Review of Fiji Airways Business Class

Nadi International Airport is Fiji Airway’s central hub located on the west coast of Fiji’s largest island Viti Levu. The airport is at the heart of Fiji’s tourism, accounting for up to 97 per cent of annual international airline passengers.  The nation’s capital is on the opposite side of the island, around 125 kilometres away and can be reached by internal flight within an hour.

Business Class travellers skip the queues with priority check-in, express boarding, and increased baggage allowance. They also have complimentary access to the flagship Fiji Airways Premier Lounge, located on the ground floor, with a spacious and stylish 200-seat passenger capacity containing a quiet zone, individual seating, booths with table seating and group seating arrangements providing good levels of comfort and privacy and excellent service.

Hot and cold meals are available from an a la carte menu and buffet station with the addition of barista coffee and a full bar with a good selection of wines and spirits. Travellers with a sweet tooth will love the Fiji Bean Cart, where they can try traditional Fijian sweets and treats.

Business travellers can access the comfortable business centre complete with complimentary Wi-Fi, USB sockets and power points and printing facilities.  The glass-walled entertainment media room has everything from televised sports to news stations and reading material. A spa massage service is also available, though this is located separately.

Wheelchair accessible facilities include toilets, showers, towels and hairdryers and Premium Pure Fiji amenity products. 

Energetic children can use the Lailai Land kids play centre with qualified staff readily on hand.

An unusual but nice aspect of Nadi International Airport is that some gates are open air, meaning that as you exit the jet bridge you are outdoors on a covered balcony overlooking the airport apron. For visitors this provides an instant feeling of having arrived on a tropical island.

Fiji Airways operates two distinctly different Business Class cabins across their long-haul network. By far the best experience is offered on the fleet of four flagship A350s, with four older A330s providing a less comfortable journey.

When the airline rebranded from Air Pacific to Fiji Airways in 2013, a bold new livery design was introduced with national heritage patterns and emblems on the tail and engines that stand out, especially against the all-white fuselage. The tail design represents the deep caring friendliness of Fijians and the warmth shown towards visitors, while the engine motif represents clear flowing water on a white sandy beach.

The livery design is continued throughout the Fiji Airways experience. Inside the aircraft, the seats of Business Class are calming neutral ivory and light grey colours with contrasting soft furnishings exhibiting the Masi art design as seen on the outside of the aircraft.   

Fiji Airways long-haul aircraft have 33 Business Class seats (A350) or 24 Business Class seats (A330s).

The A350-900s, used primarily for long-haul flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney and Auckland, have 33 Collins Aerospace Super Diamond fully lie-flat leather Business Class beds in a 1-2-1 configuration and herringbone formation. They come with a pitch of 60-62 inches (up to 157 centimetres) and a width of 22 inches (56 centimetres) and feature Thales’ latest generation on-demand entertainment systems with a 17-inch (43 centimetres) screen, two USB ports and in-seat power socket and IFE touchscreen remote. There are good options to secure personal items with two storage compartments (one shallow – one deep) in the console housing and additional storage in the aisle armrest. A three-position tray table is stowed neatly beneath the entertainment screen.

The A330 aircraft fleet is primarily used on flights to Australia, New Zealand, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. With 24 leather, angled (8 degrees) lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 formation and a pitch of 60 inches (152 centimetres), width of 21 inches (53 centimetres) and an in-flight entertainment screen of 15.4 inches (39 centimetres). The colour scheme remains, as do seat facilities such as USB ports, IFE remote controls and retractable privacy screens. There is however no denying that these seats are not comfortable enough for overnight journeys of up to 10 hours.

The new advanced and efficient Boeing 737-MAX-8 fleet of aircraft has eight recliner seats with a pitch of 51 inches (130 centimetres). The older Boeing 737-800s come with a reclining 48-inch pitch (122 centimetres) and 2-2 formation. The MAX-8s come with USB power and on-demand entertainment. The 737-800s come with more limited entertainment options.

Fiji Airways offers international Business Class travellers new gourmet options from celebrated Executive Chef Richard Cross, who looks to champion Fijian ingredients with Kiwi-inspired gastronomy and pair them in innovative ways. Inspired by his experience at various high-end international resorts worldwide, Business Class passengers can enjoy fine-dining meals such as grilled tiger prawn cutlets with crispy noodles, grilled aged tenderloin in a peppercorn sauce, and feta-stuffed chicken breast, all served with indigenous vegetables and modern cooking and preservation techniques. The introduction of house-smoked local produce such as smoked walu fish will also feature in the airline’s cuisine.

New menus will be introduced each quarter and promise to have the wow factor in presentation, appearance, flavours, and colour.

Meal courses arrive on trays of crisp white linens sporting decorative emblems and sides of delicious pieces of bread. A dessert trolley is rolled out for passengers to view and select the selection of pastries and fresh fruit.

The airline serves Business Class customers a delicate Chanoine Grande Reserve Champagne. International wines include a fresh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. An oaked Rawson’s Private Release South Australian Chardonnay. A versatile Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon from the US and an elegant ruby red Gerard Bertrand Pinot Noir from France.

The signature drink is the Fiji Airways Welcome Cocktail, consisting of eight-year-old Fiji Rum Liqueur, two-year-old Coconut Rum Liqueur, maraschino cherries, an orange slice, and bitters over ice cubes. Be careful not to have too many, though; these pack a mighty punch. A delicious non-alcoholic mocktail version is also available.

There are plenty of options to enjoy a mid-flight treat with a good selection of high-end spirits, local and brand-named beers, and liqueurs. Non-alcoholic drinkers can choose from Fiji water, orange, apple and tomato juices, various carbonated options, a selection of teas such as Earl Grey and coffees and hot chocolate. Fiji Airways sadly does not serve espresso-based drinks.

Fiji Airways cabin crew are excellent ambassadors of their nation - bringing the friendly culture of Fiji to the world. The style and approach of the crew are gracious, friendly, relaxed, and in keeping with the hospitality with which Fijians pride themselves. Cabin staff look smart in their uniforms with the same geometric heritage designs used elsewhere.

Food service is stress-free and well-organized to flight times with proactive and prompt attention shown to passengers.

While the crew are all warm and welcoming, they do not use passenger names while addressing them. However, do not be surprised if the purser adds a personal touch by greeting each Business Class passenger at their seat before takeoff, or thanking them for flying Fiji Airways before landing.

The Airbus A350-900s come with capable onboard Wi-Fi, as do the Boeing 737 MAX-8s. However, this is not complimentary. The A350 and A330 aircraft boast the latest generation Thales AVANT inflight on-demand entertainment systems, with the A350s having slightly larger touch screens than their smaller cousins. These screens are fixed but are still easily viewed in a lie-flat position.

Phitek noise-cancelling headphones are located in the armrest and have decent qualities. If you travel with good quality noise cancelling headphones - your own are likely to provide better sound quality and comfort.

Movie buffs can enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters and international films. Passengers can also view the latest international television series, music albums, audiobooks, radio, and gameplay.  The external cameras on the aircraft also provide real-time viewing and entertainment for passengers interested in seeing their surroundings and flight path.

FijiTime is a complimentary downloadable in-flight app and has access to over 7000 newspapers and magazines during your flight.

Long-haul and night flights have the added comfort and luxury of premium mattress toppers on A350 and A330 flights with added duvets for a more restful sleep (also included on B737 flights). In contrast, all other flights come with comfortable premium-feel blankets and pillows.

Amenity kits on long-haul and night flights follow the same geometric design throughout the aircraft and come with luxurious Pure Fiji toiletries and lotions, eco dental kits, eyeshades, earplugs, lip balm a pen and socks.

Three lavatories are available to Business Class passengers on the A350s, complete with essential Pure Fiji products. There are two bassinets on the front bulkhead and a further restroom with baby-change facilities next to the front exit.

Boeing 737s are used primarily for medium-haul flights and regional short-haul flights.  Limited to eight reclining Business Class seats, passengers will not receive amenity kits but will receive the premium quality pillow and blankets.

Noise-cancelling headphones are handed out prior to the flight and the lavatories, though smaller than those on the Airbus, still contain Pure Fiji amenities for passenger comfort.

To the same standards as that of the long-haul flights, a three-course meal, Champagne and wine options are swiftly and efficiently delivered during the shorter flights.

Short and medium-haul cabin crews have the same pleasing and welcoming qualities as their long-haul contemporaries.

Fiji Airways is committed to its responsibility towards home and the planet. It embarks on several initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and preserve the environment.

The first of these initiatives is a Fuel Management Programme geared toward reducing fuel – being the main contributor to carbon emissions. Fiji Airways is committed to its goal by using state-of-the-art monitoring software, increasing pilot awareness of economic fuel burn, and introducing the A350 XWB fleet of aircraft – among the most fuel-efficient wide-body aircraft available.

In addition, Fiji Airways, along with the Fijian Department of Forestry has planted over 36,500 trees in the past two years as part of the ‘Every Take Off…One Tree’ project. The vast majority of these are mangrove trees – the best sequesters of carbon – sequestering more than four times more carbon than rainforests. By the end of 2022, Fiji Airways will plant 50,000 mangrove trees.

In the air, Fiji Airways will remove more than two tonnes of plastics annually and save half a million litres of water by using more environmentally-friendly products. Replacing plastic trays with more sustainable packaging will reduce the need to wash items clean.  Amenity kits now use wood-based products and sustainable paper.