Fiji Airways carry-on warning

[tursiops]

The online Fiji Airways information is pretty clear.

https://www.fijiairways.com/en-us/manage/baggage-allowances/

Note (1) that they changed their policies in 2022-2023 from weight-based to number of pieces based. That may explain some of the differences people are reporting; and (2) flights to/from Vancouver, LAX, SFO, and HNL are treted diffeently.

"Effective December 15, 2022 Fiji Airways Baggage Policy changed from weight to piece concept. The Piece Concept Baggage Policy will apply to all tickets issued on or after 15th December 2022, for travel from 1st February 2023.​

1. The Baggage Allowance for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu or Vancouver will apply when your flight starts or ends in these cities.
2. The weight concept will be accepted at the airport for all tickets issued on or before December 14, 2022 or for travel from December 15, 2022 to January 31, 2023."

 

[quietlife4me]

Next month, I’m AA from ORD to LAX and then Fiji Air back and forth. We’ve been told repeatedly that our check bag must be 50lbs or less when on AA and essentially unlimited weight for carry on. But at LAX when we board Fiji the checked bag can be 66lbs and only 15lb for carry on.

AA = 50lbs checked + unlimited carry on + unlimited personal bag
Fiji = 66lbs checked + 15lbs carry on

So we’ve been told to put 50lbs checked and ~30lbs in carry on + underseat personal bag for the AA flight. (50+30=80lbs)

Then when we arrive at LAX, transfer 15lbs of the carry on stuff to the checked bag for the Fiji flight. (65+15=80lbs)

Should be interesting!

 

[profmason]

Next month, I’m AA from ORD to LAX and then Fiji Air back and forth. We’ve been told repeatedly that our check bag must be 50lbs or less when on AA and essentially unlimited weight for carry on. But at LAX when we board Fiji the checked bag can be 66lbs and only 15lb for carry on.

AA = 50lbs checked + unlimited carry on + unlimited personal bag
Fiji = 66lbs checked + 15lbs carry on

So we’ve been told to put 50lbs checked and ~30lbs in carry on + underseat personal bag for the AA flight. (50+30=80lbs)

Then when we arrive at LAX, transfer 15lbs of the carry on stuff to the checked bag for the Fiji flight. (65+15=80lbs)

Should be interesting!

Flying from LAX to fiji 5 months ago on fiji airways, the checked bag was limited to 50lbs and the carryon / personal items were not weighed.

Flying from suva to Taveuni they weighed everything (carryon 15lbs and checked bag 33lbs.) I remember pulling out a big jacket and cargo pants and loading every pocket up with everything heavy( 3 sets of primaries, lights, etc) , laptop down my pants, had probably 12lbs in my pockets when they weighed in the carryon, of course it all went back in as soon as it was tagged.

Flying back from Taveuni to Nadi they weighed me with my backpack so it was no issue, and kept my checked bag to 33lbs.

Have a great trip!

 

[TostitoBandito]

On the short inter-island flights like to Taveuni, assuming it's on the same booking as your international flight then you shouldn't incur any excess fees. They have to take everything that you were entitled to check on the long flight from the US, for free. They still do have to precisely weigh everything (including you) though for weight measurement/distribution since those aircraft have limited capacity. I don't think I've ever seen one more than half full of actual passengers. On my last trip I had no issues getting our two checked bags each plus carryons/personal items all on the flight.

That said, my experience with Fiji Airways on the US end has been variable. Sometimes they want to be nazis about my carryon weight (even after I explain that most of it is my camera backpack which will go under my seat and not leave my sight). I think last time I appeased them by moving my laptop from my backpack into checked luggage, which is funny because many airlines don't like you checking battery powered devices like that. But that's what they told me to do.

Almost every other overseas carrier is much more generous and reasonable about baggage than Fiji Airways is. Like, all I usually have to say is "yes my backpack personal item is heavy but it's not very big and it has $10K worth of camera gear in it". I'm flying Singapore to Indonesia next year and they have specific exceptions in their policy for stuff like this. Plus they give you 2 checked bags for free.