Budget Flights from Vancouver to Tokyo in High Demand, Nearly Sold Out for March

A low-cost carrier offering new cheap flights from Vancouver to Tokyo is turning heads among B.C. travellers, with tickets for its first month of operations nearly sold out. Zipair, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, launched its service from Vancouver-Tokyo Narita airport on Dec. 26, offering a round trip at around $700 US ($942 Cdn) for an economy seat where larger carriers typically charge more than double that price.

Passengers are expected to pay for other services, including food and check-in luggage. Economy seats make up most of the flight; with a few hundred dollars more, passengers can access to ‘full flat seats’ that allow them to recline.

‘Having a low-cost alternative, I think it’s going to really drum up interest for inbound tourism into Japan,’ said David Tikkanen, head of the tourism marketing program at the B.C. Institute of Technology. ‘Hopefully, [the] Japanese market, they are going to want to come and check out Vancouver as well.’

Statistics from Japan’s tourism sector show that the country’s tourism industry rebounded significantly in 2023 after three years of pandemic-induced slowdown. Approximately 25 million people visited Japan last year, nearing the record-breaking 31.8 million visitors in 2019.

In a statement, Zipair president Shingo Nishida mentioned a ‘growing travel demand’ between Vancouver and Tokyo and expressed excitement in welcoming Canadian customers to enhance commercial and cultural exchange between the two countries.

Zipair’s Vancouver-Tokyo flight, set to commence on March 13, has generated a lot of buzz on social media since its announcement. A quick look at their website reveals that demand for the flight is already high, with nearly all outbound flights from Vancouver in March booked out by Jan. 20.

Tikkanen believes that Zipair’s seat upgrade, offering a comfortable, bed-like seat on the 10-hour flight, even without food or other services, could be a competitive advantage against other carriers. Despite the additional cost of upgrading to a full-flat bed, Tikkanen suggests that other carriers may explore the budget long-haul flight space given the overwhelming interest in Zipair’s offering.

Tikkanen also highlights the historically strong tourism link between Vancouver and Japan since the 1980s. With Japan experiencing a surge in visitors from Canada after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, he expects the low-cost Vancouver-Tokyo route to attract a lot of interest from both young travelers and the Japanese diaspora in the province.

The Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association has not yet provided a statement regarding this story.