Please Don't Book Fiji Airways

Lmanuka on 15/05/2024 - 19:56

Booked through Fiji airways with a deal posted here, traveling to Tokyo with a 1.5 year old baby.

15 days out from flying the flight time has changed from departing1:30pm arriving in Fiji 5pm to10:30pm arriving 2:30am….. I am extremely pissed off. They have nothing to offer in terms of travelling on a different day or any upgrades.

To everyone on that flight, I'm sorry but as a result my baby is probably going scream the entire way to not only Fiji but also on next leg to Tokyo, including in the Bula lounge (Priority pass with AMEX Airpoints platinum!).

At this point I'd be happy to spend an extra $1,000 for a better flight time but its no longer possible.

To those thinking of booking Fiji airways, please don't. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

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Comments

  • justaddwater on 15/05/2024 - 20:12

    arriving 2:30am in Tokyo

    is there even trains out from the airport at that time?

    Narita is liek 70km from Tokyo proper

    • Fox419 on 15/05/2024 - 20:34

      Good call out, seems like the express train i took like 2 decades ago is only between. 7:45 A.M. until about 9:45 P.M.
      Looks like recommendations might be an airport hotel, unless they want to transit by bus or other which can be 90-100 minutes to Tokyo.

      https://www.japanstation.com/narita-express-tokyos-airport-s…

    • gcnz on 16/05/2024 - 10:36
      +1

      Not sure if the post has been edited but they're only talking about arriving into Fiji at 2.30am which matches the Fiji Airways options on 30 May (can only be CHC for those times). 22:40Christchurch (CHC) 02:30 (+1 day) Nadi International (NAN) then 13:15 Nadi International (NAN) 19:30Tokyo Narita International (NRT).

    • Avantime on 17/05/2024 - 01:21

      Narita has a night curfew for flights, so that can't be right. FYI the last Narita Express/Keisei Skyline train leaves at 11pm.

  • Juju123 on 16/05/2024 - 07:04
    +4

    Not just Fiji airway, that happened with other airlines too, Qantas & Jetstar to me just beginning of this year to Singapore.

  • casey on 16/05/2024 - 07:35
    +6

    This was obviously written in the heat of the moment.

    I flew Fiji Airways last year, they were one of the best airlines to fly with, absolute fantastic service.

  • ThatKiwiFella on 16/05/2024 - 08:22
    +3

    It truly seems like a minor inconvenience and something you do need to factor in when going on holiday. Flight times do change, flights get cancelled, fights get delayed. It is not an uncommon occurrence

    Don’t let it be a burden on your trip, brush it off and enjoy your holiday

    Don’t sweat the small stuff, mate

  • kiakaha on 16/05/2024 - 08:33
    +3

    So a flight got delayed…which happens all the time

  • KeepYourPantsOn on 16/05/2024 - 09:37
    +2

    Oh no! Anyway.

  • gcnz on 16/05/2024 - 10:33
    +1

    "They have nothing to offer in terms of travelling on a different day or any upgrades." how would upgrades help? interesting that they didn't give the option to pick another flight, like Air NZ do, but looking at their schedule (assuming from CHC) there are no other options that week anyway.
    Baby might sleep, baby might not, applies to any time. The good news is, the staff on our Fiji Airways flight in Jan were amazing, they carried our 2 year old up and down the aisles when he was a bit upset. I wouldn't be surprised if they let him fly the plane a bit :D the staff at the resort we stayed out were amazing too, they loved giving him cuddles and showing him around.

  • kyogui on 16/05/2024 - 10:47
    +2

    I'm sure this happens to all airlines.

  • ashes42 on 16/05/2024 - 12:42
    +3

    Remember you are buying a seat on a plane not an option on a specific time. Written in the terms and conditions are the rules you agree to.

    Airlines will always change times due to operational or other constraints. There is no magic solution to this.

    If you want a fully flexible itinerary then spend the money on flexible tickets. If not, learn to live with the constraints you have agreed to.

  • NovaAlpha on 17/05/2024 - 12:48
    +5

    Can't tell if OP is being serious or not, or maybe just trolling perhaps. This happens all the time regardless of which airlines you're with.

    "At this point I'd be happy to spend an extra $1,000 for a better flight time but its no longer possible."

    I call BS on this. First off, pretty sure there are other options out there for flying to Japan for around $1000 right now. You said you found this deal on Cheapies. I've been monitoring Japan deals since 6 months ago and they're all around $880~$1200 or so. Let's assume you bought this deal at $950. Are you telling me you'd be willing to spend $1950 instead of $950 just to arrive a few hours early? And what exactly will you be doing there by arriving a few hours early? It better be important and worthwhile enough for you to spend another $1000. That just sounds pretty dumb and unnecessary.

    And if you would have spent ~$1950 in the first place, then why didn't you? That's pretty pricey for a trip to Japan and if you have no problem spending that kind of money, then obviously money isn't a problem to you. In fact, you willing to spend an extra $1000 for a "better flight" alone sounds like money isn't a problem. I'm not sure why you'd bother with the $950 deal in the first place. Did you honestly expect a 5 star business-class experience with a thrifty deal such as this?

    By saving $1000, you could easily use that to pay for taxi to your hotel, which means arriving at 2:30am or whatever shouldn't be a problem. You could easily extend out your stay by another day or so, with plenty of money left to spare for other things like food and entertainment. I highly doubt you'd sacrifice that and instead pay for a flight that gets you there on time just by a few hours.

    I'm extremely well-off compared to most people and even so, I still try to live a frugal life and I enjoy hunting for cheap deals. I personally would never pay double the amount of something (even though I could definitely afford it), knowing that I could pay half the price. The slight inconvenience tradeoff of waiting a few extra hours is definitely worth saving $1000.

    Also, don't flights offer some sort of insurance or protection option (which requires extra payment) for flight delays and cancellations? Those are usually an additional $50 or something, which is relatively cheap compared to spending $1000.

    And not sure if this applies to all airlines in all countries, but I remember reading something similar to this previously. You can still get compensated:
    https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/airline-secrets-tips…

    No matter which angle you look at, none of this makes any logical sense. And it just makes you sound more like a Karen than anything.

  • Joe on 19/05/2024 - 21:56

    Kind of unfair on Fair airways - most airlines do this
    BTW they are owned by Qantas

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