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THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
This is a uniquely positioned product that allows you to get a lie-flat business class style seat with no service whatsoever – unless you pay for it. I like the concept (and am a big fan of the free WiFi), though you might want to discern whether this is the best value for you, particularly if you enjoy flying |
4.0
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In September 2025, I flew ZIPAIR’s ZIP Full-Flat seat from Tokyo Narita to Seoul Incheon. ZIPAIR’s Full Flat seat is different from any other airline product that I know – the hard product is similar to a (pretty good) longhaul business class seat, but there’s not any soft product whatsoever, and you’re given the same service as any other passenger would be given on this ultra low-cost carrier. Given that I had to position to Seoul from Tokyo to catch a cheap premium cabin outbound itinerary, ZIPAIR seemed like the perfect choice, especially given that there was a flight departing exactly when I needed it to.
While my flight was 2h 30m, the airline also operates longhaul flights. In fact, the Tokyo to Seoul route is their shortest route by far, and their next shortest route is over twice as long to Manila. I’d say that ZIP Full Flat offers a pretty incredible value if you’re just looking for a flat bed to rest up in, especially given that their rates can be pretty close to premium economy. However, don’t expect a business class experience – food and amenities aren’t complimentary, so you’ll have to pay for a pillow and blanket, as well as any meal onboard.
Booking ZIPAIR’s 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat
My one-way flight in ZIPAIR’s Full-Flat seat from Tokyo Narita to Seoul Incheon cost 29,160 JPY (£146.73/HK$1,518). I booked the flight directly on ZIPAIR’s website, and while the price of a ZIP Full-Flat seat can be much more expensive on longhaul flights (compared to standard class), ZIP Full-Flat only cost 45% more than a standard seat for this short flight. I wanted to try the ZIP Full-Flat seat out, so this was a no-brainer for me.
It’s worth noting that ZIPAIR’s Full-Flat seats are only available to children over 6 for safety reasons. I mean, I suppose that you need to be 7 years old or above to assist in an emergency situation?
I was then invited to choose whether I wanted to buy up to one of two packages – a Value package which included a check-in bag and seat selection, and a Premium package including all of the above plus an inflight meal and a carry-on bag.
I wanted seat selection, the inflight meal and the carry-on bag but not the check-in bag, so just bought everything unbundled.
In the next step, I was invited to choose whether I wanted to purchase a plethora of duty-free goods – below is just a small snapshot of what’s on offer. There were clothes, beauty products, etc.
There were also many souvenirs for purchase, including Ichiran instant ramen, microwavable rice, cup noodles, Japanese-exclusive confectionery including Kit Kats, etc.
Lastly, you could also purchase services including access to the Narita Premier Lounge, priority check-in and baggage delivery (which ZIPAIR passengers don’t otherwise get), etc.
There was also an option to purchase an amenity set, which I took advantage of, since I wanted to add it to the review.
In a separate step, you could then add various weights of check-in baggage and sports equipment, or upgrade your carry-on baggage allowance to 15 kg. I upgraded my carry-on baggage allowance just in case (I didn’t end up needing it), which cost 2,000 JPY (£10/HK$104).
Seat selection was also available, and this cost 800 JPY (£4/HK$42) for my flight. Do note that if you want to change your seat, you’ll have to pay 100 JPY (50p/HK$5) for it, which just seems like a hassle for not much auxiliary revenue.
At this point you could also order your meal choice, which I took advantage of. I’ll be speaking more about the food selection later on in the post.
After going through all of these options, I was able to pay for the flight. I found ZIPAIR’s booking and management system to be a bit temperamental at times, though largely painless. My flight itinerary was as follows:
14/09 ZIPAIR 41 Tokyo Narita – Seoul Incheon dep. 08:55 arr. 11:25 [ZIP Full-Flat]
You can credit miles on ZIPAIR to Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank, as ZIPAIR is a full subsidiary of Japan Airlines. However, ZIPAIR isn’t part of Oneworld, so you can’t credit to another Oneworld airline. You can also exchange Japan Airlines miles to ZIPAIR points at up to a 1:1.5 ratio, in order to book ZIPAIR flights, though one ZIPAIR point translates to one yen (so this flight would’ve cost 29,160 points). That’s not an especially lucrative use of Japan Airlines miles, if you ask me.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Check-In and Ground Experience
ZIPAIR does offer online check-in 24 hours before departure, though it requires scanning the MRZ (bottom letters) of your passport. Unfortunately the system can’t read Hong Kong passports, so said that there was a name mismatch. The airport kiosk was able to sort this out, though, so I didn’t have to go to a check-in desk (a mobile boarding pass was immediately generated on the app once I had received a paper one from the kiosk).
I arrived at the airport at 7:25 AM ahead of my 8:55 AM flight (from the 9h capsule hotel at Narita Airport). ZIPAIR uses Terminal 1N at Narita Airport.
Narita Airport Terminal 1N
Unlike most airlines that group you by boarding class, ZIPAIR groups flights by destination. Passengers to Manila and Seoul were invited to check-in together, though there wasn’t much of a line at this time.
ZIPAIR Check-in Desks and Kiosks
I find Narita Airport to consistently have a line at security, though it tends to move quite quickly. This was no exception, and I was through in around 15 minutes. As you’d probably expect by now, ZIPAIR passengers don’t receive lounge access (unless they pay for it), though Narita Airport is quite nicely decked out with comfortable and varied seating areas.
Narita Airport Terminal 1 Seating Areas
Our flight was departing from gate 14, one of the gates by the No. 1 Satellite area of the airport’s north wing (this is where my Hong Kong Airlines flight back home departed a few years ago, when I flew them). Apart from being very close to the Narita Premier lounge, this area also featured some nice seating, including a fake greenery area and some 300 JPY massage chairs.
Narita Airport Terminal 1 Seating
There were two ZIPAIR 787s departing from proximate gates – the flight to Manila was departing from gate 15, and we were departing next door at gate 14, both at 8:55 AM. The Manila flight was a couple of steps ahead of us in every step in the boarding process, and we ultimately ended up commencing boarding just after they did.
I was able to get a good view of the ZIPAIR 787 taking us over to Seoul.
ZIPAIR 787 at Narita Airport
Boarding was scheduled for 8:25 AM, and sure enough around 8:20 AM, two ground staff held up a sign inviting those in rows 1-5 to board (that’s ZIPAIR’s ZIP Full-Flat product), as well as rows 45-57 at the same time. ZIPAIR doesn’t really advertise priority boarding for passengers in their Full-Flat product, though does now consistently board Full-Flat passengers along with the first boarding group (after infirm passengers and those needing special assistance).
ZIPAIR Boarding Gate at Narita Airport
We queued for a couple of minutes, before a gate agent scanned my boarding pass and sent me on my way. ZIPAIR boards Full-Flat passengers and everyone seated on the right side of the plane through the first set of doors, in order to minimise crew involvement during the boarding process. This reminded me of Emirates’ boarding process on the A380 lower deck, and perhaps could be a minor deciding factor if you’re choosing between sitting in the left or right of the aircraft.
ZIPAIR Boarding Process at Narita Airport
ZIPAIR Flight ZG41
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Origin: Tokyo Narita (NRT) T: 1N Gate: 14 Dep: 08:55 (08:55)
Destination: Seoul Incheon (ICN) T: 1 Gate: 111 Arr: 11:25 (11:15)
Duration: 2 hr 30 min (2 hr 20 min)
Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Reg: JA828J
Seat: 5K (ZIP Full-Flat Class)
ZIPAIR ZIP Full-Flat 787 Cabin and Seat
ZIPAIR’s 787 Full-Flat business class takes up the space between doors 1 and 2 of the 787-8, so the cabin comprises of 18 seats spread across five rows (row 1 is missing two center seats). The cabin features reverse herringbone seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, and is sterile as can be in an almost sleek way, with black leather upholstery and white seat “shells”.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Cabin
Perhaps the thing that will throw most people off is the lack of inflight entertainment screens, as this makes ZIPAIR the only carrier that operates reverse herringbone seats without an inflight entertainment screen at each seat. Instead, there’s a literature pocket at where you’d expect to find an inflight entertainment screen.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Cabin
Otherwise , the seats are as spacious as a reverse herringbone seat that you’d find in business class on a full-service carrier. In fact, these are JAMCO Venture business class seats, which you’ll also find on KLM and Air Europa, among others.
The center seats are good if you’re a couple wanting to sit together, as you’ll get the highest chance of being able to speak to one another inflight. However, if you don’t select a seat and are stuck with a center seat, worry not – there’s a privacy divider that slides shut all the way, so you end up with your own space.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Cabin Center Seats
I selected seat 5K, which was the rear window seat on the right side. This is generally my preference, as I enjoy the privacy when seated in the back row.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Cabin Seat 5K
This isn’t the newest reverse herringbone seat out there, and also not the latest and greatest in terms of storage. However, I certainly would be a happy camper having this seat on a longhaul flight, let alone a 2h 30m hop from Tokyo to Seoul.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat
In front of me was a literature pocket, though the crew didn’t mind me putting my laptop there during takeoff and landing (despite the “literature only” sign). Underneath was a little ledge where I could put glasses or a phone, though I wish there was a ridge that would stop things from falling out (in case of turbulence or anything else).
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat
To my right were the intuitive seat controls, a brightness setting for the reading light, as well as a “Do Not Disturb” button.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat Controls
To my right was the seat console, which featured yet another storage area, a reading light, a crew call button center, and a 110V and USB-A charging port.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Side Console
Next to that was a larger flat surface, where I could place items such as an open laptop during meal times.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat Side Console
Underneath the literature pocket and storage compartment was a fairly large footwell – I didn’t feel too constrained when in bed mode, and would have no issues sleeping here on a long overnight flight.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat Footwell
Next to the footwell was another compartment that was an apt location for AirPods or other small items.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat Storage Net
There are many other reverse herringbone seats out there with more storage options, though I must say I didn’t mind this setup for a 2h 30m flight. I even found a place to put my laptop (which I wasn’t reprimanded for by crew), which I wasn’t even able to do in Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite.
The tray table swiveled out from the side console, and was plenty large and sturdy, though not very practical to use in the folded position. You couldn’t really swing it out of the way with a tray table on, though it was easy enough to get in and out of the seat with the tray table deployed.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat Tray Table
This is definitely one of the best premium hard products offered by an ultra low-cost carrier, and a pretty good reverse herringbone seat. As aforementioned, there are lots of business class seats out there that offer much more privacy, storage and tech, though having direct aisle access and the opportunity to lie down is uncommon enough amongst low-cost airlines.
Even on longhaul flights, ZIPAIR pricing seems to be most similar to an average premium economy fare on a full-service carrier, or perhaps a really cheap business class fare. If I was just looking to get some sleep, ZIPAIR’s Full-Flat seat beats a premium economy product hands down. Just don’t expect it to be comparable to a business class product, given the lack of soft product – as you can see above, there’s not even any bedding provided with the seat (the same is true on longhaul flights, even though I was only flying to Seoul).
ZIPAIR 787 Standard Class
Since I was first onboard and seated in the last row, I took the opportunity to quickly check out ZIPAIR’s standard cabin. While this cabin is obviously extremely no-frills, there’s still merit to flying ZIPAIR over airlines such as Scoot – there’s an adjustable headrest at every seat and complimentary in-seat power, not to mention free WiFi.
ZIPAIR 787 Standard Cabin
Taking Off from Narita Airport
Boarding was completed extremely swiftly, as you’d expect from a Japanese carrier. The load factor in the Full-Flat cabin wasn’t particularly heavy (I’d estimate around 60-65%, with both center seats next to me empty), though it felt fuller in the standard cabin behind.
At 8:45 AM we were more or less ready to go, with the cabin doors closed. At this point, a manual safety demonstration was done, and the captain also came onto the PA to announce our flight time (I didn’t catch it, though it ended up being 2h 2m).
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Cabin
While this was happening, I watched the very similar ZIPAIR 787 parked next to us push back, as it got ready to head off to Manila.
ZIPAIR 787 pushing back at Narita Airport
We were next to push back bang on time at 8:55 AM, and passed a Kalitta Air 747 along the way. It’s been seven years since I’ve last been on a 747, and I sure hope to be on one one last time before they’re pulled out of service!
Kalitta Air 747 at Narita Airport
As we lined up to take off, the captain made a “thank you for waiting for our takeoff” announcement, instructing cabin crew to be seated for the takeoff roll.
We took off from runway 16R at 9:09 AM, heading southeast before making a rightward turn to head west towards Seoul.
Takeoff from Narita Airport
As we turned rightward, we had great views over Kujūkuri Beach and some of the greenery around the Chiba area.
Taking off from Narita Airport
Shortly after takeoff at around 9:20 AM, we were told by the captain to expect a bit of turbulence, and to keep our seatbelts fastened.
ZIPAIR 787 Inflight WiFi
One of the cool things about ZIPAIR is that every single passenger gets free inflight WiFi. Yep, you read that right – an ultra-low cost carrier is offering inflight WiFi for all passengers (including on longhaul flights), something that very few airlines have managed to do.
There’s a leaflet at each seat instructing you how to connect to inflight WiFi.
ZIPAIR Inflight WiFi Leaflet
I followed the instructions to connect to ZIPAIR’s inflight WiFi, and got to their portal, which allowed me to either connect to WiFi, access inflight services (including purchasing food/beverages or duty-free items), or view more flight information.
After clicking “Connect Now”, I could simply accept some terms and conditions and connect to the internet.
WiFi measured a respectable 7.79 Mbps down and 2.86 Mbps up. That’s not particularly fast, but definitely usable, especially considering it’s complimentary for everyone on the flight. I’d say that if WiFi can work consistently well on longhaul flights, this is a huge competitive advantage of flying ZIPAIR above any similarly priced product, as you can both get comfortable and stay productive.
ZIPAIR 787 Online Inflight Services
ZIPAIR’s 787s have streaming entertainment, as well as an online shopping portal. By clicking on “inflight services” you’ll reach this interface, where you can see inflight shopping, seat options, and inflight entertainment.
From the inflight shopping portal you can choose from a selection of food and beverages, including some souvenir snacks. However, do note that you can’t choose any of the main meals on this Tokyo to Seoul flight – you can buy full main meals onboard on longer flights.
There’s also a plethora of inflight shopping options – below is a snapshot of what’s available. As you can see, you can purchase shorts, a steam eye mask, a stainless steel straw, compression socks, individual items from the (paid) amenity kit, etc.
You can even choose to upgrade to ZIP Full-Flat inflight, pending availability. This cost 10,000 JPY (£50/HK$519) on my short flight, which was just marginally more than the price difference online. Expect the price for this mid-flight seat upgrade to be larger on a longhaul flight.
ZIPAIR 787 Entertainment System
Alongside the inflight services, ZIPAIR also features an entertainment system, which also can be found by logging onto the WiFi portal.
The airline features…ten movies. The full selection can be found below. Well, at least I enjoy all ten of these movies.
I definitely consider the free onboard WiFi to be the superior form of inflight entertainment on this flight, though.
In terms of what else is in the literature pocket, there’s also a specific card that prohibits the use of electronic devices that “emit radio waves” from when the doors close until the plane has landed. Upon inspection, it seems like ZIPAIR’s policy is that airplane mode is enabled once the aircraft doors are closed, and devices without airplane mode are switched off. Bluetooth devices such as headphones are explicitly permitted, as are all devices that output less than 100 milliwatts.
ZIPAIR 787 Paid Amenity Set
As you can see, ZIPAIR doesn’t provide any amenities whatsoever, even for ZIP Full-Flat passengers. I did pre-order an amenity set online, which set me back 2,500 JPY (£12.41/HK$130). This wasn’t because I felt like I needed a pillow and blanket on this short 2h 30m flight, though because I wanted to go all-out with reviewing the product.
The amenity set came in a ZIPAIR themed plastic bag (unfortunately I have since broken the bag by trying to carry something too heavy in it).
ZIPAIR 787 Amenity Set
The amenity set featured slippers, earplugs, eyeshades, a blanket, and an inflatable pillow. The inflatable pillow was quite bad and no match for a real pillow, and I’d struggle with it on a longhaul flight (it came with a pump, where you could pump air into the pillow). However, the fleece blanket was pretty good (similar to what you’d expect in a half-decent premium economy product), and even came with a bag that made the blanket easy to pack away. The slippers were also the sturdiest slippers I’ve ever received on a plane, and I use them quite regularly at home.
Obviously it’s quite ULCC-esque of ZIPAIR to charge for such basic amenities, though that’s the kind of product that ZIPAIR is offering. On the plus side, you get to keep all of this stuff. You have to pre-order the full amenity set, though each of the individual items is purchasable on the online platform – the blanket costs 1,500 JPY (£7.45/HK$78), the neck pillow costs 800 JPY (£3.97/HK$42), and the slippers, eyeshades and earplugs also cost 800 JPY. This means that pre-ordering the full set will save you 600 JPY (£2.98/HK$31).
ZIPAIR 787 Amenity Set
ZIPAIR 787 Meal Service
ZIPAIR doesn’t automatically offer a meal for passengers in ZIP Full-Flat, but rather you have to purchase one if you would like to eat onboard. ZIPAIR offers three main meals for purchase onboard their Tokyo to Seoul flights, and they’re all priced at 1,600 JPY (£7.95/HK$83). The selection is limited is because the short flight time means that they only serve cold options – they do have more extensive hot options on their longer flights, such as a ZIPAIR original wagyu beef curry, gyudon (beef rice), eel rice, and katsudon (pork cutlet rice), all available for purchase.
I’d ordered the soba with bits of tempura batter, which was served around 30 minutes after takeoff in the following box:
ZIPAIR 787 Pre-Ordered Meal
The meal itself was good, though it’s hard to go wrong with a meal like this onboard a flight, given how easy it is to be pre-prepared. The one thing I found a bit off was the vessel I was eating soupy noodles in – I would’ve preferred to have a disposable bowl or something less flimsy. Chopsticks were provided (though these were located at the back, so I didn’t spot them until I had eaten the whole thing with a fork).
ZIPAIR 787 Pre-Ordered Meal
The crew would come around every once in a while to collect rubbish, so my meal box was collected not too long after I finished.
It’s hard to judge ZIPAIR’s meal quality with a food selection like this – I kind of wish I ordered the pork cutlet sandwich instead, which probably would’ve been a better indicator of food quality. In either case, I’d try one of ZIPAIR’s signature dishes on a longer flight, or simply purchase some sushi or a bento box at Narita before my next ZIPAIR flight.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat Bed
After my meal, it was time to try the functionalities of the Full-Flat seat. Do note that these seats don’t feature a calf rest, so the seat connects directly to the ottoman in the fully flat position.
The seat features a “relax” mode, which looks as follows:
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat in Relax mode
Bed mode is perfectly fine to get comfortable in, although this isn’t the widest or most private of beds out there:
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat in Bed Mode
Here’s the bed with all of the bedding from the amenity set provided:
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Seat with Bedding
Of course, the X-factor of this product is that the seat lies flat at all. Don’t expect to get the best business class hard product ever on ZIPAIR – the seat itself isn’t on the cutting edge amongst business class seats, even though it’s still quite comfortable. I wouldn’t struggle to get comfortable here on one of the airline’s longer flights to Houston or San Francisco.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Cabin Lavatories
ZIPAIR’s Full Flat cabin has a whopping five lavatories, though passengers from the Standard cabin are welcome to use the rear four (and in fact they do, since there are only two lavatories further back in the plane for 272 Standard passengers). The lavatories are standard and don’t feature any special amenities, though they were kept mostly spotless throughout the flight.
ZIPAIR 787 Lavatory
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Service
While I don’t usually make a separate section to talk about service when reviewing an ultra low-cost carrier, perhaps many will be interested by the service flow on this flight. The only service on this flight consisted of my amenity set and meal being delivered to me, and otherwise cabin crew were primarily around to check for safety.
I did note that there were dedicated crewmembers manning the ZIP Full-Flat cabin, though. The lavatories were also kept spotless – after someone used the lavatory, a cabin crew member would always go in to make sure it was serviceable for the next passenger.
So overall, I’d say that although there’s no dedicated service differentiation for those seated in the ZIP Full-Flat cabin, cabin crew are still courteous and friendly as you’d expect from a Japanese carrier.
Announcements during cruising
At around 10 AM (this is just under an hour after takeoff), there was a flurry of announcements. This began with a seatbelt announcement as we had just encountered some turbulence, followed immediately by an announcement mentioning goods that couldn’t be imported into Seoul, followed by a medical announcement listing symptoms that required further attention.
I’d say those went on for a good few minutes, and while slightly unfortunate timing, I’m sure this would’ve disrupted sleep for some passengers.
A few minutes later in the flight, an “inflight shopping has now closed” announcement was made.
Landing into Incheon Airport
The seatbelt sign was turned on sometime close to our landing due to turbulence, so I assumed it’d stay on throughout the rest of the flight. Much to my surprise, the seatbelt sign was turned off again at around 10:45 AM, 25 minutes before landing, once again allowing passengers to use the restroom before landing.
The cabin did end up eventually getting prepared for landing as we neared Incheon.
ZIPAIR 787 ZIP Full-Flat Cabin before Landing
Since we were flying in from the east, we had great views as we flew over Seoul, before heading west towards Incheon where the airport was located.
Flying over Seoul
We did eventually head out over Gyeonggi Bay, before making a 270° rightward turn to line up with runway 15R, where we’d be landing at Incheon Airport. We had great aerial views of the airport as well as we came in to land.
Landing into Incheon Airport
We touched down at 11:10 AM, before making a very quick taxi to Terminal 1’s satellite concourse.
Landing at Incheon Airport
Deplaning was a relatively quick process, and I decided to pop out to visit the surrounding area for a bit, before returning to Incheon to fly Cathay Pacific’s regional business class to Hong Kong in the afternoon.
Conclusion
ZIPAIR’s ZIP Full-Flat product can offer an incredible value, assuming that the airline operates routes that suit you. You get a fully flat bed with direct aisle access for the price of a premium economy product, and there’s free and functional inflight WiFi to boot. If you’re being flown point-to-point as a one-off, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better value than ZIPAIR, and it’s definitely more comfortable than what you’d get in premium economy on any airline.
I feel like if ZIPAIR were the only way I’d travel, though, this kind of takes a bit of the fun out of flying. There’s no hospitality or flair whatsoever with the product – it’s incredibly sterile, any amenities and food cost extra, and even the longhaul menu largely stays the same between flights. It felt a bit like being on a bus with cool beds that I could sleep in. In addition, there’s very limited value to be had in joining the airline’s loyalty programme, and redemptions for this product also are super low-value. Even the paid amenities are a significant step down from what you’d expect in business class on a full-service airline.
I’d be keen to fly the product longhaul, though preferably ZIPAIR wouldn’t be the airline I’d primarily fly, even if Japan-U.S. was a key route for me. Also note that prices on ZIPAIR can inflate a bit during peak season – if prices become comparable to a connecting itinerary in a “true” business class product, I’d probably take that instead.
