SOME passengers affected by delayed Fiji Airways flights to Auckland and Hong Kong had to arrange their own accommodation, while some spent Saturday night at the Nadi International Airport lounge.
This has caused frustration among many, who described the situation as a mental torture.
They said the meal voucher of $30 per passenger for more than 24 hours delay did not help at all.
Businesswoman Anjana Mishra, who was scheduled to travel to Hong Kong for a business trip to Guangzhou with her husband, described a cycle of constant rescheduling.
“Yesterday (Saturday) at 11pm was our flight time and then it was delayed,” Mrs Mishra said.
“They delayed it to 3am (Sunday morning). Then more delays to 4.55am, 9am, 4pm and now after enquiring Fiji Airways staff tell us its later tonight (last night) at 7.30pm but we are still not sure.”
Ms Mishra said she was informed the delay was due to the aircraft returning from New Zealand requiring maintenance before departing for Hong Kong.
“One day’s accommodation will, sort of, go to a waste. When they mentioned operational issues, they said that was the cause of the delay. First, the connecting flight, they don’t want to take responsibility for that. Secondly, the only thing we got from them was a $30 voucher.”
Fiji Airways, in a statement yesterday apologised to all affected passengers.
“We understand the frustration and inconvenience caused by the prolonged delay and the challenges you experienced while you were waiting for your departure. Our team strives to operate all flights safely, punctually, and with clear communication, and we regret that on this occasion we fell short of those expectations,” the company stated.
The statement also confirmed that the flight was delayed due to safety and unavoidable operational constraints that needed to be addressed before departure.
However, Ms Mishra said that while the airline eventually offered accommodation, her family booked their own due to a lack of timely communication.
“The mental torture you go through, you know, every four hours you receive a message that the confirmation they gave for the flight delayed again. So they keep on changing the decision every four to six hours. So that keeps you in a dilemma about what to do next.”
She highlighted the plight of those unable to afford private arrangements.
“For those who don’t have any transport, they are stranded at the airport. They can’t do anything. They are still with their baggage because we haven’t done any checking at the moment.”
Ms Mishra also raised concerns regarding the airline’s fleet capacity.
“They say they have a technical issue in their aircraft. So, they are just operating with limited aircraft. But, if you see on Facebook, they are still advertising flights. If you have limited aircraft, why are you still advertising?”
She further alleged poor conduct at the service desk.
Louis Qiao, another passenger accommodated at the Tanoa International Hotel, agreed that the continual changes were an issue.
Airline issues apology
FIJI Airways has confirmed that flight disruptions, causing delays over the weekend were due to safety and unavoidable operational constraints.
In issuing an apology to passengers, the company said the delays unfortunately happened on the busiest day ever recorded in the carrier’s history.
In a statement, the airline acknowledged that while they strive for punctuality and clear communication, they fell short of expectations on this occasion.
“The safety of our passengers is always our top priority and ensuring everything was in place meant adjusting the departure time on this occasion,” the statement said.
Regarding passenger welfare, Fiji Airways said it provided meal vouchers to those at the airport but admitted that securing accommodation was difficult due to high demand during the Christmas travel period.
“Available hotel rooms were prioritised for elderly customers and families with young children.
“The airline apologises to those for whom the available support did not meet expectations, noting that assistance is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
“It also addressed feedback regarding communication challenges, admitting that operations were significantly stretched by the record passenger volume.”
The airline stated that it is currently reviewing internal procedures and enhancing training for frontline teams and Air Terminal Services to ensure better real-time updates during future disruptions.
As a gesture of goodwill, affected customers will be sent a discount code to use on their next flight.
