Air Pacific cancels flights due crook WX at Nandi
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Air Pacific cancels flights due crook WX at Nandi
A friend of mine had been booked on Air Pacific Melbourne to Nandi departing 0230 Saturday 31 March. He was also booked on connecting Air Pacific flight Nandi to Tarawa which was scheduled to depart a couple of hours after the flight from Melbourne had landed,
Fortuitously, he checked the Air Pacific website six hours before ETD Melbourne (for a check of max baggage allowance) only to discover to his dismay his Air Pacific Melbourne to Nandi flight was cancelled due bad weather hitting Nandi.
Air Pacific had not notified him of this. The website gave no further info. So he tried to contact Air Pacific on their 1800 number and waited one hour holding on to the phone before someone finally came on the blower. Meanwhile he was continually assailed with a honey voiced tape recording saying "the next available agent will be with you shortly" repeated about every 30 seconds in between another recording extolling the pleasures of flying Air Pacific" "Being with you shortly' was bloody nonsense since an hour went by before a live person replied.
This agent said that all flights were now booked solid and no way of getting out of Melbourne for another week due no room on the aircraft. How my friend wished that some one would start Jetstar Fiji to give competition to Air Pacific who seem to have monopoly from flights Nandi to Tarawa.
While talking to the agent, who seemed to have difficulty with bookings and getting herself thoroughly mixed up on what dates and what flights had been cancelled, suddenly the bloody landline phone went dead indicating presumably that someone had inadvertently cut him off half-way from trying to get information on available flights into and out of Nandi.
He could hardly believe his rotten luck So he was forced to start the process all over - called the 1800 AirPac number and this time sat twiddling his thumbs and waited over 1.5 hours listening to this infernal Air Pacific advertising blurb and hanging on hoping to get a human on the blower. Eventually someone came on and told my friend that such was the problem caused by the flight cancellations everyone was on the 1800 number trying to book on anything that could get them to Fiji and on to Tarawa.
The end result was a wait of one week in Melbourne like it or lump it - unless another airline was tried. Even then Air Pacific was still the monopoly operator Nandi to Tarawa.
In short my mate was of the considered opinion that Air Pacific have a serious communication problem when things go wrong suddenly. To wait over 1.5 hours to get a human to answer the 1800 number is bad enough but surely Air Pacific should have the organisation to cover all bases when flights get disrupted. Well - they don't. The worst part was that they apparently make no attempt to contact ticket holders when really serious delays occur. I would expect this in Third World airlines but not so close to Australia as Fiji. Anyone else struck this sort of incompetency with that airline?
Fortuitously, he checked the Air Pacific website six hours before ETD Melbourne (for a check of max baggage allowance) only to discover to his dismay his Air Pacific Melbourne to Nandi flight was cancelled due bad weather hitting Nandi.
Air Pacific had not notified him of this. The website gave no further info. So he tried to contact Air Pacific on their 1800 number and waited one hour holding on to the phone before someone finally came on the blower. Meanwhile he was continually assailed with a honey voiced tape recording saying "the next available agent will be with you shortly" repeated about every 30 seconds in between another recording extolling the pleasures of flying Air Pacific" "Being with you shortly' was bloody nonsense since an hour went by before a live person replied.
This agent said that all flights were now booked solid and no way of getting out of Melbourne for another week due no room on the aircraft. How my friend wished that some one would start Jetstar Fiji to give competition to Air Pacific who seem to have monopoly from flights Nandi to Tarawa.
While talking to the agent, who seemed to have difficulty with bookings and getting herself thoroughly mixed up on what dates and what flights had been cancelled, suddenly the bloody landline phone went dead indicating presumably that someone had inadvertently cut him off half-way from trying to get information on available flights into and out of Nandi.
He could hardly believe his rotten luck So he was forced to start the process all over - called the 1800 AirPac number and this time sat twiddling his thumbs and waited over 1.5 hours listening to this infernal Air Pacific advertising blurb and hanging on hoping to get a human on the blower. Eventually someone came on and told my friend that such was the problem caused by the flight cancellations everyone was on the 1800 number trying to book on anything that could get them to Fiji and on to Tarawa.
The end result was a wait of one week in Melbourne like it or lump it - unless another airline was tried. Even then Air Pacific was still the monopoly operator Nandi to Tarawa.
In short my mate was of the considered opinion that Air Pacific have a serious communication problem when things go wrong suddenly. To wait over 1.5 hours to get a human to answer the 1800 number is bad enough but surely Air Pacific should have the organisation to cover all bases when flights get disrupted. Well - they don't. The worst part was that they apparently make no attempt to contact ticket holders when really serious delays occur. I would expect this in Third World airlines but not so close to Australia as Fiji. Anyone else struck this sort of incompetency with that airline?
Nadi it is, but seriously Air Pacific doesn't not cause cyclone threats/ bad weather
Weather Advisory
30th March - Next update 31st March 0800hrs (Local)
International Flights - Air Pacific
Air Pacific and Pacific Sun wish to inform its customers of possible disruption to flights today because of a tropical weather depression currently passing over Fiji.
Inbound to Nadi - Arriving 30 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 392 Hong Kong Nadi Diverted to Apia, Samoa*
FJ 910 Sydney Nadi Cancelled
FJ 410 Auckland Nadi Cancelled
FJ 920 Brisbane Nadi Cancelled
FJ 412 Auckland Nadi Cancelled
FJ 930 Melbourne Nadi Cancelled
FJ 270 Tonga Suva Cancelled
FJ 811 Los Angeles Nadi Cancelled (29th March LAX - Local time)
* Passengers are to overnight in Apia, Samoa, until weather conditions improve.
Outbound from Nadi - Departing 30 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 911 Nadi Sydney Cancelled
FJ 931 Nadi Melbourne Cancelled
FJ 271 Suva Tonga Cancelled
FJ 853 Nadi Apia-Honolulu Cancelled
Inbound to Nadi - Arriving 31 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 852 Honolulu Apia - Nadi Cancelled
FJ 260 Port Vila Nadi Cancelled
FJ 392 Hong Kong Nadi Cancelled
FJ 914 Sydney Nadi Delayed 1425 (Local)
Outbound from Nadi - Departing 31 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 411 Nadi Auckland Cancelled
FJ 261 Nadi Port Vila Cancelled
FJ 911 Nadi Sydney Cancelled
FJ 391 Nadi Hong Kong Cancelled
All other Air Pacific and Pacific Sun flights are subject to weather conditions improving. Passengers are advised to check for further updates on our website.
Domestic Fiji Flights - Pacific Sun
Due to adverse weather conditions, Pacific Sun is only operating domestic services between Nadi, Suva and Labasa. Passengers for other destinations will be booked on the next available services without any fees or penalties.
**Changes to bookings for travel up to 03 April 2012.
**Air Pacific will permit passengers to rebook on alternative flights until 13 April 2012 for no additional charge.
**Air Pacific will also permit cancellations (refunds) without penalty.
Customers are requested to call our Call Centres to make alternative travel plans
P: +679 672 0888
P: +679 330 4388
Calling from Australia
P: 1 800 230 150
Calling from New Zealand
P: 0800 800 178
Calling from the USA and Canada
P: 1 800 227 4446
Weather Advisory
30th March - Next update 31st March 0800hrs (Local)
International Flights - Air Pacific
Air Pacific and Pacific Sun wish to inform its customers of possible disruption to flights today because of a tropical weather depression currently passing over Fiji.
Inbound to Nadi - Arriving 30 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 392 Hong Kong Nadi Diverted to Apia, Samoa*
FJ 910 Sydney Nadi Cancelled
FJ 410 Auckland Nadi Cancelled
FJ 920 Brisbane Nadi Cancelled
FJ 412 Auckland Nadi Cancelled
FJ 930 Melbourne Nadi Cancelled
FJ 270 Tonga Suva Cancelled
FJ 811 Los Angeles Nadi Cancelled (29th March LAX - Local time)
* Passengers are to overnight in Apia, Samoa, until weather conditions improve.
Outbound from Nadi - Departing 30 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 911 Nadi Sydney Cancelled
FJ 931 Nadi Melbourne Cancelled
FJ 271 Suva Tonga Cancelled
FJ 853 Nadi Apia-Honolulu Cancelled
Inbound to Nadi - Arriving 31 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 852 Honolulu Apia - Nadi Cancelled
FJ 260 Port Vila Nadi Cancelled
FJ 392 Hong Kong Nadi Cancelled
FJ 914 Sydney Nadi Delayed 1425 (Local)
Outbound from Nadi - Departing 31 March 2012
Flight No From To Status
FJ 411 Nadi Auckland Cancelled
FJ 261 Nadi Port Vila Cancelled
FJ 911 Nadi Sydney Cancelled
FJ 391 Nadi Hong Kong Cancelled
All other Air Pacific and Pacific Sun flights are subject to weather conditions improving. Passengers are advised to check for further updates on our website.
Domestic Fiji Flights - Pacific Sun
Due to adverse weather conditions, Pacific Sun is only operating domestic services between Nadi, Suva and Labasa. Passengers for other destinations will be booked on the next available services without any fees or penalties.
**Changes to bookings for travel up to 03 April 2012.
**Air Pacific will permit passengers to rebook on alternative flights until 13 April 2012 for no additional charge.
**Air Pacific will also permit cancellations (refunds) without penalty.
Customers are requested to call our Call Centres to make alternative travel plans
P: +679 672 0888
P: +679 330 4388
Calling from Australia
P: 1 800 230 150
Calling from New Zealand
P: 0800 800 178
Calling from the USA and Canada
P: 1 800 227 4446
Last edited by 1a sound asleep; 30th Mar 2012 at 14:49. Reason: airline update info
Thats great they they permit cancellations without charge...but I get the feeling this bloke needs to get to Tarawa. To wait a week is unacceptable. A real airline would stage recovery flights immediately after the weather was clear, even cross hiring to another operator like for extra capacity.
Join Date: Jun 2004
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I believe the main RWY 02/20 was/still is? closed due to localised flooding..
The flooding around Nadi at present is quite serious.
So I dont believe there would be another option with another airline.
However, Yes, you would think that when things have recovered, they could arrange/x-hire additional aircraft to meet the backlog.
The flooding around Nadi at present is quite serious.
So I dont believe there would be another option with another airline.
However, Yes, you would think that when things have recovered, they could arrange/x-hire additional aircraft to meet the backlog.
Yes, Our Airline is a consideration and an alternative to get to TRW. And I'll bet they're heaps cheaper than FJ (who are charging like wounded bulls on the NAN-TRW sector - that's what a monopoly does) even when you add in getting to BNE to connect. Check them out, can't do any harm.
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Well, people have died in Fiji in this flood, so that should put your friend's problem in some perspective.
If you try this: Cheap flights from Melbourne to Tarawa at Skyscanner you should be able to find all flight and connections that can get you from MEL to TRW... the prices do seem quite high, but there do seem to be seats available from what I clicked on.
If you try this: Cheap flights from Melbourne to Tarawa at Skyscanner you should be able to find all flight and connections that can get you from MEL to TRW... the prices do seem quite high, but there do seem to be seats available from what I clicked on.
