Cheapest Route | $67 |
---|---|
Most Popular Route | NRT to FUK |
Shortest Flight | 1h 05m |
Longest Flight | 25h 35m |
Peach Aviation is a discount carrier based in Japan. It serves primarily domestic Japanese flight routes along with a few international destinations in Asia.
Peach advertises very cheap basic fares for Japan domestic flights, but travelers should be aware of the many potential add-on charges as well as Peach’s rigid rules that must be followed to get the lowest fares.
I personally wouldn’t recommend flying Peach unless you really need to save money, are indifferent about comfort and service and are willing and able to follow their strict ticketing and transfer requirements.
That said, if you’re in Tokyo and just want a cheap weekend escape to say, Okinawa, and are traveling light and have low expectations, Peach might be ok for you.
Peach flies for Airbus A320 and 320Neo for its domestic routes with 180 and 188 seats. For comparison, ANA’s A320Neo seats 146 people on its domestic Japan flights.
Expect a bare bone flying experience. Peach seats are not adjustable, padding is at an absolute minimum, and anyone more than six feet tall like myself must engage in yoga-like contortions to get into a seat, where my knees do not have space to extend in front of me.
Peach tries to promote its “pre-reclined seat” concept which actually means that your seat is set at a fixed angle and you’re not able to adjust it. It’s better than straight up and down, I guess, but still far from comfortable. And by all means, avoid seats in the last row number 32 on Peach flights which are neither pre-reclined nor able to recline – and these seats have no window.
For its medium-range international flights to Singapore and Bangkok, Peach flies Airbus A321-LR aircraft. These planes are a bit more comfortable than those used for Peach domestic flights, with some better space for legroom (30-32 inches) and USB charging ports.
Peach operates out of more than a dozen airports in Japan including hubs in Tokyo’s Narita and Osaka’s Kansai. Peach’s international destinations include Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) and Singapore (starting Dec 2024) as well as flights to Taiwan, Shanghai and Seoul.
Peach aggressively promotes the introduction of new routes and destinations, so if you’re looking to save even more money, follow Peach announcements to find special airfare discounts.
Peach only offers economy class seating, with a few branded seat products of what it calls Fast Seat, Smart Seat and Pleasure Seat.
Peach Fast Seat tickets are for the six seats in the first row of the aircraft. The seats have slightly more legroom. These seats can only be selected for Standard Plus Fares. The Peach website states that your checked bags will be “handled with high priority,” but “there is a case that your baggage may not be returned with priority.” So don’t count on it.
Peach Smart Seats are located in rows 2-5 of the aircraft and its exit rows. The exit rows do have more legroom, but do not even have the fixed ”pre-reclined” setup, so you’ll be sitting with a vertical seat-back.
Peach Pleasure Seats simply denote window seats and those in rows 6-11. The seats have the same legroom and lack of adjustability as all others on the aircraft.
Peach Standard Seats are middle and aisle seats in rows 14-32. These seats are the lowest cost. For someone with long legs like myself, I’d actually prefer an aisle seat for my comfort versus a window seat on Peach aircraft.
Peach has three classes of fares: Minimum, Standard and Standard Plus. Note that these are part of the newly created fare class system beginning on Oct 27, 2024.
Peach Minimum Fares are those typically advertised on its website as the lowest basic option. An array of charges, some mandatory and some optional come with the Minimum Fare.
For example, all Minimum Fare seats come with an additional required “payment fee” even when booked over the Internet. Taxes are also not included in the initial flight price. So the price you see advertised will never be the price you actually pay, even with the most basic option.
Some sample fares I recently looked at were more than 30% higher than the advertised fare. I strongly recommend looking carefully during booking to make sure the initial price you see is the one you are paying at checkout.
Peach Standard Fares include seat selection, one checked bag and no ticketing payment fee.
Peach Standard Plus Fares allow for flight changes, refunds, and selection of certain seat types.
I’d recommend the Peach Standard Fare, or at least comparing the additional seat reservation fee on the Minimum Fare versus the Standard Fare. For such a tightly packed aircraft I think it’s critical to be able to choose your seat.
With a focus on the domestic discount market, Peach check-in can be a little frustrating for an international traveler who can’t speak Japanese. Some staff might be able to speak a little English, but most give instructions via a tablet screen with translated directions. So it’s best for you to review airline procedures and rules before arriving to the airport.
Peach check-in comes with a strict and exact measuring and weighing of carry-on items – both before and after security. They will charge you an additional fee for checked baggage if your combined items are even an ounce over the 7-kilogram (about 15.4 pound) limit. Size restrictions are similarly enforced with a 45 combined linear inch limit for your bags.
The carry-on limit includes any food items you may have purchased in the airport and sometimes even all the items in your pockets, including your wallet. Peach airline staff can be super vigilant to the point of fanatic about carry-on items, so be sure you’re traveling light or be prepared to pay a bag check fee that can represent a sizeable chunk of your ticket price.
Basic snacks and drinks (including beer) are available for purchase on Peach flights. Some international flights have prepared meals for purchase, but domestic hot meal options are limited to cups of instant ramen. You must pre-register your credit card prior to the flight to make the purchase via the in-flight Wi-Fi system.
Wi-Fi is available on Peach flights only for use in connecting to the ticketing and in-flight meal ordering system and for flight maps. Domestic aircraft do not have power outlets at the seats, so bring a portable battery if you’re going to be using a device on a longer flight.
Peach does not have a frequent flier mileage program, but it does issue “Peach Points” as part of promotions, Japan domestic credit card rewards or mileage transfers from ANA. Peach Points can be used to pay for fares or added services, but it’s unlikely a visiting US traveler would accumulate these points.
Peach allows one free carry-on bag and a personal item on its flights, even for Minimum Fare class. The allowable size is a 45” combined measurement (the common 22”x14”x9” bag). As I mentioned above in the check-in section the 7 kilo/15.4 pound weight limit and size for carry-on bags is STRICTLY enforced on Peach or you will be forced to check the bag and pay a fee.
Peach Standard and Standard Plus fares allow for one checked bag at no additional charge. Luggage above 20 kilos/44 pounds will be subject to an added charge. Again, this limit is strictly enforced. Bags weighing more than 32 kilos/70 pounds will not be accepted.
If you’re planning to check baggage or think you may be forced to check your bag, be sure to purchase the option prior to airport arrival or you will be paying an additional surcharge for in person-purchasing.
Note that Peach Aviation does NOT transfer bags between its connecting flights. So if you have a multi-stop Peach flight, you will need to collect your checked bags at the luggage carousel, then check them in again at the airline counter. Be sure to allow plenty of time between connecting Peach flights.
Peach does not have a great reputation for on-time service and flight cancellations. Be sure you’re familiar with cancellation and delay policies, which in my opinion are some of the worst in the industry.
Unlike US carriers, if a Peach flight is delayed or canceled, the airline will not issue passengers any compensation for accommodation or alternative transportation for any reason. Peach will not book you on another airline’s flight if its flight is canceled.
If you have a connecting Peach flight on the same reservation, Peach will rebook you on another Peach flight on that route or refund the connecting flight. But if your Peach connecting flight is on another reservation number, you’re out of luck. And if you scheduled a transfer that’s under Peach’s allotted transfer time of ninety minutes, and you miss that connecting flight due to a Peach delay, too bad, you lose that reservation with no compensation.
Due to Peach policies around transfers, luggage re-check in and the risk of losing reservations over delays, I would not recommend booking a multi-city reservation on Peach.
This Cheapflights-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
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