ZIPAIR rating

5.2/10Axel score · #67 of 77

1.0/10Repriceability · #77

Checked October 26, 2026 · How Axel rates airlines

Strict no-change fares make ZIPAIR a poor choice for uncertain plans

Axel sees ZIPAIR as a conditional budget choice: book only when the total with bags and seats works for firm travel plans. Standard Value cannot be changed, and ordinary cancellation forfeits the fare. Included light carry-on baggage and below-median US complaint rates help, but the weak price-drop protection is a major drawback.

Best
Two carry-on pieces totaling 7 kg are included in Standard Value.
US-route complaints were 6.48 per 100,000 passengers in April and May 2026, below the 14.73 median for airlines based abroad.
No refund or compensation findings were identified in 5 years.

Worst
Voluntary flight and date changes are prohibited, including with ZIP Full-Flat Value.
Standard Value is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions.
An advance checked bag from Los Angeles to Narita costs USD 85.

If the fare drops after you book, can you get money back?

RarelyRepriceability 1.0/10

Rarely. ZIPAIR has no confirmed direct price-match process. Standard Value prohibits voluntary changes, so there is no change fee to pay for a cheaper fare. Outside exceptions, cancellation forfeits the fare, although eligible unused taxes are refundable on request within 90 days of the ticketed travel date. Flex Biz, bought with the original booking, allows cancellation for a voucher after deductions: 97% of the eligible total at least 30 days before departure, or 77.6% from 29 days until 168 hours before departure. Later, only eligible taxes remain refundable. Vouchers last exactly 180 days, are nontransferable and are usable only by the eligible original passenger in the original currency. Unused balances remain available until expiry. For direct US purchases made at least seven days before departure, request a full refund through the Contact Center within 24 hours, then rebook. DOT's purchase-time eligibility governs despite conflicting airline wording. Canadian routes also have a 24-hour refund provision.

Axel has no reportable repricing sample size, observation period or savings result for ZIPAIR, so no data-based savings estimate is available.

ZIPAIR fares
Fare	Changes	Cancel	Carry-on	Seat
Standard Value	No changes	Without Flex Biz, the fare is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions. Unused refundable airport charges and taxes can be recovered; request within 90 days of the ticketed travel date.	Included	Fee
U6 Standard Value	No changes	Nonrefundable except applicable exceptions or purchased Flex Biz protection; otherwise only eligible unused taxes and airport charges are refundable.	Included	Free choice
ZIP Full-Flat Valuebusiness	No changes	The underlying fare is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions. Flex Biz can separately provide cancellation vouchers after deductions.	Included	Fee

Fare difference on a cheaper change: Lost. There is no voluntary exchange to a cheaper flight on the underlying standard fare. Outside exceptions, cancelling forfeits the fare rather than creating residual credit. Separately purchased Flex Biz allows cancellation for a reduced voucher; if a subsequent booking costs less than that voucher, the unused voucher balance remains available.
Same flight, lower price: No direct post-purchase price-match or difference-credit procedure was found. Based on the published restrictions, the confirmed fee-free method is to cancel an eligible US booking within the 24-hour refund window and purchase the same flight again at its current price. That is cancellation/rebooking, not an adjustment to the existing ticket. Outside that window, Flex Biz can support cancellation and rebooking, but deductions apply, so it is not fee-free repricing.
Credits (Voucher): Exactly 180 days from voucher issuance, approximately six months; the published rule is not six calendar months. Transferable: no.
24-hour rule: For direct US-route purchases, ZIPAIR's US service plan promises a full refund without a fee when requested within 24 hours, excluding bookings made within one week of departure; processing is through the Contact Center. DOT measures eligibility at purchase: at least seven days before departure. ZIPAIR's fare/voucher pages instead refer to 168 hours remaining at cancellation. These undated airline pages conflict near the boundary; the US regulatory purchase-time requirement governs eligible US tickets. ZIPAIR also extends a 24-hour refund provision to Canadian routes.
Same-day change: Voluntary reservation changes are prohibited, with no published same-day flight-change exception. Flex Biz does not provide a same-day change right: its voucher protection ends at the 168-hour cutoff. Airline-disruption rebooking is separate.
Schedule changes: ZIPAIR offers a refund of the affected unused fare, ancillary charges and other fees, or a free ZIPAIR date change within 14 days before/after the original departure, for qualifying airline/weather disruptions. It publishes no numeric refund threshold on that page. For US international itineraries, DOT guarantees a refund after cancellation, departure at least six hours earlier, arrival at least six hours later, or other qualifying significant changes, including changed endpoint airports, added connections or involuntary downgrade, if the traveler declines transportation/compensation. US automatic-refund rights override inconsistent airline request deadlines; refunds are due within seven business days for credit-card payments or 20 calendar days for other payments.

Score breakdown

Repriceability 35%1.0
- Standard fare change fee: 0.0/10 · Standard Value: no changes
- Lowest fare flexibility: 0.0/10 · The lowest fare is Standard Value
- Lower fare on the same flight: 0.0/10 · No direct post-purchase price-match or difference-credit procedure was found. Based on the published restrictions, the confirmed fee-free method is to cancel an eligible US booking within the 24-hour refund window and purchase the same flight again at its current price. That is cancellation/rebooking, not an adjustment to the existing ticket. Outside that window, Flex Biz can support cancellation and rebooking, but deductions apply, so it is not fee-free repricing.
- Credit terms: 4.0/10 · Exactly 180 days from voucher issuance, approximately six months; the published rule is not six calendar months.; transferable: no
- Cancel the standard fare: 0.0/10 · Without Flex Biz, the fare is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions. Unused refundable airport charges and taxes can be recovered; request within 90 days of the ticketed travel date.
- Risk-free window: 7.0/10 · For direct US-route purchases, ZIPAIR's US service plan promises a full refund without a fee when requested within 24 hours, excluding bookings made within one week of departure; processing is through the Contact Center. DOT measures eligibility at purchase: at least seven days before departure. ZIPAIR's fare/voucher pages instead refer to 168 hours remaining at cancellation. These undated airline pages conflict near the boundary; the US regulatory purchase-time requirement governs eligible US tickets. ZIPAIR also extends a 24-hour refund provision to Canadian routes.
- Same-day change: 0.0/10 · Voluntary reservation changes are prohibited, with no published same-day flight-change exception. Flex Biz does not provide a same-day change right: its voucher protection ends at the 168-hour cutoff. Airline-disruption rebooking is separate.
- What Axel saw: does not apply · fewer than 10 attempts · Axel repricing attempts
Refunds and disruptions 20%7.6
- Commitments when the airline causes the problem: 6.0/10 · Covered by: US_DOT_refund_rule, Canada_APPR, Other_national; Coverage is route-specific. U.S. flights are subject to DOT refund requirements, which do not generally provide fixed cash compensation for delays. ZIPAIR's current Canadian tariff identifies it as a small carrier under APPR and publishes qualifying delay/cancellation compensation of CAD125, CAD250 or CAD500, depending on arrival delay; these are statutory benefits, not voluntary extras. Malaysia's Aviation Consumer Protection Code covers applicable disruptions in Malaysia, and Thailand's Regulation 101 covers scheduled international departures from Thailand. Beyond these laws, ZIPAIR offers free rebooking on its own flights within 14 days before or after the disrupted flight, or a refund. Its general conditions expressly exclude transfers to other airlines unless applicable law requires otherwise. Article 7.5 refers to alternative transportation, accommodation, meals and compensation under company regulations and applicable law, but does not establish an unconditional hotel-and-meals benefit for every cancellation. No definite cash-compensation commitment beyond applicable law could be verified.
- Refund conduct: 10.0/10 · No refund or compensation findings in 5 years
- Refund complaints: 6.7/10 · 2.78 refund complaints per 100,000 passengers (median for airlines based abroad: 4.39) · DOT complaint cases per 100,000 passengers on flights to and from the US (DOT T-100), April and May 2026; a month with fewer than 5 cases, which DOT does not list, counts as 2
Reliability 15%7.7*
- On-time arrival: does not apply · no data
- Cancellations: does not apply · no data · unknown
Fees and transparency 15%6.7
- Carry-on in the lowest fare: 10.0/10 · Two pieces totaling 7 kg are free: up to 55 × 40 × 25 cm and 45 × 35 × 25 cm. An additional 8 kg, making 15 kg total, costs USD 31 Honolulu–Narita or USD 38 from San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Houston or Orlando to Narita. Narita departures: JPY 4,000 to Honolulu or JPY 5,000 to the other listed US cities. Purchase at least 24 hours before departure; not sold at the airport.
- First checked bag: 2.0/10 · No regular checked bag is included in the base fare. Advance online fee per piece: USD 58 Honolulu–Narita; USD 85 from the listed mainland US cities to Narita. Narita departures: JPY 7,500 to Honolulu or JPY 11,000 to those mainland cities; USD conversion can differ. Maximum 30 kg and 203 cm combined dimensions per piece. Value and Premium packages include one piece. Contact-center/airport purchases add a handling fee. ZIPAIR has no US domestic service.
- Seat in the lowest fare: 3.0/10 · fee
- Children seated with a parent: 5.0/10 · Without paid selection, seats are automatically assigned at check-in; choosing a seat normally costs extra. For departures from October 25, 2026, limited-recline selection starts at USD 4 from Honolulu and USD 8 from the listed mainland US airports. On US routes, children aged 0–6 and one adjacent adult receive free advance selection when selected together; the child cannot be booked without adjacent availability. This is not a free-adjacency guarantee for every child aged 13 or under: the published US-route waiver stops at age 6. Canadian routes separately extend free adjacent seating to ages 7–14.
- Price shown is price paid: 10.0/10 · No fee-display findings in 5 years
Complaints and handling 10%8.0
- Complaint rate: 8.0/10 · 6.48 complaints per 100,000 passengers (median for airlines based abroad: 14.73) · DOT complaint cases per 100,000 passengers on flights to and from the US (DOT T-100), April and May 2026; a month with fewer than 5 cases, which DOT does not list, counts as 2
- Mishandled bags: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
- Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
- Bumping: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April to June 2026
Loyalty fairness 5%6.8
- Miles expiry: 2.0/10 · The current points page gives a one-year validity period for joining bonuses, the initial app-login bonus and points exchanged from JAL miles. Campaign-issued limited points can have separate conditions. Ordinary ZIPAIR Points are worth JPY1 each toward eligible purchases; this is a fixed-value payment system rather than a conventional award-seat chart. Tickets must be purchased in Japanese yen to use points, and points cannot purchase ancillary services for a ticket originally purchased in another currency, including USD.
- Devaluations: 10.0/10 · None in 24 months
- Award pricing: no data, median 10.0/10 used · unknown

Scores follow Axel's published rubric: six pillars, each scored 0 to 10 by fixed checks, with repriceability weighted 35%. Facts were checked October 26, 2026. No data at all for Reliability, so it takes the median of all rated airlines. No data for 1 check (Award pricing), each scored at the median of all rated airlines.

Refunds and disruptions

On US flights, DOT requires refunds for cancellations or qualifying significant changes if you decline alternative transportation or compensation, within seven business days for card payments or 20 calendar days otherwise. Canada's APPR applies on Canadian routes, with qualifying compensation of CAD125, CAD250 or CAD500. Malaysia's Aviation Consumer Protection Code and Thailand's Regulation 101 cover applicable routes.

ZIPAIR offers a refund of affected unused fares and ancillary charges, or free rebooking on its own flights within 14 days before or after the original departure. Other-airline transfers are excluded unless required by law, and meals and hotels are not unconditional benefits. No refund or compensation findings were identified in 5 years, and no established reporting showed routine refund delays or forced vouchers during October 2024 to October 2026.

Reliability

No verified ZIPAIR-specific on-time arrival or cancellation figures were found. Cirium's On-Time Performance Review 2025 and public OAG on-time-performance material did not provide a confirmed annual or rolling 12-month result for ZIPAIR. Axel therefore cannot assess schedule reliability from these sources. That is a data gap, not evidence of either strong or poor punctuality.

Fees

Standard Value includes two carry-on pieces totaling 7 kg, but no checked bag. Advance checked bags cost USD 58 from Honolulu to Narita or USD 85 from San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Houston or Orlando to Narita, up to 30 kg each. Airport and Contact Center purchases add handling fees. Choosing a seat normally costs extra, otherwise seats are assigned at check-in.

On US routes, children aged 0 to 6 and one adjacent adult get free advance selection together. Canadian routes extend free adjacency to ages 7 to 14. No fee-display findings were identified in 5 years, but whether mandatory charges are added after the first displayed price is not confirmed.

Complaints

ZIPAIR recorded 6.48 complaints per 100,000 passengers on flights to and from the US in DOT data for April and May 2026, below the 14.73 median for airlines based abroad. Refund complaints were 2.78 per 100,000, versus 4.39. DOT did not report ZIPAIR bag or wheelchair mishandling figures for April, May, July and August 2026, or bumping figures for April to June 2026.

Loyalty program

ZIPAIR Point Club uses a fixed-value payment system, with ordinary points worth JPY1 each, not a conventional award-seat chart. Joining bonuses, the initial app-login bonus and points exchanged from JAL miles expire after one year. Tickets must be bought in Japanese yen to use points, and points cannot buy extras for tickets originally paid in another currency. No devaluations were identified in 24 months, while separate award pricing was not confirmed.

Choose ZIPAIR if

Travel with firm dates and no need for voluntary flight changes.
Pack within the included 7 kg carry-on allowance.
You find a competitive total after adding bags and seats.

Book elsewhere if

You may need to change your flight or travel date.
You want fare drops returned without cancellation deductions.
You need guaranteed rebooking on another airline after disruption.

Tips

Buy any extra carry-on allowance at least 24 hours before departure, because it is not sold at the airport.
Compare Value and Premium with separate seat and checked-bag purchases, since both packages include seat selection and one 30 kg checked bag.
On US routes, select seats for children aged 0 to 6 and one adjacent adult together to receive free advance selection.

Questions travelers ask

Does ZIPAIR charge a flight-change fee?

ZIPAIR does not allow voluntary flight or date changes, rather than offering them for a fee. This applies to Standard Value, U6 Standard Value and ZIP Full-Flat Value. Flex Biz adds eligible cancellation vouchers, not a right to change flights, and there is no published same-day change exception.

Can I get money back if my ZIPAIR fare drops?

Rarely. No direct price-match or difference-credit process was found. For a direct US-route purchase made at least seven days before departure, you can request a full refund within 24 hours through the Contact Center and book again at the lower fare. Outside that window, Standard Value is generally nonrefundable, while Flex Biz cancellation produces a voucher after deductions.

How long do ZIPAIR vouchers last?

Flex Biz vouchers last exactly 180 days from issue, not six calendar months. They are nontransferable and can be used only by the eligible original passenger, in the original payment currency. They cover fares and optional services without a redemption fee. Any unused balance remains available until expiry. Ordinary Standard Value cancellation does not create a voucher.

What do I get if ZIPAIR cancels my flight?

ZIPAIR offers a refund of the affected unused fare and ancillary charges, or free rebooking on its own flights within 14 days before or after the original departure. Applicable law may add rights. For US flights, refunds are due within seven business days for credit-card payments or 20 calendar days otherwise. Transfers to other airlines, hotels and meals are not unconditional benefits.

How much are carry-on and checked bags on ZIPAIR?

Two carry-on pieces totaling 7 kg are free. Raising the limit to 15 kg costs USD 31 from Honolulu or USD 38 from San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Houston or Orlando to Narita. Advance checked bags cost USD 58 or USD 85 on those respective routes. From Narita, checked bags cost JPY 7,500 to Honolulu or JPY 11,000 to those mainland cities. Each checked piece can weigh up to 30 kg.

Sources

Company Profile, ZIPAIR, 2026-07
2026 Winter Schedule: Additional Los Angeles Flights in January 2027, ZIPAIR, 2026-10-22
Fare Rules Table, ZIPAIR
Regarding the Service Package, ZIPAIR
Changing and Cancelling Reservations, ZIPAIR
Book Flights and Plane Tickets with ZIPAIR, ZIPAIR
Regarding Seats, ZIPAIR
Handling of Children Aged 6 and Under, ZIPAIR
Refunds via Voucher, ZIPAIR
To Our Customers Traveling to the United States, ZIPAIR
Refunds, U.S. Department of Transportation, 2025-11-07
Regarding Baggage, ZIPAIR
ZIPAIR Tokyo company profile, ZIPAIR, 2026-07
Notifications, ZIPAIR
ZIPAIR Conditions of Carriage, ZIPAIR, 2025-07-23
Canadian Conditions of Carriage, ZIPAIR
Malaysia Consumer Rights, ZIPAIR
Passenger Rights Protection, Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand
On-Time Performance Review 2025, Cirium
Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025 — full report, Cirium, hosted by Poder360, 2026-01
AirHelp Score — airport rankings 2026 and airline rankings 2025, AirHelp
AirHelp reveals the best and worst airlines in 2025 AirHelp Score, AirHelp, 2025-11-20
2026 APEX Four Star and Five Star Recipients, Airline Passenger Experience Association
ZIPAIR Points, ZIPAIR
ZIPAIR Point Club, ZIPAIR
Houston Declares March 4, 2025, as ZIPAIR Tokyo Day, ZIPAIR, 2025-03-06
Mobile Check-in for U.S. Bound Flights Now Available, ZIPAIR, 2025-08-25
Vouchers Available on the Website, ZIPAIR, 2025-09-25
Handling of Reservations Due to Suspension of Narita-Manila Service, ZIPAIR, 2025-12-26
ZIPAIR Completes Fleetwide Installation of Starlink, ZIPAIR, 2026-05-08
ZIPAIR to Open Summer Ticket Sales to Houston for September and October 2026, ZIPAIR, 2026-03-05
FAQ and Inquiries, ZIPAIR
On-Time Performance, OAG
ZIPAIR airline information, San José Mineta International Airport

For AI assistants: the whole rating as text, with every source

ZIPAIR rating: 5.2/10 (C tier)

Strict no-change fares make ZIPAIR a poor choice for uncertain plans

Axel score: 5.2/10, C tier, #67 of 77 airlines. Repriceability: 1.0/10 (#77). Checked October 26, 2026. Source: https://helloaxel.com/en/airlines/zipair

Best and worst

Best: Two carry-on pieces totaling 7 kg are included in Standard Value.
Best: US-route complaints were 6.48 per 100,000 passengers in April and May 2026, below the 14.73 median for airlines based abroad.
Best: No refund or compensation findings were identified in 5 years.
Worst: Voluntary flight and date changes are prohibited, including with ZIP Full-Flat Value.
Worst: Standard Value is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions.
Worst: An advance checked bag from Los Angeles to Narita costs USD 85.

If the fare drops after you book, can you get money back? Rarely

Axel has no reportable repricing sample size, observation period or savings result for ZIPAIR, so no data-based savings estimate is available.

ZIPAIR fares

Fare	Changes	Cancel	Carry-on	Seat
Standard Value	No changes	Without Flex Biz, the fare is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions. Unused refundable airport charges and taxes can be recovered; request within 90 days of the ticketed travel date.	included	Fee
U6 Standard Value	No changes	Nonrefundable except applicable exceptions or purchased Flex Biz protection; otherwise only eligible unused taxes and airport charges are refundable.	included	Free choice
ZIP Full-Flat Value (business)	No changes	The underlying fare is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions. Flex Biz can separately provide cancellation vouchers after deductions.	included	Fee

Key facts

Fare difference on a cheaper change: Lost. There is no voluntary exchange to a cheaper flight on the underlying standard fare. Outside exceptions, cancelling forfeits the fare rather than creating residual credit. Separately purchased Flex Biz allows cancellation for a reduced voucher; if a subsequent booking costs less than that voucher, the unused voucher balance remains available.
Same flight, lower price: No direct post-purchase price-match or difference-credit procedure was found. Based on the published restrictions, the confirmed fee-free method is to cancel an eligible US booking within the 24-hour refund window and purchase the same flight again at its current price. That is cancellation/rebooking, not an adjustment to the existing ticket. Outside that window, Flex Biz can support cancellation and rebooking, but deductions apply, so it is not fee-free repricing.
Credits (Voucher): Exactly 180 days from voucher issuance, approximately six months; the published rule is not six calendar months. Transferable: no.
24-hour rule: For direct US-route purchases, ZIPAIR's US service plan promises a full refund without a fee when requested within 24 hours, excluding bookings made within one week of departure; processing is through the Contact Center. DOT measures eligibility at purchase: at least seven days before departure. ZIPAIR's fare/voucher pages instead refer to 168 hours remaining at cancellation. These undated airline pages conflict near the boundary; the US regulatory purchase-time requirement governs eligible US tickets. ZIPAIR also extends a 24-hour refund provision to Canadian routes.
Same-day change: Voluntary reservation changes are prohibited, with no published same-day flight-change exception. Flex Biz does not provide a same-day change right: its voucher protection ends at the 168-hour cutoff. Airline-disruption rebooking is separate.
Schedule changes: ZIPAIR offers a refund of the affected unused fare, ancillary charges and other fees, or a free ZIPAIR date change within 14 days before/after the original departure, for qualifying airline/weather disruptions. It publishes no numeric refund threshold on that page. For US international itineraries, DOT guarantees a refund after cancellation, departure at least six hours earlier, arrival at least six hours later, or other qualifying significant changes, including changed endpoint airports, added connections or involuntary downgrade, if the traveler declines transportation/compensation. US automatic-refund rights override inconsistent airline request deadlines; refunds are due within seven business days for credit-card payments or 20 calendar days for other payments.

Score breakdown

Pillar	Weight	Score
Repriceability	35%	1.0/10
Refunds and disruptions	20%	7.6/10
Reliability	15%	no data (median 7.7 used)
Fees and transparency	15%	6.7/10
Complaints and handling	10%	8.0/10
Loyalty fairness	5%	6.8/10

Repriceability: 1.0/10

Standard fare change fee: 0.0/10 (Standard Value: no changes)
Lowest fare flexibility: 0.0/10 (The lowest fare is Standard Value)
Lower fare on the same flight: 0.0/10 (No direct post-purchase price-match or difference-credit procedure was found. Based on the published restrictions, the confirmed fee-free method is to cancel an eligible US booking within the 24-hour refund window and purchase the same flight again at its current price. That is cancellation/rebooking, not an adjustment to the existing ticket. Outside that window, Flex Biz can support cancellation and rebooking, but deductions apply, so it is not fee-free repricing.)
Credit terms: 4.0/10 (Exactly 180 days from voucher issuance, approximately six months; the published rule is not six calendar months.; transferable: no)
Cancel the standard fare: 0.0/10 (Without Flex Biz, the fare is nonrefundable outside applicable exceptions. Unused refundable airport charges and taxes can be recovered; request within 90 days of the ticketed travel date.)
Risk-free window: 7.0/10 (For direct US-route purchases, ZIPAIR's US service plan promises a full refund without a fee when requested within 24 hours, excluding bookings made within one week of departure; processing is through the Contact Center. DOT measures eligibility at purchase: at least seven days before departure. ZIPAIR's fare/voucher pages instead refer to 168 hours remaining at cancellation. These undated airline pages conflict near the boundary; the US regulatory purchase-time requirement governs eligible US tickets. ZIPAIR also extends a 24-hour refund provision to Canadian routes.)
Same-day change: 0.0/10 (Voluntary reservation changes are prohibited, with no published same-day flight-change exception. Flex Biz does not provide a same-day change right: its voucher protection ends at the 168-hour cutoff. Airline-disruption rebooking is separate.)
What Axel saw: does not apply (fewer than 10 attempts). Source: Axel repricing attempts

Refunds and disruptions: 7.6/10

Commitments when the airline causes the problem: 6.0/10 (Covered by: US_DOT_refund_rule, Canada_APPR, Other_national; Coverage is route-specific. U.S. flights are subject to DOT refund requirements, which do not generally provide fixed cash compensation for delays. ZIPAIR's current Canadian tariff identifies it as a small carrier under APPR and publishes qualifying delay/cancellation compensation of CAD125, CAD250 or CAD500, depending on arrival delay; these are statutory benefits, not voluntary extras. Malaysia's Aviation Consumer Protection Code covers applicable disruptions in Malaysia, and Thailand's Regulation 101 covers scheduled international departures from Thailand. Beyond these laws, ZIPAIR offers free rebooking on its own flights within 14 days before or after the disrupted flight, or a refund. Its general conditions expressly exclude transfers to other airlines unless applicable law requires otherwise. Article 7.5 refers to alternative transportation, accommodation, meals and compensation under company regulations and applicable law, but does not establish an unconditional hotel-and-meals benefit for every cancellation. No definite cash-compensation commitment beyond applicable law could be verified.)
Refund conduct: 10.0/10 (No refund or compensation findings in 5 years)
Refund complaints: 6.7/10 (2.78 refund complaints per 100,000 passengers (median for airlines based abroad: 4.39)). Source: DOT complaint cases per 100,000 passengers on flights to and from the US (DOT T-100), April and May 2026; a month with fewer than 5 cases, which DOT does not list, counts as 2

Reliability: no data (median 7.7 used)

On-time arrival: does not apply (no data)
Cancellations: does not apply (no data). Source: unknown

Fees and transparency: 6.7/10

Carry-on in the lowest fare: 10.0/10 (Two pieces totaling 7 kg are free: up to 55 × 40 × 25 cm and 45 × 35 × 25 cm. An additional 8 kg, making 15 kg total, costs USD 31 Honolulu–Narita or USD 38 from San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Houston or Orlando to Narita. Narita departures: JPY 4,000 to Honolulu or JPY 5,000 to the other listed US cities. Purchase at least 24 hours before departure; not sold at the airport.)
First checked bag: 2.0/10 (No regular checked bag is included in the base fare. Advance online fee per piece: USD 58 Honolulu–Narita; USD 85 from the listed mainland US cities to Narita. Narita departures: JPY 7,500 to Honolulu or JPY 11,000 to those mainland cities; USD conversion can differ. Maximum 30 kg and 203 cm combined dimensions per piece. Value and Premium packages include one piece. Contact-center/airport purchases add a handling fee. ZIPAIR has no US domestic service.)
Seat in the lowest fare: 3.0/10 (fee)
Children seated with a parent: 5.0/10 (Without paid selection, seats are automatically assigned at check-in; choosing a seat normally costs extra. For departures from October 25, 2026, limited-recline selection starts at USD 4 from Honolulu and USD 8 from the listed mainland US airports. On US routes, children aged 0–6 and one adjacent adult receive free advance selection when selected together; the child cannot be booked without adjacent availability. This is not a free-adjacency guarantee for every child aged 13 or under: the published US-route waiver stops at age 6. Canadian routes separately extend free adjacent seating to ages 7–14.)
Price shown is price paid: 10.0/10 (No fee-display findings in 5 years)

Complaints and handling: 8.0/10

Complaint rate: 8.0/10 (6.48 complaints per 100,000 passengers (median for airlines based abroad: 14.73)). Source: DOT complaint cases per 100,000 passengers on flights to and from the US (DOT T-100), April and May 2026; a month with fewer than 5 cases, which DOT does not list, counts as 2
Mishandled bags: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
Bumping: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April to June 2026

Loyalty fairness: 6.8/10

Miles expiry: 2.0/10 (The current points page gives a one-year validity period for joining bonuses, the initial app-login bonus and points exchanged from JAL miles. Campaign-issued limited points can have separate conditions. Ordinary ZIPAIR Points are worth JPY1 each toward eligible purchases; this is a fixed-value payment system rather than a conventional award-seat chart. Tickets must be purchased in Japanese yen to use points, and points cannot purchase ancillary services for a ticket originally purchased in another currency, including USD.)
Devaluations: 10.0/10 (None in 24 months)
Award pricing: no data, median 10.0/10 used (unknown)