Can't Miss Dives--Fiji Volivoli & Taveuni/Sau Bay

[Happy Scuba Susan]

Hi - Flying from Nadi to Taveuni - looks like luggage restrictions are significant. Does anyone have any experience with this flight and luggage. Our bags that carry the gear are 60 linear inches and I was told that they limit it to 48 linear inches. Don't want to leave my dive gear behind. Tried to pay for bulky luggage in advance, but the customer service agent said I have to pay it at the airport.

 

[Derek of So Cal]

@ReadyDiverOne The landscape around Sau Bay is beautiful and very photo worthy in my opinion - basically lush and tropical as you might expect in undeveloped Fiji. There are some beautiful birds. Don't forget that rain is likely most any time of the year so pack accordingly.

 

[Derek of So Cal]

@Happy Scuba Susan You'll want to check the luggage restrictions for your booking, presumably on the Fiji Airways website, as I believe it depends on your itinerary. At least for my booking the luggage restrictions were the same as my LAX -NAN flight and I could book extra bags on the website

 

[Happy Scuba Susan]

@Happy Scuba Susan You'll want to check the luggage restrictions for your booking, presumably on the Fiji Airways website, as I believe it depends on your itinerary. At least for my booking the luggage restrictions were the same as my LAX -NAN flight and I could book extra bags on the website

Thanks, Derek - It is the flight to Taveuni that worries me, as it has a restriction of 45 linear inches and I have found no way to pay for it in advance. It is with Fiji Air. Did you go to Taveuni? Thanks!

 

[Derek of So Cal]

@Happy Scuba Susan yes I did go through Taveuni en route to Sau Bay. FYI I found the option to add bags in the Manage Booking area of Fiji Airways' site. Just entered the reference code and last name then in the same area where you select your seats there was an option to add bags for both flights.

Hope that helps!

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

Several points re the baggage issue on domestic flights:

First, I've done extensive research on the issue of overweight or additional bags, including calling Fiji Air and speaking with 4 different agents, and suffice to say that not even they understand or can explain their policy. As you may have discovered, the website is incredibly confusing and internally inconsistent about extra bags versus additional weight, etc. I specifically asked all 4 agents about buying extra baggage weight and none of them knew how to do this, nor how the policy actually works in practice. The folks at Bluewater Travel told me-with an audible sigh-that Fiji Air is the worst on customer service generally and on baggage specifically; Bluewater have had circumstances where their clients were charged nothing for overweight bags and others where they were charged a couple of hundred dollars.

Second, I do think that regular sized checked baggage is fine. I've read on Reddit and elsewhere that the linear inch thing is not really a thing, so if your baggage is not ridiculously oversized-like a ski or golf bag-then I think you'll be ok. But please take this with a grain of salt and see point 1 above-who knows with Fiji Air.

Finally, the option to buy extra baggage or do anything re baggage is not showing for me re my flight to Taveuni. Maybe this is because they cancelled our original return from Taveuni to Nadi and put us on an another crappy flight leaving 9 hours earlier, meaning we'll have to kill 12+ hours in the airport waiting to fly back to the US.

Ps. I know this sounds cranky but the amount of money one has to spend to get to Fiji only to be confronted by this massively unhelpful and confusing situation re baggage is just enormously frustrating.

 

[Derek of So Cal]

@Happy Scuba Susan were you able to see your baggage allowances in the Manage Booking section of their website and find where you can add an additional bag? I don't work for Fiji Airways but am happy to help a fellow diver.

If I'm not mistaken, baggage allowances can differ based on your itinerary, which is why you would want to check on the specifics for your booking. Policies do change, but for what it's worth, mine from LAX > NAN > KDV and back was
carry-on bag: 15lbs 45in. max (height + width + depth)
checked bag: 66lbs 62in. max
personal item max weight 8.8lbs with no stated dimension restrictions but has to be something like a laptop bag, purse,
handbag, pocketbook, small camera or small laptop backpack.

I guess different people have different experiences, but I've flown Air Pacific/Fiji Airways on seven trips now and always had a very enjoyable flights with warm and friendly customer service. On our last trip inclement weather delayed the NAN > KDV flight, but even then the staff I dealt with were very kind and helpful.

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

Thanks. But pls note your limits appear to be governed by your international flight rather than the domestic flight rules, which are far more restrictive.

In my case, for our flight from Nadi to Taveuni, we are permitted one carry-on weighing no more than 7 kilos and 2 checked bags weighing TOGETHER no more than 15 kilos, meaning a grand total of 33 pounds checked. I don't know about you, but there is no way in the world a scuba diver can meet that limit, especially a photographer.

Fiji Air's website says that if your domestic flights are part of the same reservation as your international flights that the baggage rules for the latter will govern the entire itinerary. But Bluewater have told me that even that provision has been frequently ignored by Fiji Air.

 

[Derek of So Cal]

But pls note your limits appear to be governed by your international flight rather than the domestic flight rules

Yes, this is why I said baggage allowances can differ based on itinerary and advised the readers to check the specifics of their booking.