Air Pacific review - by Grant Rimland

27 October 2006

My wife and I were also on the flight from Nadi to Honolulu on 12 Sept, 2006, which left us stranded for 3 days and 2 nights on Christmas Island. No Air Pacific staff member communicated with us from the time we were dropped off till the time we got back on a plane. At no stage did we have a clear idea when we would even be making it to our destination. And the poor attitude shown by the staff of Air Pacific continued after we arrived back in Nadi. All passengers requests or complaints were handled poorly and we personally were passed from one staff member to another, each claiming not to be able to help us. They had promised to put us on a waitlist for a return flight from Honolulu, but on the day of the flight told us we had never been waitlisted. I would recommend not flying with Air Pacific on any route. Air Pacific have taken no responsibility for their extremely poor customer service, but instead use the Warsaw convention as an excuse to hide their poor management of the situation.

Air Pacific review - by Richard Molitor

10 October 2006

I wonder how Air Pacific maintains a 3-star rating on this site. They stranded my wife and I (and 40-50 other passengers) for 3 days and 2 nights on Christmas Island on a return flight from Nadi to Honolulu on 12 Sept, 2006. There was never any official communication between the local AP staff and the passengers and when the plane was finally repaired (had to be flown to Honolulu) the "castaways" had to go back to Nadi instead of Hawaii. Christmas Island is a very stupid place to have a refueling stop (no matter how much AP gets paid by Kiribati) since the primitive airfield (no lights and the guidance devices keep getting stolen by locals) just promotes the likelihood of getting stuck there. Additionally, it became very obvious to all of us that AP doesn't have enough planes as well as qualified maintenance personnel (or competent customer service staff) to manage what seem to be very common breakdowns with their airplanes. I'd give this airline 1 star just for the very appropriate action taken by the pilot when he realized his cracked windshield was a risk to all on board the flight. Everyone missed all their connections and those without travel insurance are probably quite steamed. We'll never fly AP again!

Air Pacific review - by Josh Krancer

22 September 2006

A pleasant experience. I flew from LAX to NAN and back in economy. The interior of the 747-400 was current and the seats were more comfortable than those found on domestic US flights. The flight crew were polite and they didn't disappear into the back of the plane after the meals were served. In flight entertainment was okay. They have about 6 or 7 channels. On the return flight my seat had an audio problem. That gave me the choice of left or right ear for listening. The flight attendant said she would notify the airline. Dinner was a lasagna dish, with no salad or bread. Breakfast consisted of panackes and fresh fruit. Bring your own. My flight from LAX departed on time and arrived early. The return flight departed late. Take heed to the advice others have written. Check in is indeed very slow. They only had 4 or 5 counters open. One family of about 9 people occupied one of the desks for almost an hour. LAX wasn't a problem, but do show up early in Nadi.

Air Pacific review - by Ashneel Sharma

11 September 2006

I travelled to Fiji - my second trip on Air Pacific. Although the food was average with no choice, the drinks were relatively good with friendly service. Only downside is the professionalism of the staff, which was low. All in, I would only choose Air Pacific if they have a better prices which they do quite often and is the cramped leg room is okay for the short 3 hr journeys. Also they really need to upgrade there entertainment system.

Air Pacific review - by John Glasspool

30 July 2006

Nadi- LAX in Business. Air Pacific have their business class where other airlines have first class, in their 747, so there is a great feeling of spaciousness. The seats are not flat but they recline almost flat, so I was able to get some sleep on the flight. The evening meal was poor- with quality similar to an economy class meal on other airlines. We were told there was no champagne because the cooler had not worked. I was offered one glass of wine with my meal, and that was it. In fact, I am not a great drinker, but in business class one might have hoped for a second one. The breakfast was more substantial, but in fact arrived barely warm. Overall, I was not greatly impressed. I had also flown with them a week before on the Brisbane-Nadi route. Again, the food was not brilliant. This was in a 737, and there are only 8 business class seats, which was nice and "intimate", but didn't mean much, other than we had more legroom. (The first row of seats are a bit restricted in fact, because of the bulkhead.).

Air Pacific review - by Fiona Walker

14 July 2006

I recently flew Air Pacific business (tabua) class from Sydney to Nadi then Nadi to Melbourne. The flight from Sydney was in a 747 which was well fitted out and very comfortable. The food was pretty ordinary. Flight attendants were reasonably friendly but not as friendly as I had thought they might be, given that Fijians are supposed to be super friendly people. The entertainment system worked fine and there was a reasonable choice of things to watch given the short flight. The flight from Nadi to Melbourne was on a smaller plane (767 I think) and the seats were not as comfortable as on the larger plane. There was also no entertainment available other than by using a small movie player with about eight selections. The food again it was ordinary, with steak so tough I could barely cut it. The flight attendants were quite friendly on this flight. Given the length of the flight, I'm not sure it's worth paying a premium to travel business class given that all you really get it is a better seat. It is hard to imagine that the food in economy could have been much worse than we got in business class.

Air Pacific review - by Tom Read

27 January 2006

Auckland to Nadi - food was cold with only one choice available, film started half way through and not restarted. Legroom poor and cabin crew were unresponsive. Nadi-LAX : took 2hours to check in. The television and headphones didn't work and kept cutting out, our evening meal was 2 sandwiches and there were so many cabin announcements there was no-way you couldn't get any proper rest! Crew were nowhere to be seen most of the flight.

Air Pacific review - by Vernon Noronha

19 January 2006

LAX to NAN. Check in inordinately slow (allow extra time), food and drink nothing special, IFE better than some (eg United) but 747 planes are refurbished Singapore Airlines planes and they show their age. Flight attendants unresponsive.

Air Pacific review - by Shane Palmer

13 January 2006

NAN-NRT on a B763. Flight was fairly empty, had two seats to myself. Crew were okay. Too many announcements made by the purser so trying to get some rest on a 9.5hr flight was difficult. The aircraft seemed old. Choice of entertainment onboard was poor.No PTV. Food was average, drink service was poor. Asked a couple of times for a top up and the crew would shoot off somewhere else - and forget to come back with what I asked. Overall, a fairly average airline with room for improvement !

Air Pacific - by R Ellis

12 October 2005

I recently flew Auckland-Suva in economy on a Boeing 737-800 plane. Price was similar to Auckland-Nadi on Air New Zealand. We departed on time, FAs very friendly. Surprisingly, we had a full meal and full bar service, in comparison to Air NZ's light cafe menu. IFE standard, with multiple screens that dropped from overhead baggage compartment, which featured a recent block-buster movie. Plane was clean throughout. Return leg from Suva-Auckland was better - food much better (prepared by Holiday Inn Hotel Catering Dept. FA's very friendly. Flight fairly problem-free and smooth with ontime landing in AKL. All in all, great value for money. Will fly them on next mission to Suva - saves time and hassle and additional fare of connections at Nadi from Air NZ to Air Fiji, through to Suva.

Air Pacific - by P Nacken

8 August 2005

Here in Fiji this airline is widely known as "Air Pathetic". Having flown AP frequently in the last 3 years, I have very mixed experiences. The food (coach) is nothing to talk about later, on flights to Japan they add some Japanese food which is nice. IFE is usually on bad screens and the picture quality can be very bad. I have yet to get a headset which actually delivers sound for both ears. On my last flight NRT-NAN the FAs were great, probably because the cabin was only 30% full. On NAN-NRT it was 99% and the FAs were useless. The absolut worst experience I had was a weight allowance issue flying NRT-NAN. I had confirmation by phone from someone at AP HQ in Nadi that we could bring 15 kg extra each. So checking in in NRT with 70 kg, no one had heard about our special request and we were asked to pay 700 USD. The flight was not even full and the average Fijian passenger outweighs my wife easily by 100 kg. Only after a lot of bitching, a near mental breakdown of my then-pregnant wife and a signed confession, err, retelling of my deal with AP HQ we were let go without being charged. In general the seats in coach are a torture for a 6'2" person. Bulkhead seats are nicer, but may not recline. When getting a baby basinette, my knees were securely wedged in by it. I would avoid AP if I could, but have to admit that I had some nice FA experiences with them (e.g. the very recent flight).

Air Pacific - by Robert Preston

4 August 2005

What a delight to be able to write about Air Pacific. In early August, I flew in Tabua (Business Class) from Los Angeles to Nadi (Fiji) and then, a day later, from Nadi to Auckland. Having left my brand new Blackberry cell phone on a connecting Alaska Airlines flight in LAX, I was very distraught. I informed Air Pacific ground staff, who contacted Alaska Airlines, sent someone over, arranged for shipping and hand- delivered it to me the next day in Fiji. Their ground and business class lounge staff in Los Angeles and Nadi were most empathetic and went out of their way to accommodate me. The inflight experience was equally as pleasant. Their crew were smiling, warm and gracious at all times. Their 747 seats, whilst older generation than the sleeper seats now available in Business/First class on some airlines, were comfortable. There was ample legroom. The champagne was excellent, as were the selection of wines from Australia and New Zealand. The food and IFE were good.

Air Pacific - by Yan Gindin

1 August 2005

LAX to NAN return in July'05 in coach. Flight to NAN was really bad as air conditioning was not working in half the cabin, so it got hot and stuffy and I had to seek an empty seat somewhere else. The leg room in coach is really tight and being 6'2 I felt very uncomfortable. Return flight was better, with functioning airconditioning, working TV screens and I got an emergency row seat with ample leg room. Food is nothing to speak of. The flight crew was friendly and attentive on both flights. I have heard that Air Pacific obtained "new" planes from Singapore Airlines. Definition of "new" is a stretch. 747 that I flew on was worn out inside despite the new paint on the outside, it was decisively second hand and had seen better days. As Air Pacific is the only one that flies 5 times a week, I see no alternative to it

Air Pacific - by A Vollkommer

21 July 2005

Business Class from LAX to Nadi, Fiji and then from Fiji to Sydney a few days later. The service was excellent. The Business class cabin was nicely laid out and there was plenty of room to move about. During the flights the service was right on the dollar, my beverages were always being refilled. Food service was very good, and the in flight entertainment unit on my seat worked just fine. LAX-Nadi flight was a long flight but it didn't seem like it given the friendly and helpful attitude of the flight attendants.

Air Pacific - by Jerome Weingart

5 July 2005

For schedule reasons, I reluctantly bought a coach seat LAX/NAD and return last February (2005). The 747 was extremely cramped and the tiny snacks they referred to as meals were pathetic. Fortunately I brought my own food on board, having been warned. I was given a bulkhead seat that the reservations agent said would give me extra legroom, but there was virtually no legroom, and I had to find another seat in an almost entirely sold out section. I have travelled widely internationally; this was one of the least comfortable flights that I have had. Future travel to the region will be on Air New Zealand.

Air Pacific - by Cees Kaijim

25 June 2005

Flew Air Pacific recently from Sydney to Suva and back, in Economy. Aircraft 737-800, acceptable legroom for the duration of the flight, service with a smile and reasonable food.

Air Pacific - by Jarrett Johnson

26 April 2005

I flew Air Pacific Economy class back in December and March and I must say the older planes have seen there days. Even though all the seats have your own tv screen, a few of the channels won't work. The seats are pretty cramped and if you have the misfortune of getting a middle seat, the flight will seem a lot longer. I did however get to seat in the upstairs deck on my way back. It was a bit quieter than the lower deck, but the lights kept flickering on and off during turbulence. One huge recommendation is to eat before you get on the plane, the food is horrible. Dinner was a ham and cheese sandwich with a tiny thing of fruit, however, the highlight of the meal was a mini magnum ice cream bar. The crew are extremely friendly and always carry a smile. I'm a travel agent and I will still recommend Air Pacific.

Air Pacific - by Paul Budd

7 February 2005

Sydney- Nadi. After flying to Australia from London in Business Class with Lauda Air it seemed pointless paying a premium price for a four hour flight. However I almost wished I had. The old 747 had seen much better days. Due to it being close to Christmas after take off the crew served what appeared to be a Roast Chicken Lunch, hence the appeared part! Rubber chicken and over cooked veggies. No real bother about food, (contingency is to eat at airport) one needs space on a plane especially when one is 6ft 3inch like myself. However space is an element most airlines fail to recognise with the utmost importance in Economy Class and unfortunately Air Pacific are guilty. When the passenger in front reclined his seat I could barely move my legs, so I remained crushed for the rest of the flight. On a positive note, the Fijian people are some of the most hospitable in the world and the F/A's were fantastic. Unfortunately passengers need more than just friendly F/A's to frequently use an airline!

Air Pacific review - by W Clarke

31 October 2004

My wife and I recently flew economy class on Air Pacific, Nadi to Brisbane on their 737-800 aircraft. While it was a full flight, the cabin crew worked very well. Apart from the cramped leg room in economy, the only comment I wish to make is on how terribly poor the quality of the food was- the main meal, I am sure, was meant to be chicken chow mein, but the noodles resembled sticky and old instant noodles and the chicken looked like it had been put through a shredder with other ingredients and plopped onto the plate. The food not only looked bad, it did not taste very good either. We are regular travellers on Air Pacific because of the fact we live in Fiji, but we encourage Air Pacific to lift its game or it will really suffer with the advent of new competition in the market from Virgin.

Air Pacific review - by J Kirchner

10 October 2004

I've been flying LAX - NAN for some years now, and can announce Air Pacific has rid themselves of the older 747 "classics" leased in from Qantas, substituting them with newer 747-400s leased in from Singapore. Coach in the "new" 747-400's is more comfortable and has 32" seat pitch now, and Tabua (Business) class is spacious and has older-style seats which still can be slept in on one's side. Often Tabua can be bought "ad-hoc," e.g. LAX - NAN an additional US$750 one way. Food is adequate, the crew try to show the Bula spirit, but ground handling can be less than stellar, especially in NAN. FJ code-shares with QANTAS and American Airlines, so you can get those airlines' full miles if you fly the codeshare. You should know some travel agents can discount FJ more than the published fares.

Air Pacific review - by R Prasad

5 May 2004

As a frequent traveller to Fiji, I tend to avoid Air Pacific and use the services of Air New Zealand. But due to seat availability, I reluctantly purchased a seat on Air Pacific on 31st July, 2003(Lax-Nan) and returning(12th Aug, 2003(Nan-Lax). Based on feedback from friends and family, I expected the worst, but to my surprise, I found Air Pacific to be quite a world class airline. The Lax ground crew from check to the gate were quite knowledgable and friendly. They tried to honor most of my requests and very kind enough to seat me on the upper deck economy section. The F/A on board were quite friendly and had frequent visits to check in on us. The plane was well equipped the PTV, though my wife PTV did not work on the out bound flight. The only disappointment that I experienced was the unorganized boarding at Nadi. Can't really blame Air Pacific, but it was utter Chaos with no organization with boarding process.

Air Pacific review - by M Wickham

25 April 2004

Air Pacific last Jan and found them an excellent airline. ourney was LAX to Nadi and putting aside the awfulness of LAX the experience was quite pleasant. Newish 747-400,pleasant and attentive cabin staff and palatable food. The flight was noteworthy in that we had to divert to Hawaii because of a medical emergency but the crew handled things very efficiently and although we finished up with a 14-hour rather than a 10-hour flight they managed to keep smiling and the passengers happy throughout the trip.

Air Pacific review - by Bob Calotta

25 July 2003

I recently flew Air Pacific Nadi-LAX on their new 747-400, July 22, 2003. The crew, meals, in-flight entertainment were good-excellent, BUT the departure from Nadi was AWFUL. The flight was delayed 1 1/2 hrs late because, according to the captain and crew, other connecting flights to Nadi were late and ground control would not allow the plane to depart. Consider that 400+ passengers were already boarded and seated by the scheduled departure time. Why hold a plane for this long? The result in LAX was that many travelers missed connecting flights. I was one of them and had to wait another six hours for the next flight to the US East Coast. Air Pacific did offer me a hotel room and meal voucher for the delay, but I would have preferred that they take off on time.

Air Pacific review - by Jemane Branor

7 May 2003

I flew Air Pacific LAX-NAN and it was horrible! The seats were very old and stiff and the service was below par. The food was not very good either. However, I have flown them from Fiji to Western Samoa and the service on that trip was way better than that of the long haul. They need newer planes for the long hauls and they also need to re-vamp the entertainment package. Nevertheless, they have great potential to offer a premium level of service.

Air Pacific review - by R Ellis

21 April 2003

Air Pacific are very good! As long as tthey keep their planes new, maintain their warm Pacific hospitality, keep serving reasonable meals, and regular drink top-ups - they are destined to fly higher!

Air Pacific review - by Sonia Carter

21 February 2003

I have flown Air Pacific between LAX and Fiji/NZ/SYD 3 times and SYD-NAN once. I have always been very pleased with the service, food etc on the airline. Last time we were upgraded (was honeymoon) so I got to try out Tabua class Syd-Nan. I would recommend people thinking about taking Air Pacific to enquire as to whether they are running any special offers where you can pay to upgrade. They often have deals between SYD/NAN where you buy an economy ticket and then can pay an extra $AU250 to upgrade. My only 'gripe' about economy class is that for long-haul trips it is a bit boring having no personal inflight entertainment - they usually just have projected movie. If they ever get round to installing this they will truly be a great airline as the crew are the most courteous I have ever encountered.

Air Pacific review - by William Moreland

15 February 2003

My partner and I have been travelling to Fiji out of Brisbane every year for the past 5 years. On each trip we are given that little extra service that never fails to give us that special buzz. Vinaka Vaka levu Air Pacific.

Air Pacific review - by Liang Zhihao

13 January 2003

I recently flew Air Pacific on the NAN-BNE route and found the Boeing 737-800 and flight attendants' service excellent! During the flight, attendants walk down the aisle frequently to check on passengers. The food on board is much better than that of SIA (where bland food is the norm). If Air Pacific add personal seatback monitors for coach class, it will become a highly sought after airline.

Air Pacific review - by Grant Hutton

30 December 2002

Just completed my first return journey SYD-NAN J class on a 767. For a 4 hour flight the cabin was very acceptable. The seats are a little old but well maintained. You get plenty of leg room and the service from the FA's is most attentive. IFE for J class on the 767 is via a Sony player which is okay - but a little behind the times. Services to Fiji from Sydney are pretty well tied up by AP, so unless you want to island hop around the Pacific you don't have much choice. That said, I think they do a pretty good job overall. On the return the flight was re-scheduled by 3 hours and they went to the trouble of advising all passengers the day before of this change. That was very decent as it saved a 4 am wake up call! A lot of work is happening at Nadi Airport (not before time) so there is a lot of space cut off to the public. The Tabua/Qantas Lounge in Nadi is as stated previously a little out of date but offers all the amenities you could need including showers. 

Air Pacific review - by Geoffrey McArthur 

23 October 2002

I flew Air Pacific Melbourne-Nadi-Melbourne and the service offered was well above average. The 767-300ER was very clean and well maintained. The flight attendants were good,  helpful and the food was beyond my wildest dreams.

Air Pacific review - by N Tam

4 October 2002

I was very happy with Air Pacific's Business Class service. Always very helpful, and the lunch was great. Breakfast was good compared to some other airlines too. Luckily I was flying SYD-NAN, I live in Melbourne and MEL-NAN uses a 737, for a 5 hour flight yet from Sydney you usually get a 747 or if you're a bit unlucky a 767. They really should look into buying Ansett's jumbo jets, they'd go cheap. The Tabua Club/Qantas Club at NAN could do with some upgrading. It really is just a few seats with not much else. I'd fly them again.

Air Pacific review - by Maureen Sampat

30 September 2002

I am a very unhappy customer of Air Pacific. I have no complaints against onboard crew, but the service of the ground crew simply sucks. They do not know what customer service is - and to top it all I was discriminated against.

Air Pacific review - by David Price

11 September 2002

Mr Warnock should note an airline doesn't select the gate they wish to depart from. It is the airport who makes this decision. Air Pacific (in my opinion) offer one of the highest levels of service in the world. The aircraft are modern and comfortable - crew friendly and professional and the service excellent. The Qantas connection makes me feel safer on Air Pacific as opposed to other small airlines. They are the pride of the south Pacific.

Air Pacific review - by W Warnock

23 August 2002

I travelled Air Pacific between AKL and LAX (return) and found the service to be very amateurish. In LA, the departure gate was changed 3 times and the flight was over 6 hours late in leaving. The information on this delay was awful and only customer pressure got any details at all. The only good thing I have to say about them was the food which was excellent. I will never use them again. Standards from other airlines are much, much higher.

Air Pacific review - by D Ribarovski

22 April 2002

As a frequent traveller to Fiji, I often fly with Air Pacific and I must say they rate as my favourite airline. I have flown in Business (Tabua) and Economy (Pacific Voyager) and each time I receive the same level of great, friendly service. Truly a brilliant feature of the Fijian People. Catering is always excellent, so much that after my last flight I spent some time searching for Air Pacific's butcher! Entertainment is good with large video screens in Economy playing new release movies and personal screens in Business with a choice of channels. I give Air Pacific a 5 star rating. Here's to the worlds best airline!

Air Pacific review - by Craig Fischer

03 February 2002

I flew Air Pacific from AKL to LAX. This was my first time ever flying with this airline and was unsure of how it would turn out. I must say I was pleasantly surprized by the inflight service of this small airline. It was superior to some of the larger carriers. The food was from New Zealand so was like the food served on Air New Zealand, the staff were very pleasant and took the extra time to be as helpful as possible even though the flight was almost full. Way to go Air Pacific. 

Air Pacific review - by Mike Jones-Kelley

09 October 2001

My first time on Air Pacific was a business class round trip between LAX and Auckland, with a mandatory stop in Nadi each way. I could not have been more pleased. Air Pacific operates the only two-class 747 I have ever seen, so the business class compartment is smack up in the nose where first class usually lives. There were only 16 or so seats in the compartment, not all occupied, so the attendant-to-passenger ratio was very favorable. The service is spectacularly good. Even the little stuff - the notably beautiful linens at dinner, for example, or the gift box of coco soap - is done with a finesse surprising for an airline belonging to such a little country. Great food. Comfortable and spacious seats. Plus you get access to the Qantas lounges along the way, among the best going.