Zipping to Japan

Zipair launches its Vancouver-Tokyo route in March

Hongkongers can't get enough of Japan, and people living in Vancouver can also take advantage of some cheap airfare to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Zipair is a subsidiary of Japan Airlines and it is offering flights from Vancouver to Tokyo Narita International Airport return from C$680 starting from March. That does not include checked-in luggage fees (C$73 each).

Most of the plane is filled with economy seats

Naturally all the flights for that month were booked up.

But there's a catch -- Zipair does not offer any food on the flight nor any entertainment. So if you're one who can sleep during most of the flight it's a pretty good deal. Someone joked there needs to be enough room to put all your carry-on food for the flight.

Most of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft will have mostly economy seats, but for a few hundred dollars more at C$1,100, you can pay for the "full flat seats" that can fully 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 BC Institute of Technology.

These seats fully recline for over C$1,100

"Hopefully, [the] Japanese market, they are going to want to come and check out Vancouver as well."

Indeed... we have cherry blossoms in the spring too!