Fiji Airways

Just came back from Fiji on the AB A330. I agree with another reviewer that they are over the top with turbulence. After they served dinner they turned on the seat belt light. Then the crew sat down and it took them 3.5 hours to pick up trays. The dinner was ok but the eggs/meat for breakfast tasted horrible both going and coming back. They refuse to answer call lights. At one point i looked back and their were about 20 lit up. They also won’t stop when you call at them when they walk by. The crew roam around absent of smiles or that they care about their jobs. As a passenger I have no other options. The Fiji government won’t allow any other carrier to fly the LAX to Nadi route. So what you have is a carrier without competition and is run by the Fiji government. I will also agree with the other reviewer that the base seating is no doubt the cheapest made by AB. After awhile my rear hurts so bad and I keep moving to try to get comfortable but nothing helps. Luckily Fiji airways will sell you a bulk head seat so I can get more leg room. They charge a 100 dollars for that. If you don’t do that your food tray will be in your lap. New CEO is not helping.

We booked business class from LAX – Fiji – Sydney, return Auckland – Fiji – LAX. We fly business class often. DO NOT USE FIJI AIRWAYS IF YOU EXPECT BUSINESS CLASS SERVICE. Only one leg of our journey was pleasant. The attendants couldn’t be bothered. When I asked for a blanket, the attendant actually looked at me and said, “No. I don’t have any.” On a $6000 flight? The food was awful. My seat was broken. I will never use this airlines again and I advise others to use a different route to and from Australia.

My father died while in Tonga on the day he was to return to the US. and could not take the other half of of his round trip ticket he purchased. After speaking with several supervisors, they informed me that unless they were given 24hr notice that my Dad could not be on the flight there is no responsibility on their part. There is no exception to this rule even if someone suddenly passes away hours before their flight, & there’s the documentation to prove it.
EDITORS COMMENT: As awful as it is I think you will find that this is most airlines policies.

The Ugly (lets get it out of the way):
* Nadi airport: clearly needs improvement (looks a bit like a cow shed at times)
* Business lounge in LAX/TBIA: crowded, no showers, sad-looking sandwiches that appear to have been imprisoned in that fridge for months (no-one appeared willing to rescue). Use your Priority Pass instead.
* Incompetent staff on the phone: unable to explain whether the airline can transfer luggage between two connecting flights booked separately (still don’t know the answer, had to rebook a portion of my flight because of this).

The Average:
* Business class lounge at Nadi. Not outstanding, but has a shower and some reasonably tasty food at times.

The Good:
* Business class seat: The seat is not fully flat, but still very comfortable. I had a very good sleep both ways from Nadi to LA and back.
* Staff was reasonably attentive during both flights, although I did not have dinner either way (had food prior to the flight)
* Value for money: Great for travelling between Australia and the US. The cost of business class ticket compares well to Premium Economy on other airlines (without having to connect through Asia), but offers a comfortable seat to sleep.

EDITORS COMMENT: Thanks for the balanced review

Flight was meant to leave at 1pm on the 2nd January 2013 but that ended up being delayed till midnight but then it got delayed another hour which meant we arrived at 4am in Fiji