AFF member ecole16 recently flew in Business class on a Fiji Airways 737. This member travelled in the Business cabin on FJ254, an afternoon service from Apia to Nadi. They’ve taken the time to post pictures and a review of the flight.
A Boeing 737-800 was used for the 2-hour flight. This aircraft has 8 Business class seats in a 2-2 configuration. These are recliner seats, similar to those found on Qantas & Virgin Australia Boeing 737s. They are not lie-flat but comfortable for short flights.
On this flight, a salad and choice of main meals was served. This was accompanied by plenty of drinks and excellent service from the dedicated Business class flight attendant.
The service given by the J flight attendant was excellent, even offering a second round of drinks prior to departure. Inflight was the same. There was no hiding behind the curtain like I have sometimes experienced on other airlines.
Fiji Airways 737s are used on flights from Fiji to New Zealand, Hawaii and other Pacific Island destinations. Boeing 737s also serve Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and some flights to Sydney. Fiji Airways also has a fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft with angle-flat Business class seats. These aircraft operate to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and some Sydney services.
ecole16 had originally booked an Economy ticket on this flight but was able to bid for an upgrade, successfully submitting a “Bula Bid”. If you have an upcoming Fiji Airways Economy booking you may be invited to bid for an upgrade. Bula Bids are offered on an invitation-only basis around a week before the flight.
I placed a bid for 200 tala ($112 aud) for an upgrade. Around 3 days prior I received an email that my ‘bula bid’ had been successfull. This was only 10 talla above the minimum bid of 180wst. I was pleasantly surprised that it was approved.
You can also use Qantas points to book Fiji Airways Business class seats. In fact, this is quite a good use of Qantas points because there are no fuel or carrier surcharges on Fiji Airways award bookings.
View the full trip report and photos of the Fiji Airways 737 Business class experience on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: FIJI airways APW – NAN
