In an intriguing development, ZIPAIR has confirmed the start of flights from Tokyo Narita to 
Orlando International. However, it is not quite as it seems. It will, for now at least, only be served on a time-limited charter basis.
It’ll operate in partnership with Disney Destinations International. Package tours to Orlando are now bookable. Despite being a charter service, the carrier says seat-only ticket sales will be available in early December. It is bound to make my celebratory Weekly Routes newsletter (see the most recent edition).
Zipping To Orlando
The long route will cover 6,301 nautical miles (11,669 km) each way, and flights will be highly limited: they’ll only operate on February 23, February 28, March 5, and March 10. They will, of course, be operated by ZIPAIR’s two-class, 290-seat Boeing 787-8s, as that is all Japan Airlines’ low-cost unit has. aeroLOPA shows that they have 18 fully flat seats (1-2-1) and 272 seats in economy (3-3-3; 31″ pitch).
The exact schedule is currently unknown. The airline says it will be published later, which might coincide with seat-only sales. Flights are due to arrive in and depart from Florida in the afternoon. When all airlines are considered, Cirium Diio data for 2025 shows that the most common departure time from Tokyo to the US is 17:00. The most common departure time back to the Japanese capital is 11:30.
Usually, ZIPAIR’s basic product does not include inclusive food (even to North America) or checked baggage. They must be purchased separately or as part of a bundle. It is currently unknown if this approach will apply to its new charter services to Orlando. They probably will for those who only purchase seats, but might not for those who have bought a package.
Given There Are So Few Flights, What’s The Interest?
That is a fair question, but the brand-new route, as limited as it is, stands out for various reasons. First, it will be overwhelmingly the Japanese budget carrier’s longest service. It’ll exceed its current longest link, which is from 
Narita to 
Houston Intercontinental, by 9%. That route started in March.
Second, it will become the Boeing 787-8’s sixth-longest nonstop flight globally. Third, it will be Orlando’s new second-longest nonstop service after Emirates from Dubai. Fourth, and most notably, it’ll become the first time Orlando, and Florida, have had nonstop flights to/from Japan and, indeed, anywhere in East Asia. Speaking at the announcement, Victoria Jaramillo, the CCO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said:
“Our partnership with ZIPAIR is more than just a new route. It’s history. This will be the first-ever nonstop passenger flight between Tokyo and the entire state of Florida.”
Tokyo-Orlando Is A Large Market, But…
Cirium shows that ZIPAIR’s first North American route was to Honolulu in 2020, followed by Los Angeles in 2021, San José in 2022, San Francisco in 2023, Vancouver in 2024, and Houston in 2025. Now, Orlando will be served in 2026, just in a very minimal way. Still, it’s a large market. According to booking data, 115,000 passengers traveled between the Japanese capital and the so-called ‘Theme Park Capital of the World’ last year.
One-stop services are plentiful. Most people traveled between Tokyo and Orlando via Chicago O’Hare, which is the world’s busiest airport for aircraft movements. Toronto was next, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston Intercontinental, and Los Angeles. United was the market leader. It is not just the many one-stop options that mean the market does not have regular flights. It is also because of the sheer length of it and the consequent cost of operating it.
The nature of the traffic (mainly inbound tourists) means that the average one-way flight across all cabins/passengers was $1,115 each way. While that might seem a lot, it is less than most major markets on the West Coast, with such flights obviously being less expensive to operate. It will be good to see the results of ZIPAIR’s tentative exploration, and if more regular service materializes because of it.
