Fiji Airways operates direct flights from Narita Airport to Nadi International Airport on Viti Levu Island, the gateway to Fiji.
The simplest plan, currently called “Lite,” offers round-trip fares from Narita Airport to Nadi International Airport starting at 91,000 yen for a full year.
No fuel surcharge is required, but the “Light Fare” plan allows only carry-on baggage (checked baggage is optional), so you can choose “Value”, “Comfort” which allows seat selection and up to 2 checked baggage, or “Plus” which allows free schedule change and cancellation if you can afford it. If you can afford it, you can choose “Plus”, which allows you to change your itinerary and cancel your flight free of charge. Beverages, meals, and in-flight entertainment are standard on all plans.
Fiji Airways Narita – Nadi route (from August 2, 2024)
Flight FJ350: Departs Narita (16:30) – Nadi (04:35), operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays
Flight FJ351: Nadi (23:55) to Narita (06:10), operated on Tuesdays and Fridays
The Narita-Nadi route is scheduled to depart on Tuesday and Saturday nights and arrive the next morning until the end of July, so I could make it in plenty of time after work. Considering the amount of luggage, I thought about taking the limited express, but the train was crowded with only a few empty seats, probably because the departure day was a national holiday. I continued on the regular train and headed for Narita Airport at a leisurely pace.
The FJ350 flight we will be using this time is a code-share flight with JAL, British Airways, and Finnair, and departs from Terminal 2. The check-in counter is manned by JAL, and the service is in Japanese, as usual. All I had to do was show my reservation number, pick up my ticket, and check in my luggage. At this time, I was upgraded from economy class to business class. Well, that’s a good start.
Other things to do at the airport include exchanging money for Fiji dollars and, if you are an immigrant, arranging for a telecommunications environment. However, it was after 7:00 p.m., and most of the bank counters at the airport were closed for business. I had heard that it is better to exchange money locally for a better rate, so I decided to skip it here. I was told that I could buy a SIM at the airport, so I did nothing and headed for the boarding gate after going through passport control and customs.
An Airbus A330-200 awaits departure at the boarding gate. The spot at Terminal 2 was a bit lonely since there was no full view of the aircraft, but the ground staff was working briskly to prepare the aircraft for departure. While I was browsing in the duty-free store, it was after 8:50 p.m., and I was escorted to my cabin.
Business Class, located at the front of the aircraft, has 4 rows of 24 seats in a 2-2-2 arrangement. The seats are the so-called cradle type, with light beige leather upholstery. Each seat has a cushion and blanket with a traditional Fijian “tapa” pattern, and amenities are provided.
When sitting down, the seat pitch of 60 inches and the width of 21 inches are as spacious as one would expect. The seat position can be changed electrically, and although it is not fully flat, it is quite comfortable. The 15.4-inch in-flight entertainment monitor is located in front of the cabin, and it is nice to see that the programs are available in Japanese as well. The video programs are in English, though.
Although you will be speaking English with the flight attendants (CAs), there is always one Japanese-speaking “in-flight interpreter” on board, and in-flight announcements are made in Japanese following English. I can be assured that I will be able to talk with the CA when the time comes.
The plane left the spot almost on time and took off from runway A, circling the taxiway. The flight to Nadi International Airport will continue straight over the ocean in a southeasterly direction for approximately 7,000 km, or about 9.5 hours for the outbound flight.
An hour or so after departure, it was time for dinner. The main course was a choice of meat or fish, and the hungry old man naturally ordered meat. After a nice-looking appetizer, a hearty meat dish, and dessert, it was time to go to bed, and the CA changed my seat position to sleeping and set the mat and sheet. I lay my body down on the seat and soon fell asleep with the sound of the jet engine and a slight shaking in the air.
I woke up to the morning glow over the ocean. It is 3:40 a.m. Japan time, and the A330 continues to fly comfortably without any major turbulence. When the sky regained its blue hue, it was time for breakfast.
Again, I could choose my main dish, so I chose the “coconut pancake” just because it was tropical. I looked at my watch and saw that it was just past 4:30 a.m. Japan time, or just past 7:00 a.m. Fiji time. It was just past 7:00 a.m. Fiji time. I thought it was about the right time, but then I thought calmly that it had only been about five hours since I had finished dinner.
After finishing the colorful fruit bowl, I was surprised at the volume of the pancakes that were brought to me. I enjoyed all of them.
The arrival in Fiji was near as the blue ocean, coral reefs, and islands with white beaches appeared below us. We were able to get a good night’s sleep, and we felt refreshed.
While filling out immigration documents and gazing at the surprisingly steep mountains of the interior, we were ready to land. We arrived at Nadi International Airport a little before 9:30, a little earlier than scheduled. As we stepped out of the air-conditioned cabin onto the aisle through the boarding bridge, we were greeted with the sweltering heat of a tropical country. There is no thermometer, so I cannot be sure exactly what the temperature is, but it seems to be close to 30 degrees Celsius.
Since this is not a large airport with international flights arriving and departing constantly, there were no long lines waiting at immigration, and we smoothly picked up our luggage and went to the arrival lobby. Just before leaving the restricted area, I found a currency exchange counter and a Vodafone store. By the way, the exchange rate that day was 1 Fiji dollar = 76.9231 yen including handling fees. That’s about half of the US dollar.
The SIM is the cheapest data-only 3GB “Bula Pack” from several available plans. The validity period is 7 days. Although it is more expensive for travelers, it should be enough for now since the hotel will probably have Wi-Fi. The staff will take care of everything from replacing the SIM to setting it up for you, so you don’t have to worry about anything. Now it’s time to enter Fiji, but it’s getting long, so I’ll leave that for next time!
© Source travel watch
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.