website is decent but, for those who have issues with computers, it can be challenging. However, they do provide pretty thorough information on all aspects of the service. For the rest, you have me.
Here are my Helpful Zipair Suggestions.
Turn off your VPN. The website gives no warnings about this. You’ll go through all the steps, you’ll go through puzzle captchas, and you’ll click the button that says to go to payments – and nothing will happen.
No errors.
No warnings.
No nothing.
And after I turned off my VPN and was able to make my payment with no further issues, I remembered the same thing happened last January and I had forgotten. Most websites that don’t allow VPNs tell you; Zipair does not.
Turn off your VPN.
Use Chrome - maybe? I’m a Mac user, so I was using Safari as I normally do. As noted above, however, I was doing so with the VPN on and was getting stuck, so I switched to Chrome to see if that would let me complete the payment process. It did not, and that was when I eventually realized the VPN was my issue. I did not return to Safari at that point; there was no need to redo the entire process (for the third time) just to prove an unimportant point. I’m not a Chrome fan, per se, but it’s often the browser that works best because it’s what the website designers bothered to test!
Sigh. Whatever. I used Chrome, and I turned off my VPN, and I bought my ticket with no further problem.
Ignore the “use our mobile app” suggestion. It may work in Japan, but, in the US, you can’t even find it on the iOS App Store.
Buy your baggage when you buy your ticket. If your carry-on is more than 7kg, you’ll need to buy that extra weight. They will measure it at check-in, and they will charge you even more if it’s over. I spent an extra $50 for my souvenirs last May because I had not purchased carry-on overage ahead of time (that would have saved me about $20).
Same with checked bags. They are not free, and the price has gone up a fair bit in less than a year. Buy the baggage you need and just have done with it.
Extras: It’s your money, honey.
I also splurged $21 for Express Check-in service. One reddit review said it worked great going to Japan but was ignored at Narita. We’ll see.
If you want to pre-select a seat, get a meal, or give away more of your hard-earned money for some minor comforts on an 11-hour flight, be my guest. I figure the money I don’t spend will be one kick-ass meal in Tokyo. Or two. Zipair’s seats are comfortable, leg room is sufficient, and you can stuff food in your pockets if need be. When I went to Japan this past May, here is what I carried on:
Macbook
iPad
iPhone
2 sandwiches
snacks
water
bits-and-bobs
I had no trouble keeping all that, and the bag they were in, under 7kg. Of course, you may have other needs – medical, kids, I’m not judging – so you may need to spend for another 8kg (and a second carry-on). or you might want to get some of the extras. If you have the money to buy a nicer seat, again: I’m not judging.
I’m spending my money in Japan, not on getting there. An eleven-hour flight is not fun, but it’s only eleven hours. Once I’m off the plane and in the train heading to Tokyo – or in this case, a limousine bus going to a hotel in Chiba due to the late arrival from SFO – I won’t even remember the discomfort of the flight.
And I’ll have the extra money to spend on the good stuff.
Here’s a copy of my ticket so you can see where your money is going. This was purchased November 1, 2024; perhaps when you buy your ticket on March 18th, it will be less. Or more. I’m making the bet that prices are more likely to go up. Maybe a seat or two will be less on April 6th, but I’m not going to take the chance that all will be sold or that prices will go up more.
Mostly, knowing I am definitely going, the good lord willing and the creek don’t rise, makes me happy. I’ve been unhappy to a degree since I left at the end of my first trip. I loved being there. Going back is worth far more to me than mere money.