Zipair Paid Amenities Guide: Pro Tips for Maximum Value!

[@PeteCorp]

Really thank you for explaining the complicated carry-on formula.

[@thisjalife]

You’re welcome! Glad to be of help! Even after you buy the upgrade it sounds like you only have 8kg but it’s actually the original 7kg+8kg for a total of 15!!

[@medinadamian]

A water bottle is included in every meal:) Flew SJC>NRT a few months ago!

[@thisjalife]

How was your overall experience?

[@PeteCorp]

Nah, you can buy separate paid amenities for each person. Just select no add ons on the website, then it gives you the option to select a la carte for each passenger.

[@thisjalife]

I see that now - thanks for the input! Goes to show their website isn’t super clear…

[@hollypark2752]

You are correct that you cannot add more weight to your carry on at the airport. However, they will gladly charge you a checked bag fee for your extra weight or extra bag. I would suggest people checked the policy a few days before the flight. Ive used zipair a few times since they started flying and theyve changed their baggage policies more than once.

[@thisjalife]

They would check your bag on site? Because that is still better than no other option than to toss stuff out

[@michaelfieser]

I recently returned from a month-long (Nov 4th - Dec 1st) vacation to Japan (my first return visit in many years). All tolled, my flights to/from LAX were $2600, but I booked my ZIPAIR flights on-line in July, so prices closer to departure may be higher. Since I live on the East Coast, I had to get to LAX, SFO or SJC for the flight to NRT. For anyone else in this situation who has to get to California, I found the flights to/from LAX were less expensive than SFO or SJC. I opted for a full-flat seat (with the premium package) and cannot imagine not getting a full-flat seat. Not having small children in the area, sharing an armrest or bother/be bothered by someone to use the restroom... worth it. Yes, the meal portions were smallish, but I didn't eat anything else on either flight and didn't need a snack. The meal came with a bottle of water, but I also brought a CAMELBACK (filled post-security) and that prevented needing to buy anything to drink. The WIFI was fine for me (I had movies and music on a dedicated device) so I didn't need to stream any content, but what I did do worked well. I chose a window seat for both flights; the flight to NRT was daytime the entire flight, but the dimmed windows were plenty dark for me (without using the eye mask) and I'm pretty sensitive to light when I sleep. The flight to LAX became night shortly after departure, and was predawn upon arrival, so no problems with light in the cabin. The earplugs were a must, though.

[@thisjalife]

Thanks for sharing! How did you feel about the service?

[@michaelfieser]

Among the best. Easily topping any domestic "economy" flight I've ever taken. I'll be flying with them again on my next trip to Japan.

[@thisjalife]

@michaelfieser love that you had a great month long trip! I bet you got to see a ton and eat amazing food!

[@michaelfieser]

​@@thisjalife Yes, it was a delayed trip that was originally supposed to happen for my birthday in March of 2020. (I'm sure you can guess why THAT trip didn't happen.) Though I visited Hiroshima and Tokyo on this trip, I spent most of my time AWAY from "big" cities, specifically in and around Kanazawa, Gifu and Nagoya. I met some friends, and hired a local guide for a few really cool day trips, but, other than that, it was all solo travel. The idea seemed daunting at first, but having just done it I can't imagine not doing it next time.

[@thisjalife]

@michaelfieser that sounds amazing!! Happy belated birthday trip!

[@kennethjdaggett6075]

All of 8it was very well presented and explained

[@thisjalife]

I appreciate that!! Are you considering taking zip or already bought tickets?

[@johnwendland7908]

Going on Zip in March. This is helpful

[@thisjalife]

Glad to hear! Full review is coming from when we took it!

[@marcuscheng2507]

I will be flying Zipair on the week of June 23, 2024!

[@thisjalife]

Exciting!!! How long are you going for? Be prepared for heat!

[@thisjalife]

You must be excited!! Prepared?

[@Norcalcouple]

Great video, thank you for all the information!

[@thisjalife]

Absolutely glad it was helpful! Are you planning on taking it?

[@sarahgoodwin7282]

Thank you so much for this awesome and informative video! Hubby and I just booked ZipAir for our trip from Honolulu to Tokyo in May! I think I may be a little confused about what the differences are between reclining seats vs lie flat seats. Are they the same?

[@thisjalife]

All the seats recline but the lie flats are the business class equivalent for Zipair (without all the frills 😆) so they completely recline pretty flat. The economy seats just recline a little like any other airline! I hope that helps?

[@jennifersulucio]

Great video!!! We don’t have this airline available here in Missouri and I still found this so interesting!!

[@thisjalife]

Thanks! I had soooo many questions when buying tickets so thought I’d share my research to help others!

[@jennifersulucio]

@@thisjalife You're always so entertaining and beautiful and I love your editing!!!!

[@thisjalife]

@FromJenwithHope awww thanks trying to improve little by little!

[@Mnr1204]

Great video! I'm a little confused about the luggage allowance If I choose no add ons do I still get the 2 carryons for free?

[@thisjalife]

Yes for a total of 7kg!

[@michaelmwwong]

You can select different and/or no package for each traveller when booking

[@thisjalife]

Good to know thanks!

[@jeffrey8921]

But you can’t choose seats if travel with fam.

[@thisjalife]

@jeffrey8921 what do you mean? Even if you buy seats?

[@jeffrey8921]

@@thisjalife how’s the seats arrangement for fam of 3 if we don’t buy premium packs?

[@thisjalife]

@jeffrey8921 we bought seats with our flight - we were a family of 4 so did 3 together and one across the aisle

[@manuvital9071]

Thank you! This video helped so much before i bought my tiks for SFO flight. Do you think I can bring an extra item carryon if I order a duty free bottle of wine? I don't see anywhere on website to ask this question. Thx in advance.

[@thisjalife]

Glad it was helpful! My experience has been that duty free items have been ok once you get pass check in. I would hop even if they’re sticklers (because let’s be honest it depends who we get) they’d be ok with one bottle of wine if it doesn’t squeeze in!

[@fuerynerso3898]

For the meals, do you get to tell them when you want to eat it? Or is it just served at set times? I'm thinking of buying 2 meals but don't want to get them at the same time :D

[@thisjalife]

You can pick whether to have it at the beginning or end of the flight (for added fee) but you can’t seem to buy two!! I thought about it too 😆

[@mylinhp2004]

Thanks for the info. 2 carry on bags free total 15 lbs for both. Bag size 15.7” x 9 8” x 21.6” 13.8” x 9.8” x 17.7” How can I change to upgrade my flights to lie flat? Thanks

[@thisjalife]

I don’t think you can change after you buy but let me know if there is a way! You select it at the time of purchase.

[@manuvital9071]

Hi, great video. Can I bring a foam neck pillow on my neck, in addition to the prsl item & carry-on? Thks in advance

[@thisjalife]

You mean holding it separately? Maybe but I would make sure you could attach or put it in somewhere if they say something… is it inflatable?

[@manuvital9071]

@@thisjalife No it's not inflatable. So maybe i should not bring it.

[@thisjalife]

@manuvital9071 maybe it’s ok if you can loop it on to something? But they could be sticklers since they sell it as part of the amenities pack

[@peilinghuang4843]

Hi, you CAN buy amenities on board, there’s inflight shopping. I got inflatable (pump-able, no blowing needed) neck pillows for my fam at 800 yen each, quite a good price i think. FYI, it IS possible to just get check in for the adults and none for the kids (that’s what we did for our Dec2023 trip!). If u have trouble choosing that when booking tickets, you can also check out first without purchasing any check in, and then go MANAGE MY BOOKING thereafter to add on later. Hope this helps! 😊

[@thisjalife]

Thanks so much! How was your flight overall? I’ll definitely be posting our review after!

[@paulc1014]

Are there electrical outlets in the ZipAir planes? Also, 7 kg seems very low, do you recommend paying extra for additional weight? I am going with my girlfriend and I was thinking maybe only one of us pay for additional weight in case either of us overpack our carry on, we can throw it into the other carry on and vice versa

[@thisjalife]

We got an extra for a kid as well because we were nervous ours would be over! Yes there were outlets on our seats - when are you going? Exciting!!!

[@paulc1014]

​@@thisjalife We are going to Japan in two weeks! Yes, probably best to purchase one additional weight allowance just to avoid any problem! and great that there are electrical outlets 👌

[@Mcslee1976]

Thanks for all the tips. Anyone know if I don't pay for the seats for my family of 4, will I still have option to pick the seat at check-in? or is going to be randomly assign (i.e. not seated together)?

[@thisjalife]

I’d love to know too since I’m never willing to risk it!

[@omiulala]

Thank you for the helpful tips! Do you find the neck pillow comfortable?

[@thisjalife]

The built in one?

[@omiulala]

@@thisjalife sorry, I referred to the one in the amenity set.

[@thisjalife]

@omiulala got it, it’s not different from other travel pillows honestly but the self inflating was pretty cool!

[@daverbook]

Hi- Excellent info, thanks. Two questions: Are the flat seats available at exactly the 24 hour before departure mark, like concert tickets? Or is the time flexible? I am thinking they must go quickly. And what does it mean when it says seats 45 DE don't have raiseable armrests, but then it goes on to say the seats between 45 DE do have moveable armrests? There are not seats between 45D and 45E. Confusing.

[@thisjalife]

I’m not clear what you mean by the 24 hour mark - can you explain? When tickets get released they should all be there at the same time, economy and lie flat. I’m not sure on the armrests either but if it says 45DE I’d avoid those to be safe if you want movable ones!!

[@carlossamaniego3436]

Hi, great video, I'm booking a flight with zipair at the moment. There are these Outbound Flight Package's. The value package is 85$, and it guarantees seat selection in advance, in-flight meal (standard), and check-in baggage (single piece, max weight of 30kg per piece). Is it just better to not get the package at all and pay for seat selection and check-in baggage later?

[@thisjalife]

Honestly up to you based on what you use! We weren’t going to be used the checked portion for the whole party so we booked individual things!

[@guyfellows2293]

really enjoyed the video, thank you! However, your audio level is way too low - I had all my volume sliders at maximum and you were still pretty quiet. But I still liked and subscribed!

[@thisjalife]

Thanks for letting me know! I didn’t think there was an issue but I’ll review again - glad you’re here!

[@HollieNguyen]

Thank you so much for this video - so helpful! My question is if I were to buy the package that includes the meals - do I have to pay for meals or will meals be served to me without paying extra?

[@thisjalife]

If you get the package that will cover your meal so you just have to pick! Stay tuned for the review coming soon!

[@chuckluu4683]

if you use a soft bag like a duffle bag which is a little bigger than the definition of the size (25x35x45cm) but it is soft enough to fit into their go-no-go cage if they have one, would it count as ok to use?

[@thisjalife]

I’ll leave it up to you to take the chance - we were conservative and wanted to make sure we didn’t hit any snafoos but then nobody measured strictly

[@sonarvord]

Got any tips for getting a lie flat seat reserved in advance? We have flights in June 24 and for the return I would like a lie flight. Instructions are provided when using the app. However, when trying to download the app from Play Store it says it is unavailable for this region (USA). Very odd. Thanks if you have a tip for this!

[@thisjalife]

I would find out when they release the next batch of flights and book that day. June is definitely high demand!! Be ready with what you want, documents, etc! I never used their app - didn’t know they had one!

[@myrnad6006]

I'm flying from MNL to NRT to SFO (2 flight segments). Do I have to purchase packages for each flight segment? In other words, if I buy the premium package that has the amenity kit for each segment, won't I end up with 2 amenity kit sets?

[@thisjalife]

You have to buy for each segment so yes you will get two. I’d check the “a la carte” option and see if that makes more sense for you.

[@kennethjdaggett6075]

I was looking at it ,but I must connect in Japan to go pn to Vietnam and zip air does not fly there, so I have to see what my options are.

[@thisjalife]

Makes sense good luck!! I did get nervous with a layover with a different airline!

[@kevizzlecwalk]

If i bring a backpack is that consider a personal item that is free or a carry on bag?

[@thisjalife]

Personal but they weigh together

[@muhdnabilmustaqim6841]

Hi, any idea if the seat armrest can be shift up? Worried for my kid sleeping during night time

[@thisjalife]

Yes you can lift like any other plane! My kid laid across on our lap

[@muhdnabilmustaqim6841]

Great....Thank you!!

[@thisjalife]

Glad to help!

[@ginobmusic]

How were you able to fit anything in a carry on luggage when my carry on itself is about 4 kg?

[@thisjalife]

With a lot of intentional choosing and weighing! Are you way above the amount?

[@ginobmusic]

@@thisjalife Not yet but I am packing right now and trying to figure it out how much i can stuff in there.

[@jh4695]

Someone please help me confirm. Package A Value: I get 2 carry on free & 1 free check in baggage I ask so I can bring an empty suit case from home for souvenirs.

[@sanly4948]

I am going to Japan next weekend. I am debating on should I carry a thick jacket with me because I always feel cold due to the AC ( Korean airlines), but Korean airline gives thick blanket and I could ask for extra one. I wonder is it cold or hot on Zipair airplane? This is my first time booking this airline. Btw, I am going from SFO to Narita. Thanks

[@thisjalife]

I always get cold too so carry a jacket but I was ok with a sweatshirt. You should definitely bring something (probably don’t need a thick one) but you know yourself!

[@sanly4948]

@@thisjalife thanks, I guess I will carry a thin jacket with me.

[@thisjalife]

@sanly4948 might be helpful inside shops/restaurants/trains too even if it’s super hot outside

[@ladyorchid6389]

Still a bit confused. If I choose the plan A, am I still allowed to bring those carry on bags

[@thisjalife]

Yes if it says +8kg you should get additional weight for your regular carry on

[@alisonlee7580]

Were you allowed to use the foot rests or Jetfly beds for kids to allow them to lie flat and sleep?

[@thisjalife]

The girl next to me did and nobody said anything!

[@kennethjdaggett6075]

Thank You

[@thisjalife]

Absolutely! Was there anything that was most helpful?

[@michellem4026]

I flew singapore back to japan yesterday. The wifi is only for the food though. It didn't load for netflix

[@thisjalife]

Oh weird it worked for other things for me when I was testing it out just pretty slow

[@RescueGreenTea]

Hi! I bought the value package so does that I mean I cannot bring a carryon?

[@thisjalife]

You can but it has to be less than 7kg

[@michaelmwwong]

And you can also upgrade to 15kg as well@@thisjalife

[@alonzomelendez281]

Do you have to purchase check-in baggage in advance? Or can this be done at the airport?

[@thisjalife]

You can do it there but I think it’s a little more expensive

[@Sleet150]

Does anyone know if I upgrade my luggage if I can do 1 carry on with 15 kg or does it have to be 2 different bags, one 7 kg and the other 8 kg???

[@thisjalife]

You can do 1 or 2 - it’s the sum weight

[@goutvols103]

Are there no IFE's on ZipAir?

[@thisjalife]

IFE?

[@goutvols103]

@@thisjalife In-flight entertainment.

[@thisjalife]

That’s what I thought but wanted to make sure! None

[@ExtremeRecluse]

I am going from Manila. Since I am cheap, this will be without add-ons.

[@thisjalife]

You do you! I think depending on time, circumstances, etc you can definitely do it really cheap if you can pack light! Me with kids we needed some of the add ons

[@hope3879]

Can I bring my own food and drink ?

[@thisjalife]

Yes! Normal rules apply going through security - just please don’t bring a ton of water that you spill on the persons stuff behind you…

[@hope3879]

@@thisjalife Thank you ~~👍👍

[@thisjalife]

@hope3879 of course!

[@metalfatigue]

Puts a new twist on Japanese hospitality, doesn't it? "Ladies and gentlemen, in the unlikely event of a water landing, a touchless credit card terminal will drop down. We apologize if your selction is not available. Lavatory access passes may be purchased 24 hours in advance. Please note the time limit on your pass to avoid any embarrassment. And please do not form a line by the lavatory as this space has been reserved for passengers who've opted out of our seat selection process."

[@thisjalife]

😆 sadly accurate

[@nak4651]

How can an airline that provides transportation with such long distances to Japan and offer seats that only recline 3 inches is ridiculous. Forget about the savings for food, amenities, and the like. To travel ~10 hours to Japan with 3 inches of recline, I'd rather stick a fork in my eyes. Oh, last bonus tip: Don't take Zip Air at all; for your sanity and body/peace of mind. JMHO All that being said, thank you so much for an actually concise and informative video about using Zip Air. Love your comments and tips. Keep up the good work and continue with health and happiness.

[@thisjalife]

Thanks so much! My husband would agree with you even if I’m still trying to convince him to try the lie flat 😆 did you do the economy or lie flat?

[@leanne1685]

Bring plastic utensils bc they charge them!

[@thisjalife]

Really?? I didn’t even think to ask - did you get a meal? It came with a utensil

[@darrellq6954]

@@thisjalife She's just joking because they charge for everything, including each time you go to the restroom.... :)

[@thisjalife]

😆 I got it now - thanks a little slow

[@JVvvv-wv7jb]

do they accept debit or only credit card?

[@thisjalife]

Good Q - I never tried debit but their website says yes!