Japanese low-cost carrier ZIPAIR will become the first budget carrier offering direct non-stop services between Tokyo and Houston. The carrier has announced its intention to begin services operating between the two cities on March 4, 2025, using its fleet of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The airline is the low-cost airline of the national flag carrier, Japan Airlines.
The new service between Tokyo-Narita Airport (NRT) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) will become ZIPAIR’s fifth transpacific destination after Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Vancouver. The airline also serves Honolulu in Hawaii as well as several Asian cities. Services will operate from Houston four times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
To drum up early interest for the new route, ZIPAIR is offering promotional fares from Houston to Tokyo starting at $333 one-way. The regular fare to be offered on the route is expected to be around $450 each way.
In a statement regarding the new flights, ZIPAIR highlighted that the state of Texas is the second largest state in the US in terms of both population and economic size and is home to numerous energy, IT, and other industries and companies. It added that more than 50 of the Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the state and, in recent years, the state has become more business-friendly in terms of tax and cost, resulting in more major companies relocating to Texas. Due to this trend, the state’s population is growing at the highest rate in the US.
Adding to its statement, the carrier said that George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston offers an extensive network of connecting services to other destinations across the US, South America, and beyond. However, typical of a low-cost carrier, the airline does not yet offer interline agreements in place with other airlines meaning that customers wishing to travel onwards will have to buy a separate ticket with the connecting carrier.
In its economy class, ZIPAIR follows the typical low-cost carrier model and heavily relies on ancillary revenue to make routes work economically. This includes charging for additional services such as in-flight catering. That said, the carrier does offer a business class offering including lie-flat beds. It also offers free internet connectivity to all passengers via the aircraft’s satellite link.
The airline will be going up against its local rival All Nippon Airways as well as United Airlines which both offer services between Houston and Tokyo using Boeing 787-9s. Additionally, ANA also serves Tokyo-Haneda Airport from Houston daily using 787-8s.
According to ch-aviation, ZIPAIR operates a current fleet of eight Boeing 787-8s on its network of nine routes to 10 destinations across seven countries. Each aircraft is configured for 290 passengers comprising 18 in business class and 270 in economy.
