Baggage Limits of Fiji Link to Taveuni

[Bluefin59]

I have a trip planned for Taveuni, Fiji in August. I'm trying to decipher the baggage limits for the Fiji Link flight. Can you have a personal item in addition to a 45in 7kg carry-on? I understand the checked luggage cannot exceed 15kg but is it true they limit size to carry-on size (45in adding three dimensions)? How can someone comply with that when transporting scuba gear? Quoting their website:

"Bulky items consist of any 'one' piece exceeding 115cm (45in) but not exceeding 180 cm X 40cm x 30cm in total dimensions, (maximum weight of 15kg (33lbs)), some examples of items that can exceed the required dimension or weight are (but not limited to) surfboards, golf bags, and other sporting or music equipment"

Does that mean besides the longest dimension your luggage cannot have the other two dimensions greater than 40cm and 30cm? That seems impossible. I can nest a duffel inside the larger luggage for the international flight and remove it when I get to Nadi to neither is greater than 15kg, but maximum dimensions come into play.

Would appreciate any first hand knowledge.

 

[Bluefin59]

I might add on my Fiji Air mobile app it shows a total length for the carry-on but only a weight limitation for the checked luggage nothing about size.

 

[Bluefin59]

I also found out if you booked your tickets separately and the international flight is delayed which it chronically is (no flight was on time during the entire month of June), they will charge you $$ for rebooking your domestic flight. Seems they have a real scam going on there. Delay your flights every day and charge your passengers rebooking fees. lol.

 

[jmark18]

Trick is to book the trip on one ticket only and then the weight limits are those of Fiji Air not Fiji Link. They will weigh you and your carry on as well as your checked bags in order to distribute the weight on the twin engine aircraft. Your carry on gets put in the rear cargo compartment anyway so just as small personal item will be with you in the cabin

 

[Bluefin59]

Trick is to book the trip on one ticket only and then the weight limits are those of Fiji Air not Fiji Link. They will weigh you and your carry on as well as your checked bags in order to distribute the weight on the twin engine aircraft. Your carry on gets put in the rear cargo compartment anyway so just as small personal item will be with you in the cabin

Yeah, flights were booked beginning of January when SFO flights were not delayed every single day and were book separately.

 

[living4experiences]

I have a trip planned for Taveuni, Fiji in August. I'm trying to decipher the baggage limits for the Fiji Link flight. Can you have a personal item in addition to a 45in 7kg carry-on?

Yes. My personal item was a Travel Pro backpack. There's no size or weight limit specified on the website, but it needs to be able to go under the seat in front of you. My backpack is not big and it didn't fit, so I left it on the floor laying at an angle. You're on a prop plane, so everything is weighed, including your body weight from NAN to TVU. Neither flight was completely full.

I understand the checked luggage cannot exceed 15kg but is it true they limit size to carry-on size (45in adding three dimensions)? How can someone comply with that when transporting scuba gear? Quoting their website:

"Bulky items consist of any 'one' piece exceeding 115cm (45in) but not exceeding 180 cm X 40cm x 30cm in total dimensions, (maximum weight of 15kg (33lbs)), some examples of items that can exceed the required dimension or weight are (but not limited to) surfboards, golf bags, and other sporting or music equipment"

Here's my trip report from April 2024, and I've mentioned the luggage logistics and what doesn't count towards your carryon weight limit. Trip Report - Paradise Taveuni-March/April 2024

The website is incorrect about checked luggage being the size of carryon (45"). I had my share of frustrations with their rules, so I called Fiji Airways, and the representative told me that that information was incorrect, and you are allowed a standard checked bag of 62". She admitted that the website has many errors and is out of date and hasn't been worked on for a long time. She also acknowledged that the app and the website have conflicting information, and she recommended to not use the app to make purchases and to use the website to pay for extras for your flight.

You can ignore the bulky item guideline if you just have scuba gear.

Does that mean besides the longest dimension your luggage cannot have the other two dimensions greater than 40cm and 30cm? That seems impossible. I can nest a duffel inside the larger luggage for the international flight and remove it when I get to Nadi to neither is greater than 15kg, but maximum dimensions come into play.

Would appreciate any first hand knowledge.

Here's the link you need to reference when figuring out how much weight you need to buy. These are the prices when you walk up to the counter on the day of your flight. I highly recommend that you prepay for the weight before the flight because it's cheaper. You should be able to see under "manage reservation" on the website prices for things such as extra baggage, seat selection, etc., although with the prop plane, there is no seat selection. https://www.fijiairways.com/en-us/manage/excess-baggage-rates/

You may consider wearing your BCD on the flight or you can get a fisherman's type of vest with lots of pockets and zippers, stuff that with some things, and wear that on the plane.

 

[living4experiences]

I also found out if you booked your tickets separately and the international flight is delayed which it chronically is (no flight was on time during the entire month of June), they will charge you $$ for rebooking your domestic flight. Seems they have a real scam going on there. Delay your flights every day and charge your passengers rebooking fees. lol.

My flight from SFO was delayed, but not so much that I would have missed my connecting domestic flight, though I had my concerns. What took the longest was baggage claim, even though I flew business class when you're supposed to have priority luggage delivery. When I got over to the domestic terminal, the gate agent told me that they hold the domestic flights until all the international passengers have arrived to board the domestic flight. That blew my mind! What airline ever holds their flights waiting for passengers? She said this happens all the time, and with so few people to wait for, it actually keeps the schedules on time because departure times are spread out sufficiently enough not to have a backup on the runway.

 

[Bluefin59]

My flight from SFO was delayed, but not so much that I would have missed my connecting domestic flight, though I had my concerns. What took the longest was baggage claim, even though I flew business class when you're supposed to have priority luggage delivery. When I got over to the domestic terminal, the gate agent told me that they hold the domestic flights until all the international passengers have arrived to board the domestic flight. That blew my mind! What airline ever holds their flights waiting for passengers? She said this happens all the time, and with so few people to wait for, it actually keeps the schedules on time because departure times are spread out sufficiently enough not to have a backup on the runway.

All great information. Thank you. What's strange is that the 7:00am flight always shows it flies on time and the SFO flight is almost always late. Were you able to tell the FA that you had a very tight connection so they can move you through customs faster? So they actually told you they hold the domestic flights until the international passengers can board? Had no idea based on recorded departure times.

 

[living4experiences]

All great information. Thank you. What's strange is that the 7:00am flight always shows it flies on time and the SFO flight is almost always late. Were you able to tell the FA that you had a very tight connection so they can move you through customs faster? So they actually told you they hold the domestic flights until the international passengers can board? Had no idea based on recorded departure times.

I did tell the FA about the tight connection, and she said to stop at the gate agent desk at the end of the jetway when deplaning. The gate agent quickly grabbed an escort for me and off we went. He was so efficient, I had time to stop at the airport ATM to get some FJD.

Yeah, they really do hold the domestic flights from Nadi until the international passengers arrive. With seating capacity at around 16-20 on the prop plane, there's not a whole lot of people to wait for.