Fiji Airways has launched its fifth route out of Australia – between Canberra and Nadi – and Karryon was on board the historic flight. Here’s our verdict on the new service.
Check-in and boarding
In the corner of the departures hall, check-in for the Fiji Airways flight to Nadi is a straightforward affair, as a Swissport staff member takes my luggage and issues my boarding pass (with seat request fulfilled) in a matter of two or so minutes.
Check in early and you’ll largely avoid any queues. And while you’re there, snap a pic of the historic Lockheed Hudson plane that’s located next to the FJ check-in area.
Ignore the ‘bag drop’ signs too, as online check-in (and hence a bag drop-only area) is not available.
After the formalities of an inaugural flight are wrapped up – speeches, ribbon-cutting, champagne, live music, and water salute for the first inbound Nadi-Canberra flight – I’m finally ushered on board, a little late but in good spirits.
Staff service
“Your holiday starts now,” our purser says over the PA once everyone’s taken their seat. With the dulcet voice (and the promise of a small gift to mark the first flight – Pure Fiji brand soap), it’s hard not to believe it.
FJ aims to bring its award-winning Fijian hospitality to flyers from the moment they step on board the plane. And it seems to be working, as the carrier took home the gong for Best Airline Staff in Australia/Pacific at the recent World Airline Awards.
But how did the service stack up on this flight? Even by Fijian standards, I’m taken aback by the friendliness of the crew. It feels totally genuine too and is appreciated by the loads of families onboard.
And if the service could be measured by the number of ‘bulas’ I hear, it would score off the chart!
The staff is every bit as professional as well – clear in their requests, efficient and helpful when called upon.
Onboard comfort
Though less swish than the airline’s new A350s, FJ’s B737 MAX 8 aircraft still offers a comfortable experience.
While this flight is almost full, I’m fortunate enough to have a vacant seat next to me.
But I feel that even if the middle seat were occupied, I’d still have enough legroom and space for my six-foot frame. For a roughly four-hour flight, it’s an altogether cosy ride.
The fun stuff
Fiji’s onboard entertainment comes via a well-sized and responsive touchscreen.
The overall selection of entertainment is generous, though not overwhelming (as is sometimes the case).
Perusing the film catalogue, I swipe left … and keep swiping through a larger-than-expected selection of new and older movies, before settling on a recent release called ‘When you finish saving the world’.
Admittedly, it’s a little hard to hear the dialogue (a problem certainly not unique to this flight), but the issue is overcome with easy-to-read captions.
There’s also a lot of tv from which to choose, from off-beat comedy like Flight of the Conchords and drama like The Newsroom, to “live” BBC News, CNN and Sport24.
Elsewhere, there’s a music library with the likes of Dean Lewis, Sam Smith and Tay Tay (of course), games for passengers young and older (like golf, sudoku and chess), and the ‘Lailai Kids’ World’ offering, which features a range of visual and audio entertainment for children.
Inflight food
The F&B service starts with a simple offering of some famous Fiji Water.
Not long afterwards, I’m served my pre-ordered vegan meal, which on this flight is a VJML (Jain) option. The late lunch consists of a nice veggie stir-fry with white rice, zesty coleslaw, dinner roll and peaches (tinned) for dessert. It’s all tasty enough.
To accompany the meal, there’s a choice of Aussie wine, Fijian beer, and non-alcoholic drinks.
While the airline still uses single-use plastic in Economy (like virtually every other carrier), I’m pleased to see wooden cutlery.
Travel Tip
If you want to top up your drink on board, reuse your cup. Single-use plastics on planes are hard to completely avoid right now, but you can at least minimise their usage (and feel a little better for it, as I do after a heartfelt thank you from the crew).
The details
- Aircraft: B737-200 MAX
- Configuration: 3-3
- Seat: 17F (window)
- Frequency: twice-weekly (Tuesday/Friday), increasing to three-times-weekly from 1 October 2023
- Arv: 1940 (scheduled), 2015 (actual)
The writer was a guest of Fiji Airways.
