When you wish the flight was longer
Rarely has a country embraced a plane quite as much as Fiji has with the A350 XWB. There is immense pride that an aircraft this modern is being flown by the national airline. The airline: Fiji Airways
The route: Auckland to Nadi
Time in the air: 2 hours 35 minutes. A rare time when you wish the flight was longer.
The plane: Airbus A350 XWB – this is Fiji Airways’ brand new aircraft. Christened ‘‘Island of Vanua Levu’’, our aircraft is so new that this is only its second-ever commercial flight. Fiji Airways has two (so far) of the aircraft. The plane, which will mainly fly Sydney-Fiji-Los Angeles, has 33 fully lie-flat beds in the business cabin and 301 economy seats. The aircraft boasts the ‘‘quietest cabin’’ in the skies (it is noticeable), and comes with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions.
The loyalty plan: Tabua Club and members of Qantas, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines can claim points.
Up the back or pointy end: 20D in business class. It is a 1-2-1 configuration in business, and 3-3-3 in economy. There are also seats with extra room in ‘‘Bula Space’’, which offers a bonus three inches of legroom in economy, for a price, of course.
Baggage allowance: Two pieces of carry-on up to 7kg each, and checked-in baggage of up to 40kg in business.
The seat stuff: This is some serious luxury, with a host of nooks and crannies for your travel gear. The seat lies flat, although it may be debatable how often you’ll need that on the shorter New Zealand/Australia hops to Nadi. However, if you are planning the next jump to the States, the seat will definitely come into its own on the 10-hour flight. There’s the usual light, USB and power points. And if you are in the middle row and you don’t particularly like your neighbour, there’s a small slide door to block them out.
That’s entertainment: There’s a good-sized 17-inch high-definition touchscreen TV, but this is the first small chink in the Fiji Airways armour. The selection of movies and documentaries is pretty small compared to other airlines. For the 180-minute(ish) trip from New Zealand to Fiji, that shouldn’t be a biggie, but for longer sectors, you may end up watching some bottom-of-the-barrel offerings. I did manage to see Toy Story 4 finally, and I must have been allergic to something on the plane, cause . . . tears. Yeah, allergies, must be. There is wi-fi, although you will need to pay for it.
Feeding time: This is a lunchtime flight, so there’s a choice between chicken, fish or vegetarian. I opted for the roasted chicken breast on a tomato and eggplant sauce, with sweet potato and green beans, and it was excellent. There’s a salad to start and a cute little cream tart to finish.
The service: It is my first time flying Fiji Airways, and its reputation for being friendly is well deserved. The attentive crew seemed genuinely happy, unless they are damn good actors.
One final thing: It can’t be overstated again the importance of this aircraft on the nation’s psyche. I saw many car bumper stickers proudly promoting the A350, and everyone on the island that I spoke to knew about it. This is Fiji Airways announcing to the world that it is stepping up to the next division. Verdict: ★★★★1⁄2
Frequency: Daily. The A350 itself will make cameo appearances on the route.