What is the catch - fiji airway j nan-lax-nan ?

[Clivem]

I have to be in Honiara followed by a quick trip to Los Angeles in early May.

I was going to go BNE-HIR-BNE then BNE-LAX-BNE all on VA.
But then I thought if I'm in Honiara what are the options of just heading on to LAX from Fiji .... I have already 'requaled' Plat and gifted gold to SHMBO so I'm not chasing SC's etc at this time.

The thing that amazed me is how cheap 'J' can be from NAN to LAX and back on FJ.

Fiji Airways ......
May 7 NAN - LAX $1,610.80 FJD
May 14 LAX - NAN $1,378.80 FJD total all up inc. taxes etc. it is $2,989.60 FJD .....that roughly equals $1,777 AUD ...total !?!?

At that, the cost of 'J' NAN - LAX - NAN return looks like amazing value ... boarding on, is it 'to good to be true' ??

So my plan is BNE - HIR (do what I need to do there) - HIR-NAN on the 6th o/nite relax for the day and then on to LAX on the 7th (around 9pm depart) ..... With the J fare saving, on the way back SHMBO can head over to NAN and we have a few days off at a good resort and then back to BNE and the grind.

Sounds good ..... but is it to good to be true ? .............. J Fiji Airway A330-200 cabin looks 'good'. Understanding 'Island' service / efficiency / 'time' is what it is .......Is there a major catch to this or is this a good option ? Love to here from the knowledge bank here ......anyone who has used the service or has information on it...... Cheers.

 

[markis10]

The catch is it's not lie flat and the catering may not be up to what you might expect, apart from that its a good deal, especially with the A330s.

 

[Timtammi]

No major catch. Done this twice now and booked again for July. Drawbacks as already pointed out but actually I have found the service to be pretty good and at least quite friendly which is more than you can say for qf half the time. Yes food is not haute cuisine but there is plenty of it. Ife is somewhat limited, bring your tablet or laptop.

 

[TomVexille]

On the new A330's I'd say go for it.

 

[eastwest101]

Not that its a deal breaker but I would assume the HIR-NAN leg would be on a B737-800 or -700 possibly? As the others have said - if you get the new A330s to LAX and back as far as NAN then others have reported that the A330s are pretty good even in Y and pretty good value for J fares (but not true lie flat)

 

[Clivem]

Thanks all ..... booked along with four nights R&R in a club suite at the intercont. on the return leg.
I'll let my better half know on valentines day that she is will be off on a short mid year mini break ........... Happy wife happy life .....

It will also make a change to the normal VA 7/8 run (which touch wood - have been behaving themselves of late) although I'm enjoying the TBIT lounge way more that the T3 VS nightmare .....
Cheers and thanks for the quick replies

(HIR - NAN is a 737-700 .......but I'll be getting off a Cessna from Noro Island back to Henderson Field so I'm sure I'll cope - (note to self - must pack St. Christopher's medallion)

 

[markis10]

Sounds like fun, not a big fan of flights over 12 hours so if I ever reluctantly decide to head to LOTFAP I will certainly look at FJ and taking a break in NAN, the IC looks good even if pricing is a tad high.

 

[JMFK]

I'm flying AKL-NAN-LAX on FJ in J in April - looking forward to it! I'll be sure to do a TR.

Couldn't get any J award seats anywhere in Aus to LAX so found the FJ fare from AKL. The best part was the $60 NZD taxes.

Versus the AUD$450 + I would of paid for Qantas in Y I thought it was a no brainer!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

this 'deal' has been around for a long time. For best results it is purchased as three separate tickets. 1: AU-NAN 2: NAN-USA-NAN and 3: NAN-AU (the last leg agin taking advantage of the FJD and often offering significant savings over buying the AU-NAN-AU as a single ticket originating in Australia.

total business class with three ticket combo should be just on $3000 return. Cheaper than QF PE.

A friend of mine did it and was told they needed to collect their bags in NAN, but given the priority services and time on the ground it wasn't so much of a deal. Plus you get points and stuff.

 

[Isochronous]

this 'deal' has been around for a long time. For best results it is purchased as three separate tickets. 1: AU-NAN 2: NAN-USA-NAN and 3: NAN-AU (the last leg agin taking advantage of the FJD and often offering significant savings over buying the AU-NAN-AU as a single ticket originating in Australia.

total business class with three ticket combo should be just on $3000 return. Cheaper than QF PE.

A friend of mine did it and was told they needed to collect their bags in NAN, but given the priority services and time on the ground it wasn't so much of a deal. Plus you get points and stuff.

I never collected bags in NAN. I through-checked MEL-SYD-NAN-LAX-DFW-AUS on QF/FJ/AA no problems, and similarly on the return LAS-LAX-NAN-SYD-MEL

 

[Timtammi]

I just booked for July exactly as described by mel_traveller. It was a bit more than 3k in total but it was still in the 3's. Last time I did it we had carry on only but there was a desk on arrival at nan where they asked about luggage as you exited the plane and they were retagging bags behind the scenes for those not checked through.

 

[Clivem]

I'm flying AKL-NAN-LAX on FJ in J in April - looking forward to it! I'll be sure to do a TR.........

Look forward to your TR JMFK ........ any tips/thumbs up ~ thumb down points etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ....
I also looked at booking through QF as an option but the cost did not stack even with things like the points bonus, better LAX lounge etc. taken into account ..... So I just booked with FJ direct for the HIR - NAN - LAX - NAN legs and will blow the $'s saved pool/beach side and on the golf course in Fiji.

While VA and QF J will normally be the best option for me it just goes to show how much 'cream' there must be in the better transpac class fares.

I'm quietly looking forward to something a little out of the ordinary if nothing else. Cheers.

 

[prozac]

total business class with three ticket combo should be just on $3000 return. Cheaper than QF PE.

A friend of mine did it and was told they needed to collect their bags in NAN, but given the priority services and time on the ground it wasn't so much of a deal. Plus you get points and stuff.

Where do you suggest one credits points?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Where do you suggest one credits points?

you can put them on qantas, and get status credits too.

 

[prozac]

you can put them on qantas, and get status credits too.

Thanks, but I thought you had to fly on that metal to get the SCs? Is this b/c it is a Oneworld partner or codeshares with Qantas? Would it be better to credit to Alaskan or AA......ok , probably not as the assumption that you are more likely to fly Qantas than either of the others? Did I just answer my own question...

 

[mannej]

Thanks, but I thought you had to fly on that metal to get the SCs? Is this b/c it is a Oneworld partner or codeshares with Qantas? Would it be better to credit to Alaskan or AA......ok , probably not as the assumption that you are more likely to fly Qantas than either of the others? Did I just answer my own question...

This is what you get if you were to credit to QF

Fiji Airways (FJ)*	BGHKLMNOQSTVWY (International)	Economy	1	-
LHQY (Specified domestic routes only)#	Economy	1	-
CDIJZ	Business	1	25%
Status Credits are earned on all eligible booking classes. Excluded: Points are not earned on Codeshare Flights operated by an airline other than Qantas. # Points are only earned on Fiji Airways* domestic flights between Nadi and Suva or Labasa and Suva and Labasa. * Note: Effective from 27 June 2013, Air Pacific will operate as Fiji Airways (FJ).

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions

 

[prozac]

Thanks mannej. Besides not knowing anything about qantas sc and earn I was totally unaware you could earn SC by flying another airline. Just shows you are never to old to learn something new.

 

[mannej]

Thanks mannej. Besides not knowing anything about qantas sc and earn I was totally unaware you could earn SC by flying another airline. Just shows you are never to old to learn something new.

It does help that QF do own part of FJ.

 

[prozac]

Thank you for filling in my missing knowledge...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks mannej. Besides not knowing anything about qantas sc and earn I was totally unaware you could earn SC by flying another airline. Just shows you are never to old to learn something new.

Qantas has a similar program to the others you belong to - all of them are part of alliances - you can fly on any member airline in that alliance and build status (whether by SCs or by miles, depending on the program).

Singapore airlines for example is part of Star, KLM is part of Skyteam.

QF is oneworld.

Each of the airline programs you belong to also have a number of other airlines, not part of a major alliance, with whom they may have earning opportunities. Fiji Airways is such an example for QF.