Fiji Airways Gets A350, Will Fly to US With New Biz Class Product
Fiji Airways has announced it will be adding two Airbus A350-900s to its fleet later this year. The aircraft will be leased from Dubai-based DAE Capital, and the first flights are expected to commence between Nadi, Fiji, and Australia and the US in late November or December of 2019.
The A350 joins Fiji Airways long-haul fleet of six Airbus A330s. Both of the new jets will be outfitted in a two cabin configuration with 33 business class seats and 301 economy seats.
The aircraft will see an entirely new business class seat, according to the Australian Business Traveller, which reports that the aircraft will get the Collins Aerospace 'Super Diamond' seat arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The Super Diamond was recently selected to be used as British Airways' new Club World product and is already in service with Virgin Australia, Air Canada and Qatar Airways. This is a huge improvement over Fiji's current 2-2-2 layout that feature angle flat seats.
Fiji was able to take delivery of the jets in such a short period of time because they are leasing the aircraft, which were originally slated to go to Hong Kong Airlines, which has had a series of recent financial difficulties resulting aircraft order cuts.
Apex reports that both aircraft will come installed with THALES latest IFE system and onboard Wi-Fi.
How to book
Fiji Airways is a Oneworld connect member, so you'll be able to earn and redeem popular currencies like American Airlines miles, British Airways Avios, Qantas points and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for flights on the carrier. The airline flies between Nadi and three US destinations: San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and Honolulu (HNL).
However the best way to book will be with Alaska Airlines miles, requiring just 55,000 miles for a one-way flight in business between the US and Fiji. You'll have to shell out 40,000 American miles in economy and 80,000 in business for one-way flights between the US and Fiji. British Airways Avios has favorable rates in economy, charging just 30,000 points one-way (although that may increase soon).
Here's a breakdown of the different redemptions on Fiji Airways:
| Mileage Program | Coach (one-way) | Business (one-way) |
|---|---|---|
Alaska | 40,000 miles | 55,000 miles |
American | 40,000 miles | 80,000 miles |
British Airways | 25,000 Avios (from SFO), 30,000 Avios (from LAX) | 75,000 Avios (from SFO), 90,000 Avois (from LAX) |
Qantas | 35,000 points | 72,000 points |
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