It’d been a while since I flew on Fiji Airways so I was looking forward to taking off again from Sydney to Nadi after a great experience last time.
My last flight on FJ was not long after the official launch of ‘Fiji Airways’, wonderfully rebranded from the legacy airline that was Air Pacific. At the time the re-brand was still very fresh and it’d be fair to say being carefully ‘broken in’ like the first kilometers of a new car.
Whilst last time it was a total wow moment to step on-board and discover the new look and feel, the seats still had that ‘just taken the plastic covers off’ new car fragrance and there were some minor details of improvement to be made in the service. All natural adjustments that would be applicable for any business’ embarking on literally a new journey of epic proportions in what was a pretty small space of time.
Cosy and comfortable. In Fiji Airways Tabua Class. Pic: Matt Leedham
So eight months on I was curious and excited to see just how the re-brand and in-flight experience had played out and further come to life.
The first thing I noticed was the increased number of cabin crew on-board, all smiling with the trademark warmth Fiji is renowned for and plenty of hearty ‘Bula’s’ to instantly make me feel at ease. The Fiji holiday had begun.
I was up the front again (lucky me) on the way out and settled into what is a very comfy beige leather seat, quickly being offered a glass of (French) champagne and a refreshing hot towel. The Business Class cabin on the A330-200 is a beautiful thing. Gorgeously designed with soft, natural tones and a lot of love being given to the ambient lighting that mirrors the changing light outside in the sky.
The seat itself features lumbar support and a variety of settings that recline you to almost lie flat (Tip: Try and get a seat away from the bulkhead as you’ll have more legroom. Which is especially handy if like me you’re 6ft 5″.) enabling you to get a good nights kip in on Fiji Airways longer routes to LA or Hong Kong.
The flight left on-time and was soon up in the air with the meal service quickly underway. The food (and service of it) has gone up in standard significantly. As we reported recently, there’s been a keen focus made to the F+B across both Tabua (Business) and Economy with a much-improved range of quality food and drinks including cocktails coming in September.
On my flight I enjoyed a tasty, spicy chicken curry served with warm roti and rice and chocolate mousse mud cake for dessert. With a choice of warm rolls on the side it’s a vastly improved meal to last time I flew and served with a lot of care and attention.
Chillaxing FJ style. Pic: Matt Leedham
Settling deeper into my reclined seat as the sun disappeared in a blaze of Fijian fiery orange it created a kind of comfy, lounge bar feel. Sipping my vino and looking out of the window, pondering life, love and the universe I truly felt privileged to be up there, in the moment and experiencing it.
Another point to note is the vastly improved entertainment system, now with a bolstered range of new movies and a wide range of TV shows and music to check in to and enjoy. The screen too is a beauty in size (15.4″ in business – 10.6″ in economy) and with great resolution and supplied noise cancelling headphones.
All up, a much improved experience on last time and easy to see why FJ has been so successful in their first trading year of business. Given the ever-evolving changes Fiji Airlines are making to their fleet, service and the overall customer experience I have no doubt their prominence will continue to rise as they open up new routes and partnerships with other quality key airline partners.
And with a flight time from Sydney of around just four hours to Nadi and knowing that soon after landing you’ll be greeted with more hearty bula’s and cocktails at your hotel, this flight is quite possibly one of the most relaxing sectors you’ll ever do.
