Air Niugini

✅ Trip Verified | So we first had some trouble as the airline told us that we wouldn't be able to get our original flight but after some over the phone conversations with a very helpful woman in the Air Niugini base in Cairns we were able to get on another flight which was a day earlier. We were desperate to make it to Honiara so we agreed to taking this flight although it meant staying overnight in Port Moresby before going to Honiara on the original second leg of the journey the next day. We arrived in Port Moresby a bit confused and unsure as the what was going to happen, luckily we met a lovely woman who works for the Air Niugini airport team in Port Moresby airport. She was incredibly helpful, she sorted out our free overnight accommodation in the holiday inn which included two free meals and a very nice room and also shuttles to and from the airport. She helped us get out some money and advised us on how much we would need. She even helped us see the town because we wanted to have a look to see what was there so her friend showed us round in her car. Thank you! The flights were very nice with TV's and food and drink served on a flight as short as two hours. This was a plus but was unfortunate that we were delayed on the way there and that our flight got cancelled on the return journey.

Not Verified | I was so looking forward to traveling with Air Niugini and not having to transit via Australia to get to the Philippines from Vanuatu. Unfortunately it turned out to be the worst airline travel experience to date. First our flight was cancelled after sitting at the boarding gate for 2hrs with no info other than 'there is an indefinite delay'. Then the flight was rescheduled for the next day, no info on our connecting flight was given until we arrived in Port Moresby from Vanuatu. The flight from Port Vila to Port Moresby was on a very old looking ATR aircraft, with no entertainment. Aircon was turned off for the 30 minute stopover in Honiara. Promises made by the Air Niugini ground staff to rebook my connecting domestic flights in the Philippines were not honoured and I was only advised of this after the scheduled domestic flights were missed, and only 5 minutes before boarding to Manila. No compensation was offered for the missed domestic flights or even an apology for providing the wrong information. Our baggage was then lost on arrival in Manila. 23 days later, there is still no sign of it and no compensation for lost bag to date. No response recieved to complaint email sent via website. Also no answer on phone numbers listed on website. Another complaint sent via agent in Vanuatu and response was simply 'fill out a form about your baggage' and 'our contract of carriage was only for Port Vila to Manila, no interline agreement'. So why did the staff advise otherwise? After losing baggage, buying new clothes and domestic flights (approx. $500), we requested an upgrade on return flight to have some positive experience with Air Niugini to look forward to. There was no response to this and the request at check in was rejected despite half of business class being empty. The airline also rejected the carriage of my traditional lanterns because Air Niugini exceptionally does not accept the carriage of any items that contain lights that aren't LED lights (I've successfully brought these lanterns in to Australia, USA, Vanuatu - never a problem). I requested they hold them until relatives could collect them the next day and was advised no storage space was available. After spending half a day driving to purchase them, I had to throw them away at the airport (another $100 lost). Air Niugini, you were such an epic disappointment and your poor service ruined our vacation. I understand flights occasionally get cancelled, baggage sometimes gets lost but your responses to customer issues relating to these things were inconsistent, incorrect or inadequate. In the future, I will avoid Air Niugini unless there are really no other options available. Don'tempted by their cheap prices! Like me, you could end up paying more than the cost of flying with a decent airline and have the added frustration and stress of having to deal with an airline that has no interest in resolving customer issues when at fault.

✅ Trip Verified | The outbound journey was delayed 10 hours in Port Moresby. The delayed flight was organised to leave at 2am, however no ground staff at airport were organised, so we sit on tarmac until ground staff arrive at 5am. The return flight from Pohpei was supposed to leave Pohnpei at 2 am and actually left 9.45am. I turned up to airport at 2 am and found out the flight was rescheduled to 9.45am. I contacted AirNuigini twice via email prior to departure to confirm that no changes had been made. I received an email saying that your servers were not working. I was not contacted about this change, but others on the flight all new about this change a week before, as they had booked flights only a week earlier. Therefore, you new about the changes a week earlier, did not advise me or even book me on the forward leg of the journey. The flight leaves Pohnpei at 9.45am, but we are not booked on the continuing flight from Port Moresby to Brisbane. This flight leaves half empty, and several passengers are not booked on this flight because Quants reservations are not open on Sunday. People who booked the week earlier are however on the flight. We were then sent to Sydney Airport and a connecting flight arranged to Brisbane. When we land in Sydney, Qantas advise us that Air Nuigini connection to Brisbane is illegal because there is less than an hour between flights. The checkin had closed and there are no more flights that day. We are then stranded at Sydney Airport with no contact available from either Quantas or Airi Nugini. We then go to Flight Centre and are told there is only one flight left to Brisbane at a cost of $800. Some passengers take this option, but I don’t trust the airline to compensate me. So I am stranded with nobody to contact In Sydney at 7pm at night. Luckily some stranger took pity on me and let me sleep on their couch for the night. I contacted your airline in the morning and I was rebooked to Brisbane at 11am with Qantas. Qantas then advised that my 2 bags of 15kg were subject to excess baggage fee of $70. Eventually I got home at 12pm in Brisbane.

✅ Trip Verified | Bali to Madang via Port Moresby. The domestic side of this airline is an absolute joke! I spent 12 hours in the POM airport yesterday after arriving on the red eye from Bali. There was little to no info given and now I am back at the airport at 4am this morning and have been waiting for an hour with no check in line available yet.

✅ Trip Verified | Hoskins to Port Moresby. Waited 2 days for our cancelled flight to be reinstated even then we had to continually ask ground staff what was going on or for information. Eventually told 6 hrs later our plane arriving from POM was experiencing technical issues which was a total fabrication and lies, I received a phone call from a pilot friend who said they didn't have a captain available. I have been flying in PNG for 30 years and this has been the worst experience. By the way PNG Air managed 5 trips into Hoskins in a 10hr period and all their customers are enjoying Christmas with their families. Guess who I'm flying with in future. Way to treat your valued customers.

✅ Verified Review | Singapore to Port Moresby. Given the limited choice available on the market to reach Port Moresby (only Qantas and Air Philippines travel there) I was forced to take Air Niugini. It was a very pleasant surprise. Plane was not too old, cabin was very decent, clean, entertainment somewhat limited but of reasonable quality. Food was ok, plane is almost always empty, which means lots of space also in Economy. Board personnel is not as shiny as you could see on Emirates or Qatar, but kind, gentle and professional. A surprise.

✅ Verified Review | I was travelling on an Air Niugini PX187 from Mt. Hagen to Port Moresby on 31/3/2017. The check-in was a chaos and in the end flight was cancelled at short notice (as it was time to board), as was the flight on the following day we were transferred to (PX 181). In the end, the total delay was 24 hours. For the whole day on Saturday (8.30am to 5pm), we were made to wait at the airport with no food or water provided and no information on when we might be able to fly. The staff were unwilling to help or offer any kind of assistance or volunteer any information. When I enquired about refreshments for the passengers I was told that it was 'not the airline policy’ to take care of their passengers even in case of delay which was entirely the fault of the airline. When we finally arrived in POM at 6pm on the 1st of April, our luggage was left behind. Again, no specific information was provided by the airline as to when they would arrive, only an approximate “maybe tomorrow”. We went back on the following day and received 1/3 of the checked in baggage. The other two bags didn’t arrive. My colleague went back again in the afternoon to check but still nothing. I gave up as life is too short for this (no chance the airline will follow up on your behalf). I wrote to the airline but haven't received a response. I have never experienced such attitude and negligence by any other airline in the world.

✅ Verified Review | Sydney to Port Moresby. Air Niugini use a remote hard stand for boarding in Sydney. Passengers can expect to catch a bus to take them to the aeroplane. Economy Class Seat 12B. The seat pitch on the Boeing 737-700 is ridiculously tight and is much much less than their 767s which I fly very often. I use Qantas 737-800s every 1-2 weeks and they offer a much better seat pitch. I am 189cm and my knees were jammed against the seat in front on the Air Niugini 737-700. The seat cushioning and lumbar support is near non-existent and passengers should expect to have back and leg pain on arrival. The 767 is the same. The seats fail to lock up right and recline on take-off. My seat gradually reclined to the full reclined position on it's on which severely impacts the limited space for the person seated behind you. The IFE on their Boeing fleet (767 and 737) has issues. The touchscreens rarely work and register phantom touches consistently throughout the flight. These either sequence the exit movie button or turn the volume to max. The passenger in the seat next to me screen's orientation was upside down. The food is relatively good for an economy flight. General condition of the aeroplanes are showing their age.

✅ Verified Review | The most useless airline I have had the misfortune to experience. Booked flights in January for July holiday to take our mother back to Rabaul after 47 years for her 70th birthday. Arrived prior to the other 8 family members only to be advised my flight was cancelled. Rebooked on same day only for this flight to be cancelled. All due to the fleet being 'unserviceable'. No communication of cancelled flights, even when at airport. Forced to stay over night in Moresby, flight rescheduled for 8am, only to be cancelled. Finally after so many attempts, I had to pay $380AUS to fly with the alternative non government Air PNG airline so I could start my actual holiday and join my family. These forced changes rendered my pre planned expense and time useless. I felt sorry for airport staff who are placed in this position due to pilots striking. I felt very sorry for customers who were forced for to wait 5 days before they could get to their destination.

Port Moresby to Brisbane with Air Niugini - relatively expensive airline although not on routes from PNG to and from Brisbane and Cairns in Australia. Planes are old but have been refurbished with quite comfortable seats and have quite a good in-seat entertainment system. The toilets are clean, which is a plus on any airline. Meals are actually very good and probably amongst the best of any airline I have flown with (at least in economy). However, what sets this airline apart from many is its cabin staff who are very friendly and nothing is too much trouble.