Aircalin

✅ Trip Verified | The in-flight experience in Aircalin is quite decent. Friendly bi-lingual cabin crew, decent enough food and drinks, and a nice cabin overall. Where my experience really fell apart was the constant changes in flight times. I flew from Singapore to Noumea, then Noumea to Port Vila, before flying back to Singapore the same way. First there were minor half hour adjustments a few weeks after booking. This, in itself, is fine. Then my Noumea to Port Vila leg was rescheduled 2 weeks before departure, and I had to change my tickets because it was no longer possible to catch that flight (it took off before I landed in Noumea). Then (and this is most disappointing), my flight from Port Vila to Noumea got substantially changed just 4 days before departure. I was supposed to fly from Port Vila to Noumea at 10pm on a Monday night, so I would have spent the full day resting by the beach before heading to the airport and catching my flight. I would have then caught another flight to Singapore 1.5 hours later, having a swift but efficient transit in Noumea. The flight to Noumea got pulled forward to 11am in the morning, and thus, I spent the last day of my holiday sitting around in Noumea airport. No attempt at improving the situation was provided, and as we couldn't check our bags all the way through, me and other passengers on this itinerary were stuck at the airport all day lugging our suitcases around. No meaningful attempt at improving this situation was made by Aircalin. This is where the Aircalin experience really fell apart for me. I booked and paid to spend the last day of my holiday relaxing by the beach, then catching a night flight to Noumea, a swift layover, and a subsequent flight to Singapore. Instead, I had to wake up early to catch my flight to Noumea and spend my entire day at the airport. These 2 experiences are entirely different and considering the fact that I booked the 1st experience, it is not acceptable that I was stuck with the 2nd, with no meaningful recourse. The first experience is high-value and efficient, while the second experience is more reflective of a budget itinerary. As an airline, once you create a schedule, you should stick to it. Constantly changing the schedule, and messing around with passenger's itineraries is an easy way to leave a sour taste in their mouth, even if the inflight experience is decent.

Not Verified | A shame of airline. They have lost my luggage (same for 2 more colleagues) in august and I am still waiting for a refund (21/05/2023). They don't answer my mails and I had to pay to a lawyer to try to solve this issue. For me, the worst company ever

✅ Trip Verified | Fantastic flight. Despite a delay departing Narita due to weather, I really enjoyed my flight on Air Calin. The crew were fantastic - very friendly and helpful. Excellent onboard service, great food, a very comfortable seat and the cabin was clean. I would fly them again.

Not Verified | This review is written from the viewpoint of not actually being able to fly AirCalin, despite wanting to. One of my favourite airlines pre-Covid but right now, they're proving to be unreliable. A real shame. Booked my ticket through Air NZ utilising the AirCalin operated flight for a late afternoon flight home on Thursday 27th April, arriving early evening. And why not? A nice leisurely morning a swim at the beach before lunch, then heading to the airport. A pretty decent early dinner onboard with a good red for the 2 hour flight. Sounds good right? But AirCalin has other ideas. First flight reschedule received was to Friday (28/4) morning at 9 o'clock. Not exactly stellar having to leave the hotel at 5 am but ok, I'll just book another night at hotel. Now today, one week from holiday, the Friday flight has been cancelled outright and rebooked on Air NZ (still pretty good but lacking that certain je ne sais quoi these days). Two things grate. I now miss a friend's wedding on Saturday afternoon and I need to schlep my bag to another hotel (since the other hotel is now full on the Friday night). A shemozzle but at least Air NZ have rebooked flights, veg meal and seat selection without drama on the Saturday lunchtime flight. Thanks AirCalin for messing me about, not once but twice. If and when independence from France eventuates, AirCalin won't be able to hide behind Paris' largesse. It'll need to stand and deliver. That'll be interesting.

Not Verified | When cabin crew ask for your feedback and thoughts on how they could improve you know they are genuinely committed to improving service. To be honest I could not fault them on our 2 hour 40mins flight. The plane was fairly new, very clean and the welcome aboard and service throughout exceptional. I had to compliment the crew on the food. The steak was perfect and tasted as if it had been cooked on-board. It bettered my steak experience from steak cooked on board in first class! I really look forward to flying Aircalin again and experiencing that level of customer service and care. Highly recommended

✅ Trip Verified | Absolute rubbish service today at the start and the end. Check in line for economy was huge. I had a Qantas ticket (codeshare) and am Platinum with Qantas so attempted to use the premium queue, which was not permitted. Despite not having clients, premium Check-in desks were not servicing economy clients, preferring to chat amongst themselves. Flight was ok. On arrival, no carousel information and bags took over 30 mins to commence delivery. A PA on ‘we’re sorry for late delivery and miss communication’ really doesn’t equate to being a reasonable service. I won’t fly Air Calin again.

✅ Trip Verified | Melbourne to Nouméa. Surprisingly very good airline and good business seat for a three hours flight. Very good staff and very good product in business. Among them: Nikko Japanese whisky!

✅ Trip Verified | Noumea to Tokyo in economy and it was a good experience for a 8:30 hrs flight. The crew was warm and welcoming. The seat was comfortable with a lot of space for my legs and the entertainment system was complete. However the A330 cabin looked quiet old but these aircraft have to be replaced by mid 2019. The food was correct but not exceptional. Overall it was an appreciable flight.

✅ Trip Verified | Nadi to Noumea. Aircalin is the only airline I have ever flown that does not allow for baby strollers, car seats or cots to be checked in without paying for additional luggage. Also beware when buying a fully refundable ticket. It is nearly impossible to cancel a flight on Aircalin. You can’t do it on line and you can’t do it over the phone. You can only do it in writing and then, if you are lucky, you may receive the refund 30 days later.

✅ Trip Verified | Flew Nadi, Fiji to Wallis Island. Aircalin is the flag carrier of New Caledonia and although a small airline, provided a good service. There were no boarding problems and the flight was on time. This was a very short flight and the cabin service was appropriate.