Tiki
Established Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2004
- Posts
- 1,879
We have been on a birding trip in the Solomon Islands covering hotspots such as Kolombangara, Rennell and Guadalcanal. These are all highly recommended by Solomon Tourism and favorite destinations for the big birding tour groups. Last Tuesday we arrived on Rennell very normally. Flight was maybe 15 minutes late, no biggie. We spent 2 days in a guesthouse and walked around the usual places where birds are seen.
On Thursday we showed up at the airport for the regular scheduled flight on Solomon Airlines back to Honiara where we planned to get a taxi to Parangiju Mountain Lodge (booked via WhatsApp cash on arrival), then 2 nights in Honiara at Kitano Mendara (prepaid on Agoda).
This is when the trouble started. The flight we were booked on was cancelled due to weather. They rebooked us for Saturday (yesterday) on a special recovery flight. In the meantime we stayed at a guesthouse just opposite the airstrip for access to the tiny shops and walkable to the airport. The flight yesterday was also cancelled due to mechanical problems. As of now there is no scheduled recovery flight for the 15 people who were supposed to travel Thursday. We are the only tourists on the island although a birding group was supposed to arrive Thursday from Honiara as we would be returning on that plane.
There is a regular flight supposed to operate today and the local in charge of Rennell airport had prioritized us on this flight……. If it arrives. I was also hoping the birding group would be putting pressure on the airline to fly to Rennell as they would be wanting to see the local endemics and birders are very determined people.!
We already missed the 2 nights at Parangiju and one night at Kitano Mendara. Now what is really worrying me is the flight to Brisbane on Monday. It’s a classic award flight and if we can’t make it, the next award seats are Sunday, week. I know there is 5000 points change fee but we don’t know how long we will be trapped on this island. There are no ferries and cargo ships maybe once every month or 2. Apparently Solomon Airlines has had trouble with their domestic flights. A Dash8 is out of service and only 2 Twin Otters are doing domestic flights. Both planes were mechanical yesterday. This has been covered in local news and the local people are making informed decisions about visiting Rennell knowing that they could be stranded here. Foreign tourists would not have known about this and no one warned us when we checked in at Honiara. I would have cancelled Rennell rather than take the risk.
We have Tick Travel Insurance standard cover with an extra cover for natural disasters. I’m having trouble calling the number from here even with Vodafone roaming active. I also have. Our Telekom SIM card with heaps of data but no local phone calls.
I would appreciate any advice especially from people who know the Solomon Islands. Since I don’t know how long we will be stranded I don’t know when to try to change the QF flight. There are cash flights on Wednesday, also Solomon Airlines has cash flights but you can imagine my trust level in them! Will travel insurance reimburse if we cancel the award tickets and buy cash tickets on the next flight possible when we get to Honiara? Or do we have to take the next available award flight even though it would require more hotel nights?
On Thursday we showed up at the airport for the regular scheduled flight on Solomon Airlines back to Honiara where we planned to get a taxi to Parangiju Mountain Lodge (booked via WhatsApp cash on arrival), then 2 nights in Honiara at Kitano Mendara (prepaid on Agoda).
This is when the trouble started. The flight we were booked on was cancelled due to weather. They rebooked us for Saturday (yesterday) on a special recovery flight. In the meantime we stayed at a guesthouse just opposite the airstrip for access to the tiny shops and walkable to the airport. The flight yesterday was also cancelled due to mechanical problems. As of now there is no scheduled recovery flight for the 15 people who were supposed to travel Thursday. We are the only tourists on the island although a birding group was supposed to arrive Thursday from Honiara as we would be returning on that plane.
There is a regular flight supposed to operate today and the local in charge of Rennell airport had prioritized us on this flight……. If it arrives. I was also hoping the birding group would be putting pressure on the airline to fly to Rennell as they would be wanting to see the local endemics and birders are very determined people.!
We already missed the 2 nights at Parangiju and one night at Kitano Mendara. Now what is really worrying me is the flight to Brisbane on Monday. It’s a classic award flight and if we can’t make it, the next award seats are Sunday, week. I know there is 5000 points change fee but we don’t know how long we will be trapped on this island. There are no ferries and cargo ships maybe once every month or 2. Apparently Solomon Airlines has had trouble with their domestic flights. A Dash8 is out of service and only 2 Twin Otters are doing domestic flights. Both planes were mechanical yesterday. This has been covered in local news and the local people are making informed decisions about visiting Rennell knowing that they could be stranded here. Foreign tourists would not have known about this and no one warned us when we checked in at Honiara. I would have cancelled Rennell rather than take the risk.
We have Tick Travel Insurance standard cover with an extra cover for natural disasters. I’m having trouble calling the number from here even with Vodafone roaming active. I also have. Our Telekom SIM card with heaps of data but no local phone calls.
I would appreciate any advice especially from people who know the Solomon Islands. Since I don’t know how long we will be stranded I don’t know when to try to change the QF flight. There are cash flights on Wednesday, also Solomon Airlines has cash flights but you can imagine my trust level in them! Will travel insurance reimburse if we cancel the award tickets and buy cash tickets on the next flight possible when we get to Honiara? Or do we have to take the next available award flight even though it would require more hotel nights?
