I was impressed as well, but sadly, because as a former Pan Am Passenger Service Supervisor I realized that I was surprised to see a modern rep simply doing his job in what, to me, is a "normal" manner. That is exactly the way that interaction should go and you don't see that very much any more. Too bad.
That broken music system playing every 30 minutes would've driven me crazy. As a light sleeper, I would find that extremely annoying, but I would've been popping in the earplugs. Yikes.
I use to live in Fiji and often took Fiji air, never first class. I’d say 9/10 flights had music playing through the flight. I remember one having the same song played on repeat for three hours. This was over nine years ago, the crew then gave me the same explanation as you.
That reminds me of a flight home from Orlando to London I took in the 90s on an airline called Air2000. They had three songs that played on a loop (for boarding), but after sitting on the tarmac for well over an hour, it was still playing these three songs, even after take off. We then found out they were diverting us to Manchester and would bus us all down to London to get our cars. Those bloody songs stayed on and were singed on my memory for decades. One of the songs was by a band called 10cc, called ‘I’m not in love’ and i still cringe if it comes on the radio 😄
I’m a cabin crew member and I remember one time to Paris we couldn’t get the music to turn off, and we and the passengers had to listen to it for 7hrs.
Fiji airways use the Panasonic avionics ex3 in flight entertainment system, which is based on android which is (fairly) prone to crashing/boot looping. Airlines can specify music which will be played automatically when the IFS boot's (often called boarding music)which is why the music would play every time the ifs rebooted (you could also see the "welcome to Fiji airways" ifs welcome screen during the video) the cabin crew could turn the IFS off but that would annoy passengers who are watching movies/listening to music etc.
Hello Noel, Nadi is pronounced Nandi, there’s an invisible N. Fiji is well worth exploring even just to experience the most genuinely lovely people on the planet. Thanks for the video
Took the same plane and flight, but from Adelaide one month ago. I loved Fiji Airways and their attention. The cabin is not cramped up and you have decent space in economy. The IFE is amazing! Loved the A350!!!
It really depends on where you are, in your trip, personally, or otherwise. For work, I took, at 4 different times, the 5:55 AM flight out of HCMC, which landed in Hong Kong, took on more passengers, and continued to San Fransisco. I always told the crew that all I wanted to do on that first 2 hour flight from HCMC to HK was sleep, especially since the plane was usually half empty and I had the space to do so. "Do not wake me up for anything short of the plane on fire, please." "So you don't want breakfast?" "I already had breakfast, and would just like to sleep for the next 2 hours." "That is understandable, ma'am, we will not offer you drinks or breakfast. If you decide you want something later in the flight, you will need to come to the galley and request it." "Thank you, you will not be seeing me in the galley." All 4 times, I woke up to the plane hitting the ground in Hong Kong, and the crew letting me sleep! They "understood the assignment!"
Fiji have come a long way since Air Pacific days in the 70s with 2 BAC 111-475s. Amazing feat flying these from Nadi across the ocean to Auckland, Brisbane & Port Moresby back in the day.. I think these had 74 seats!
Noel has such child like joy when he is flying.. I love it.. coming from someone who had a fear of flying..I fly through these awesome videos! Rachel is so funny 🤣😂
Flew on Fiji airways from YVR to SYD on the A330 to Nadi and the A350 to SYD. The crew was absolutely amazing on both flights, the A330 was a bit older and needed some love, the A350 was amazing. Looking forward to flying Fiji airways again.
Looked like you handled it really well. Music aside, everything else seemed pretty good. Looking forward to a Pacific Island-hopping episode sometime in the future! Cheers.
I flew Air Pacific in 2012 right before they went back to Fiji Airways name. It was a flight out of LAX that we had to ride a bus to a 1970s 747 in the midfield. We got onto it and it still had functioning ashtrays in the seats. It may have been antiquated, but it was a nice flight into Fiji.
I always see those pretty Fiji Airlines planes taking off during the live streams by LA Flights, and wondered what Fiji looks like. Looks like it's very beautiful. Can't wait for you to go back there.
The A350 is now my favorite aircraft! Flew it with Etihad Airways in October from ORD-AUH. Smooth and quite plane! Excellent legroom in economy for a 14hr flight!
I love your seat on Fiji Airways! It looked so comfy and spacious! I know I would be having a wonderful time. :) I started laughing when that annoying music played AGAIN. ROFLOL! That would make me want to beat the pillow to death!! This was by far my favorite video of yours to date. :) I love how, despite the craziness that has happened to you, you always remain cheerful and respectful to others.
Back in the mid 1970s I was a contract pilot flying the DC-10 for Fiji's other airline, Air Pacific. Flying for Air Pacific was enjoyable. I was based in Honolulu where we had 3 crews to man the Air Pacific flight schedule. The cabin staff was Fijian. The Fijian crews were elegant and provided first class cabin service. Fiji is a wonderful place to visit with great people. The common greeting then and I assume now is the word, Bula. At one time long ago Fiji had the reputation of being the Cannibal Islands. Sailors who shipwrecked in the Fiji Islands ran the risk of becoming lunch. The Fijians like to tell a story about their King. Fiji asked to become a protectorate of the United States like Hawaii but were rejected. The Fijians became a part of the British Commonwealth instead. It was said that the King of Fiji left Fiji on a ship to meet Queen Victoria and to close the deal. Dinner was served the first night at sea and the King was handed a "menu". The King proclaimed; "I do not see anything here that appeals to me. Can I see the passenger list?" Once the King was asked if the women in Fiji partook of the cannibal feasts. He replied, "I never met a woman yet who could not eat her fill." A Methodist Missionary's shoes were on display in the national museum. The story has it that after a visit to Fiji and time spent with the King the missionary was preparing to leave. The missionary was in his tent doing final packing when the King entered to say goodby. The King admired the missionary's comb. The King picked the comb up and placed it in his on hair. As the missionary and the king said their final farewells in front of the tribe the the missionary reached up and grabbed the comb out of the King's hair. The King was shocked because in the Pacific the head and the area above the shoulders is considered sacred. The King was humiliated and announced that the only person to have touched his head was his mother. The missionary was promptly killed. Back when I was in Fiji the missionary's shoes and the story were an exhibit in the Fiji National Museum located in Suva. I can recommend an enjoyable book about Fiji published back in 1929 by Viola Irene Cooper. Copies of the original book can be purchased online on EBay as well as Amazon in the form of a hardback and/or paperback book.
I flew on Air Pacific in 1980 and the food was terrible. A great lump of boiled fish and a boiled potato. I can't eat fish and thats all there was. No sauce or dressing, no salad, no bread, no dessert.......
Interesting. Fiji Airways was Air Pacific before rebranding. Don't recall FJ having DC-10s. They had BAC 1-11s, then a couple of 767s and ex Singapore 747s. As a kid growing up part-time in Nadi, I only recall CPAir, Air NZ and Continental flying DC-10s through Nadi, typically on the Auckland-Nadi- Honolulu- LAX/Vancouver(CP) vv. Were you piloting a temporary wetleased aircraft? Btw, yes those boiled boots are still on display in Suva. We always used to have a good giggle at the sight of them. White men don't make good 'boil up' lol. And them boots aren't good for beef jerky :-)
@@exF3-86 I was merely stating the experience I had and it was actually much worse than the cabin service. They didn't have strollers like the other airlines did and I had to carry a heavy one year old for 6 hours during my wait at Auckland airport having flown up from Christchurch. The baby didn't sleep the whole time and every time I sat down to rest she would scramble off my lap and try to crawl away into the crowds. I was in tears of exhaustion and no other airline would rent me a stroller. By the time I got on the plane I was an exhausted starving wreck and unable to eat the awful food and baby still didn't sleep, she was overtired and when we got to Suva she screamed all night long......having been awake for 24 hours. If shed had a stroller at the airport she would have slept.....
I must say, the check-in at LAX was fantastic. Last time I transited through Nadi was 1999 when you could still bribe security to let you out onto the ramp to have a smoke.
In my day job I deal with Fiji Airlines and I can say without a doubt that they have some of the most pleasant crew members to deal with, wonderful station staff, and their aircraft are usually spot on. A350s are very nice planes but like anything these days way too computerized and complex for their own good.
Great first video based out of Houston Noel thanks ! The Fiji Airlines livery is absolutely fantastic and looks great on the A350 as it did when Fiji Airlines was flying the A330 LAX to NAD. One of the flights at the top of my bucket list. Now I know to have ear plugs thanks to you ! Keep up the good work Noel.
I have travelled to numerous pacific island nations and I am very impressed with the lounge there in Fiji. Fiji has lots of resorts and brings in the tourist dollars. I once had a stopover in Manus Island. The airport was little more than a bus stop.
Thank you for reviewing Fiji Airways. Ive always wanted to see their business class product as here in Christchurch, to fly direct to Fiji, Air NZ is the only other option, and I can't stand their business class seats that face away from the window.
It is indeed, my first time on it was Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 then returned on Air France A350-900, air France new business at the bulkhead was exceptional in terms of comfort!
Hi Noel. If its any consolation I landed at Manchester airport from Vietnam at 5.30am on Thursday last week, with an 8.30am connection to Aberdeen on Loganair. I then spent 12 hours waiting for my broken plane to finally land in Manchester to take us to Aberdeen. No trains as they were on strike. No other airlines flying to Aberdeen. It was absolute hell on earth.
Strange that Fiji Airways use the Star Alliance lounge at LAX as they are a Oneworld associate… regardless that outdoor area looks very nice and as for the A350 what a stunning aircraft regardless of glitches with the IFE. Flew MAN-HKG return with Cathay a couple of years ago (pre covid) on theirs in premium economy, an absolute pleasure all round
Nadi...reminds me of the old CP Air - Canadian Airlines days when flights from Canada would converge on Honolulu then depart for various south pacific destinations including Nadi. Love your videos!
I had a great flight with Fiji airways from Brisbane to Fiji which was the first time I had a long haul-esque service (food, entertainment system etc) on a 3.5 hour flight!
Next time Stay at Rydges hotel at the international terminal. Fantastic runway views. Great video as always. Breaking the journey in Nadi would help with jet lag.
Aaah problems with Fijian airlines. It'll get sorted in Fiji time (which when you visit, you'll understand Fiji time). All issues get resolved when you walk through Nadi airport and hear the Fijian music and very happy sounding "Bula". Your kids will love Fiji if you ever go by the way They're a decent airline bar the music. I much prefer flying with them over Air New Zealand (we get their A330 or 737-Max from here). Fijians have to be one of, if not, the most friendly people I've ever met. Always happy, always have a smile on their face when talking to you, and they have so much patience for children as well.
Welcome back down under Noel. I hope you're having or had a great time here and maybe made it down here to Melbourne. Your counterpart Sam Chui did Fiji Airways to recently. If you think Fiji's planes are pretty, then please try Air Tahiti Nui for me, the nicest looking planes both outside and inside, in my opinion. They only have 4 aircraft, and I know you like a challenge, so maybe you could try to fly on all 4 aircraft.
I can't understand why they would just turn the whole IFE off during the night. Those couple of people who would actually watch something instead of sleeping wouldn't enjoy it anyway if it restarts every 30 minutes and the rest of the plane would prefer it.
I will never get these point of view. What is wrong with Earplugs or Headphones for the night? Why do the couple of people suffer with boredom while the others have a very easy solution that causes no problems?
Geez - a frequent flyer like you does not have noise cancelling headphones? I flew the Fiji A350 Business class round trip LAX to NAD last August and there was no constant music playing. Very comfortable plane and the food and service were very good. Fiji reps at LAX and Nadi were super pleasant and helpful!
Hi Noel, Nadi is pronounced "Nandi" rhymes with handy. Several places in the Pacific have names where the pronunciation seems to bear no connection to the spelling. Case in point, Kiribati. It would seem logical to pronounce it "Kiri - bar - tee", but it is in fact pronounced "Kiri - bus". there are other examples in the pacific as well. Get yourself to Nauru and Tarawa, accessible by Air Nauru. Lots of WW2 history in Tarawa, and you'll be getting back to basics with the travel.
The check in person actually pronounced it “Nadi” too. But this is analogous to Paris’ being pronounced “Paree” in French. Yet it sounds strange, pretentious, and out of place to use the French pronunciation in an English sentence, so some flexibility is called for!
Yep. Every time he pronounced it without the N, I could relate to his problem with the music. 😀 Nothing pretentious about pronouncing it correctly, most people in Australia pronounce it Nandi.
Every time Noel said it I said ‘Nandi” out loud. It’s the same with Pago Pago. I think I’m the only one in my airline ops office that pronounces it Pango Pango rhyming with Tango. I read about the pronunciation in a book about a Pan Am crash there.
Yep, I spent some time in Fiji in 95 and I quickly found out it was pronounced Nandi, not Nadi even though it's spelt that way. Shame you didn't spend more time in Fiji as it's a beautiful country with great proud people. You could have drank Kava, visited Suva and its wonderful market. When I was there the Rainbow Warrior was harboured at Suva and I got to visit it. Bula from London.
I think you got a better view of Sydney Airport than I did at the Rydges! I am looking forward to flying Fiji Airway very soon! Thank you for the report.
We recently stayed at the IBIS Hotel next door to the Mantra and had a corner room overlooking the Royal Flying Doctor Service hangar. An RFDS plane took off every two hours. I loved it!! The private jets are in the same area and a few arrived or left over a period of 6 hours.
A shame the entertainment system was malfunctioning. I'm sure the staff were unhappy too (as much for themselves as for the pax, as you alluded to). I've flown Melb to Nandi and back many times with Fiji Air via mostly A330's and 737max. I've always found them great (and better than our Aus national carrier). Nice upload.
The airline was awesome I love the seat arrangements it looked very cosy and comfortable. I agree about the loud music was rather annoying but it felt great seeing the view when taking off and landing. The food looked good as well.
Heading down to Sydney in March: my 17th visit! Flying via Changi with Singapore Airlines - though only travelling economy. Singapore used to do an economy amenity kit and hot towels on boarding, but they seem to have stopped that little 'luxury' now. Great video - Fiji is definitely on my bucket list.
I am surprised a professional traveller such as yourself does not carry a pair of noise cancelling headphones ! By the way Nadi is pronounced Nandi (nan).
@@hefsbeerreviews4127 Not arguing about how it's pronounced, because idk, lol, BUT - you seem offended by the person using the word "native", when a lot of the time native just means.. well, the people born there. I mean, that's the main definition of the word - people who are born and live somewhere. Like, I'm a native of the US, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm "native american". The person could obviously be wrong about the pronunciation, but there's nothing wrong with saying the natives of a country pronounce something a certain way.
Since you’re based out of the US now you should try Cayman Airways, nothing extremely luxurious but comfortable. We’re pretty proud of our national airline here. They fly the JFK, Miami, Tampa, Denver and LAX in the US.
I remember being on an overnight bus from Asunción to Buenos Aires and they showed several movies during the trip. After one of the movies ended, it kept playing the same preview over and over for at least half an hour. Hearing the same tune over and over got quite tiring rather quickly.
I have been wanting to take a flight to Europe with a fun layover at a place I have never been before, but then I want to stay at least a day to explore some of the city and the connections are usually just a few hours long. I am amazed how you booked a trip to Fiji and didn't spend at least a day to see some of the island.
I flew to Fiji from YVR to Brisbane when Fiji Airways was Air Pacific years ago, the terminal in Nadi was very basic in those days from what I remember!
Ooooh getting a tail camera is just like getting a cool surprise in a happy meal for adults!! I love it!! I wouldn’t need any other flight entertainment!
Other than the random music, the flights seemed nice, Noel. All the meals looked absolutely delish -- maybe I'm just hungry. No, the food looked absolutely delish!
That STAR lounge at LAX is one of my favorite lounges ever, as soon as you said there's no view I was saying to myself "guess he hasn't found the terrace yet". The even better part about that terrace is pretty much no one ever goes out there, you'll often have the space to yourself. LAX has some really nice lounges these days with one of the UA clubs having a nice outdoor space as well.
Noel years ago on your Around the World in 80 hours as you were on final into LAX, you said the USA felt like a second home, and I said "You'd be welcome to make the US your home, we can always use talented people.". Now here you are! I feel so flattered you've chose the USA. Happy Holidays!
Great video! That music is so annoying, especially when you try to get some sleep, can ruin the whole flight.. .. otherwise I was impressed by them! Nice plane, crew seemed nice, great food, clean plane, nice seat, cool livery (branding in general, loved the crew outfits!), nice transit and lounges etc, much to like!
i'm surprised that a veteran traveler like Noel doesn't carry headphones and ear plugs and face mask or a combo of those (i know i've seen him in masks before, maybe amenity kits?), to cancel out noise and light when needed. though having said that it looks like he has earplugs around 15:00-15:12?? so i dunno... i realize headphones are difficult to sleep in but an airplane, for me, is a MUST HAVE for Heavy Duty noise cancellation at a moments notice. Love the vids!!
@@noelphilips whoa! the man himself! Hello!!! Love your videos. And I know what you mean about noise cancellation and how it does not always cancel certain sounds. I certainly empathized with you on this one as I am very sensitive to noise in tight spaces myself. And the only way I cancel out some of those things is by blasting my audio in my headphones, which some people cannot sleep like that so I get that too. And I realized after I posted my msg that a pro such as yourself must carry those things, not to mention i've seen you wearing such things in other videos. Cheers! ps- for christmas I am thinking of getting you an audio file of that air fiji song, played on a loop for sayyyy, 10 hrs??? Sound good??? hahaha. that way you can always listen to it on long flights
I love Fiji been a few times and never disappointed. Just a hop, skip and a jump over the pacific from Brisbane. Actually cheaper to fly to Fiji then other places in Australia. Also much prefer it over Aussie Paradise in Bali
@Noel Philips I do hope so... I have flown from Adelaide SA to Singapore then onto Vietnam in 2012, and I think I cried the whole way...lol... and have done a few flights within Australia since but I am a wreck during every flight.. watching your videos is helping ... keep up the great work ☺️
32:01 Thats Wattamolla beach in the Royal National Park just south of Sydney, awesome place to swim either in the ocean or the lagoon or just grab a ice cream. 🇦🇺
Hey Noel I am asking this question as a retired airline mechanic. I never worked on these newer planes. I worked on MD-11 DC-10 B-727 MD/DC-9 etc. BUT I have two questions about the music issue which ruined your trip. It takes electrical power to run the music system? First, does the ambient music system not have a volume control knob which can raise or lower the music? Also there should be a circuit breaker for the music system which could be pulled, as I suspect this would not be a safety issue? It seems it was not a critical issue for the crew and airline to fix the issue? You were at the main hub for the airline which should have the parts to fix the issue. Usually it may be just a black box in the avionics bay, that could be swapped out in a couple minutes. Fiji Airlines thanks for not putting this issue at the forefront, and making your customers miserable. Especially on an 9+ hour flight. Also there are other carriers that fly the A350 at LAX who may have had the part to fix this. We used to borrow parts all the time from other airlines, also if a airline did not have a maintenance person available. A mechanic from another airline would help out. Plus let's face the fact that the aircraft was on the ground on the turnaround to fix this if a part was available. In LAX and Fiji. Sometimes ramp mechanics only have minutes to make a fix happen if the part is available. Yeah Noel all travel bloggers are not like Sam Chui. He flew on Fiji recently and loved the flight and it was almost flawless. The travel Gods must be in his favor. One note it is always nice when you share the cost of the ticket. Wishing you the best:)
Yep I'm mechanic and your all words is true, today Airbus have full CIDS-digital IFE(more modern) based in cheap programs like Linux sys from communications and announcements, Reseting IFE is available but today running this music(same A320Neo IFE), I never see that in A318(old analogic CIDS)/19(dig)/20 (digital) in my early days at Avianca Brazil. Cheers 👍🏻
The gentleman working the Fiji Airways check-in counter that Noel visited at LAX was extremely kind and helpful.
Earning his wages unlike many of the curt, surly individuals
I agree!
Yep! Too bad Noel was rude interrupting him and giving him the BS thank you. Thank you.
@@jeremyfowler1519 That's not rude. That's honestly how i'd react to it - maybe a British thing.
I was impressed as well, but sadly, because as a former Pan Am Passenger Service Supervisor I realized that I was surprised to see a modern rep simply doing his job in what, to me, is a "normal" manner. That is exactly the way that interaction should go and you don't see that very much any more. Too bad.
I had to laugh when Noel said that the lounge was nice and quiet and a baby was crying at the same time.
And he didn’t comment 😂
He has kids that is why
I was about to make my won comment but I can see, I dont need too haha
He didn't comment but made a smooth exit and found a better place to hang out with fire pits and outside to boot! ha ha
@@liam_woodtv fair point!
I think the earplugs in the amenity kit was a clue you would need them. Welcome to Australia.
Ear plugs?! Even noise cancelling headphones would struggle with that😉 Seems like the airline aren't doing much to resolve the problem.
in 14:07 u can see he already used earplugs, while obviously it doesn't work so well lol
@@kirstinburdon5862 Maybe it's "we'll take care of it at the next maintenance".
one of the most helpful, thorough check in agents ever at LAX
Yes i thought that too.
Great service. I hope he sees this video or someone alerts him to it.
Quite a contrast with many of the others. Gentleman.
That broken music system playing every 30 minutes would've driven me crazy. As a light sleeper, I would find that extremely annoying, but I would've been popping in the earplugs. Yikes.
Earplugs were provided in the case. I would have used them.
I’m pretty sure he could have muted it if he tried, or just put the provided ear plugs in…
@@Chapstickmintbut then he wouldn't have been able to complain about it nearly as much
@@3ClicksAndTheTruth Exactly. Never miss an opportunity to complain by being reasonable :)
the music is not on for the whole flight🤣🤣💀💀💀💀💀💀
I use to live in Fiji and often took Fiji air, never first class. I’d say 9/10 flights had music playing through the flight. I remember one having the same song played on repeat for three hours. This was over nine years ago, the crew then gave me the same explanation as you.
That reminds me of a flight home from Orlando to London I took in the 90s on an airline called Air2000. They had three songs that played on a loop (for boarding), but after sitting on the tarmac for well over an hour, it was still playing these three songs, even after take off. We then found out they were diverting us to Manchester and would bus us all down to London to get our cars.
Those bloody songs stayed on and were singed on my memory for decades. One of the songs was by a band called 10cc, called ‘I’m not in love’ and i still cringe if it comes on the radio 😄
Fiji airways dosnt have first class
I’m a cabin crew member and I remember one time to Paris we couldn’t get the music to turn off, and we and the passengers had to listen to it for 7hrs.
Nice
Tragic
Fiji airways use the Panasonic avionics ex3 in flight entertainment system, which is based on android which is (fairly) prone to crashing/boot looping. Airlines can specify music which will be played automatically when the IFS boot's (often called boarding music)which is why the music would play every time the ifs rebooted (you could also see the "welcome to Fiji airways" ifs welcome screen during the video) the cabin crew could turn the IFS off but that would annoy passengers who are watching movies/listening to music etc.
I would be more annoyed to be in the middle of the movie and having the system reboot!
Hello Noel, Nadi is pronounced Nandi, there’s an invisible N. Fiji is well worth exploring even just to experience the most genuinely lovely people on the planet. Thanks for the video
"Quite quiet this time of night"
Baby in the background: "hold my milk."
Hold my milk 😂 quality
UNDERRATED COMMENT 😂
Took the same plane and flight, but from Adelaide one month ago. I loved Fiji Airways and their attention. The cabin is not cramped up and you have decent space in economy. The IFE is amazing! Loved the A350!!!
Sleep deprivation is the worst 😣. The flight map is one of the best I ve seen on Noel's reviews. Lovely seeing the Fiji print on the engine
Wow the sunrise and clouds coming into Fiji were stunning! 😍
People love to see the food service. I would not skip it.
It really depends on where you are, in your trip, personally, or otherwise. For work, I took, at 4 different times, the 5:55 AM flight out of HCMC, which landed in Hong Kong, took on more passengers, and continued to San Fransisco. I always told the crew that all I wanted to do on that first 2 hour flight from HCMC to HK was sleep, especially since the plane was usually half empty and I had the space to do so. "Do not wake me up for anything short of the plane on fire, please." "So you don't want breakfast?" "I already had breakfast, and would just like to sleep for the next 2 hours." "That is understandable, ma'am, we will not offer you drinks or breakfast. If you decide you want something later in the flight, you will need to come to the galley and request it." "Thank you, you will not be seeing me in the galley." All 4 times, I woke up to the plane hitting the ground in Hong Kong, and the crew letting me sleep! They "understood the assignment!"
Fiji have come a long way since Air Pacific days in the 70s with 2 BAC 111-475s. Amazing feat flying these from Nadi across the ocean to Auckland, Brisbane & Port Moresby back in the day.. I think these had 74 seats!
20:00 That Landing! Smooth as Butter
The fact that Fiji gives the guy a nice tropical shirt for uniform is awesome
Noel has such child like joy when he is flying.. I love it.. coming from someone who had a fear of flying..I fly through these awesome videos! Rachel is so funny 🤣😂
Flew on Fiji airways from YVR to SYD on the A330 to Nadi and the A350 to SYD. The crew was absolutely amazing on both flights, the A330 was a bit older and needed some love, the A350 was amazing. Looking forward to flying Fiji airways again.
Looked like you handled it really well. Music aside, everything else seemed pretty good. Looking forward to a Pacific Island-hopping episode sometime in the future! Cheers.
I flew Air Pacific in 2012 right before they went back to Fiji Airways name. It was a flight out of LAX that we had to ride a bus to a 1970s 747 in the midfield. We got onto it and it still had functioning ashtrays in the seats. It may have been antiquated, but it was a nice flight into Fiji.
I always see those pretty Fiji Airlines planes taking off during the live streams by LA Flights, and wondered what Fiji looks like. Looks like it's very beautiful. Can't wait for you to go back there.
63 thousand views and only 3.5 thousand likes is criminal. This is excellent content Mr. Philips! Here's a like to spite the algorithim.
Thanks!
Thank you!
The A350 is now my favorite aircraft! Flew it with Etihad Airways in October from ORD-AUH. Smooth and quite plane! Excellent legroom in economy for a 14hr flight!
Legroom depends on the airline not the plane but the A350 is superior to the 787 in every way
Legroom depends on the airline but the 787 is better than the A350 in every way
Noel, you gotta do a house tour and Q&A about the move would be great to have an insight. Take care & hope you & your family have a great xmas!
I love your seat on Fiji Airways! It looked so comfy and spacious! I know I would be having a wonderful time. :) I started laughing when that annoying music played AGAIN. ROFLOL! That would make me want to beat the pillow to death!! This was by far my favorite video of yours to date. :) I love how, despite the craziness that has happened to you, you always remain cheerful and respectful to others.
Back in the mid 1970s I was a contract pilot flying the DC-10 for Fiji's other airline, Air Pacific. Flying for Air Pacific was enjoyable. I was based in Honolulu where we had 3 crews to man the Air Pacific flight schedule. The cabin staff was Fijian. The Fijian crews were elegant and provided first class cabin service. Fiji is a wonderful place to visit with great people. The common greeting then and I assume now is the word, Bula. At one time long ago Fiji had the reputation of being the Cannibal Islands. Sailors who shipwrecked in the Fiji Islands ran the risk of becoming lunch. The Fijians like to tell a story about their King. Fiji asked to become a protectorate of the United States like Hawaii but were rejected. The Fijians became a part of the British Commonwealth instead. It was said that the King of Fiji left Fiji on a ship to meet Queen Victoria and to close the deal. Dinner was served the first night at sea and the King was handed a "menu". The King proclaimed; "I do not see anything here that appeals to me. Can I see the passenger list?" Once the King was asked if the women in Fiji partook of the cannibal feasts. He replied, "I never met a woman yet who could not eat her fill." A Methodist Missionary's shoes were on display in the national museum. The story has it that after a visit to Fiji and time spent with the King the missionary was preparing to leave. The missionary was in his tent doing final packing when the King entered to say goodby. The King admired the missionary's comb. The King picked the comb up and placed it in his on hair. As the missionary and the king said their final farewells in front of the tribe the the missionary reached up and grabbed the comb out of the King's hair. The King was shocked because in the Pacific the head and the area above the shoulders is considered sacred. The King was humiliated and announced that the only person to have touched his head was his mother. The missionary was promptly killed. Back when I was in Fiji the missionary's shoes and the story were an exhibit in the Fiji National Museum located in Suva. I can recommend an enjoyable book about Fiji published back in 1929 by Viola Irene Cooper. Copies of the original book can be purchased online on EBay as well as Amazon in the form of a hardback and/or paperback book.
It's the same airline.
Air Pacific rebranded into Fiji Airways in 2013.
I flew on Air Pacific in 1980 and the food was terrible. A great lump of boiled fish and a boiled potato. I can't eat fish and thats all there was. No sauce or dressing, no salad, no bread, no dessert.......
Interesting. Fiji Airways was Air Pacific before rebranding. Don't recall FJ having DC-10s. They had BAC 1-11s, then a couple of 767s and ex Singapore 747s. As a kid growing up part-time in Nadi, I only recall CPAir, Air NZ and Continental flying DC-10s through Nadi, typically on the Auckland-Nadi- Honolulu- LAX/Vancouver(CP) vv. Were you piloting a temporary wetleased aircraft? Btw, yes those boiled boots are still on display in Suva. We always used to have a good giggle at the sight of them. White men don't make good 'boil up' lol. And them boots aren't good for beef jerky :-)
@@juanitarichards1074 Sure. Let's judge them today on their cabin service 43 years ago. Makes a lot of sense.
@@exF3-86 I was merely stating the experience I had and it was actually much worse than the cabin service. They didn't have strollers like the other airlines did and I had to carry a heavy one year old for 6 hours during my wait at Auckland airport having flown up from Christchurch. The baby didn't sleep the whole time and every time I sat down to rest she would scramble off my lap and try to crawl away into the crowds. I was in tears of exhaustion and no other airline would rent me a stroller. By the time I got on the plane I was an exhausted starving wreck and unable to eat the awful food and baby still didn't sleep, she was overtired and when we got to Suva she screamed all night long......having been awake for 24 hours. If shed had a stroller at the airport she would have slept.....
I must say, the check-in at LAX was fantastic. Last time I transited through Nadi was 1999 when you could still bribe security to let you out onto the ramp to have a smoke.
Without any evidence you’re making baseless claims. I work the airport so don’t try and bulshit
In my day job I deal with Fiji Airlines and I can say without a doubt that they have some of the most pleasant crew members to deal with, wonderful station staff, and their aircraft are usually spot on. A350s are very nice planes but like anything these days way too computerized and complex for their own good.
Great first video based out of Houston Noel thanks ! The Fiji Airlines livery is absolutely fantastic and looks great on the A350 as it did when Fiji Airlines was flying the A330 LAX to NAD. One of the flights at the top of my bucket list. Now I know to have ear plugs thanks to you ! Keep up the good work Noel.
I was shocked to see that a round trip from LAX to NAN on the A350 is only $650 for economy. Now I want to try it lol.
I would have done the same as you, but spent a week in Fiji supping cocktails, swimming and fishing 🙂
Would be fun watching you hopping between some of those Pacific Islands in future videos!
I have travelled to numerous pacific island nations and I am very impressed with the lounge there in Fiji. Fiji has lots of resorts and brings in the tourist dollars. I once had a stopover in Manus Island. The airport was little more than a bus stop.
Thank you for reviewing Fiji Airways. Ive always wanted to see their business class product as here in Christchurch, to fly direct to Fiji, Air NZ is the only other option, and I can't stand their business class seats that face away from the window.
Thank you for sharing your flight here...And you still make me laugh when you do your reviews!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Years as well...
Yes, the Star Alliance Lounges are very nice!!!
A350 business class is amazing. Easy to do a 11 hour flight and leave refreshed.
It is indeed, my first time on it was Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 then returned on Air France A350-900, air France new business at the bulkhead was exceptional in terms of comfort!
Another mid week video from King Noel. Christmas came early for the viewers. Thank you very much Noel
Hi Noel. If its any consolation I landed at Manchester airport from Vietnam at 5.30am on Thursday last week, with an 8.30am connection to Aberdeen on Loganair. I then spent 12 hours waiting for my broken plane to finally land in Manchester to take us to Aberdeen. No trains as they were on strike. No other airlines flying to Aberdeen. It was absolute hell on earth.
these strikes are just getting ridiculous now honestly
Absolutely stunning cloud formations during the sunrise!
Strange that Fiji Airways use the Star Alliance lounge at LAX as they are a Oneworld associate… regardless that outdoor area looks very nice and as for the A350 what a stunning aircraft regardless of glitches with the IFE. Flew MAN-HKG return with Cathay a couple of years ago (pre covid) on theirs in premium economy, an absolute pleasure all round
Nadi...reminds me of the old CP Air - Canadian Airlines days when flights from Canada would converge on Honolulu then depart for various south pacific destinations including Nadi. Love your videos!
Great video as usual Noel, I went to Fiji back in 1997 when i spent a month touring NZ, Stayed in Fiji and LA too. Was a great holiday
Thanks for sharing!
I love how you eat from the reclined position, always waiting for a Monty Python, “I couldn’t eat another thing, I’m absolutely stuffed.”
I had a great flight with Fiji airways from Brisbane to Fiji which was the first time I had a long haul-esque service (food, entertainment system etc) on a 3.5 hour flight!
IAH and LAX, are my two most frequented airports. Just saw you moved, so it all makes sense! Welcome to the US, Noel!
I'm glad you went on this flight Noel. It did seem nice apart from the horrific Entertainment system debacle. I hope you didn't regret it too much.
Next time Stay at Rydges hotel at the international terminal. Fantastic runway views. Great video as always. Breaking the journey in Nadi would help with jet lag.
Thank you Noel, perfect timing as we will be taking the same route, in the same cabin just after the new year. Cheers mate!
The best livery on commercial aircraft! Another great watch thanks Noel
Someone hasn't ever seen wow air 😂
Your videos are great and hilarious. Thanks for taking me along with you all over the world.
Thanks for watching!
Aaah problems with Fijian airlines. It'll get sorted in Fiji time (which when you visit, you'll understand Fiji time). All issues get resolved when you walk through Nadi airport and hear the Fijian music and very happy sounding "Bula". Your kids will love Fiji if you ever go by the way
They're a decent airline bar the music. I much prefer flying with them over Air New Zealand (we get their A330 or 737-Max from here). Fijians have to be one of, if not, the most friendly people I've ever met. Always happy, always have a smile on their face when talking to you, and they have so much patience for children as well.
I had a similar issue on a flight somewhere. Grew to hate that Joni Mitchell song about a parking lot, after about the 100th repetition.
Welcome back down under Noel. I hope you're having or had a great time here and maybe made it down here to Melbourne.
Your counterpart Sam Chui did Fiji Airways to recently.
If you think Fiji's planes are pretty, then please try Air Tahiti Nui for me, the nicest looking planes both outside and inside, in my opinion.
They only have 4 aircraft, and I know you like a challenge, so maybe you could try to fly on all 4 aircraft.
I can't understand why they would just turn the whole IFE off during the night. Those couple of people who would actually watch something instead of sleeping wouldn't enjoy it anyway if it restarts every 30 minutes and the rest of the plane would prefer it.
I will never get these point of view. What is wrong with Earplugs or Headphones for the night? Why do the couple of people suffer with boredom while the others have a very easy solution that causes no problems?
Geez - a frequent flyer like you does not have noise cancelling headphones?
I flew the Fiji A350 Business class round trip LAX to NAD last August and there was no constant music playing.
Very comfortable plane and the food and service were very good.
Fiji reps at LAX and Nadi were super pleasant and helpful!
Hi Noel, Nadi is pronounced "Nandi" rhymes with handy. Several places in the Pacific have names where the pronunciation seems to bear no connection to the spelling. Case in point, Kiribati. It would seem logical to pronounce it "Kiri - bar - tee", but it is in fact pronounced "Kiri - bus". there are other examples in the pacific as well. Get yourself to Nauru and Tarawa, accessible by Air Nauru. Lots of WW2 history in Tarawa, and you'll be getting back to basics with the travel.
The check in person actually pronounced it “Nadi” too. But this is analogous to Paris’ being pronounced “Paree” in French. Yet it sounds strange, pretentious, and out of place to use the French pronunciation in an English sentence, so some flexibility is called for!
Yep. Every time he pronounced it without the N, I could relate to his problem with the music. 😀 Nothing pretentious about pronouncing it correctly, most people in Australia pronounce it Nandi.
Every time Noel said it I said ‘Nandi” out loud. It’s the same with Pago Pago. I think I’m the only one in my airline ops office that pronounces it Pango Pango rhyming with Tango. I read about the pronunciation in a book about a Pan Am crash there.
Yep, I spent some time in Fiji in 95 and I quickly found out it was pronounced Nandi, not Nadi even though it's spelt that way. Shame you didn't spend more time in Fiji as it's a beautiful country with great proud people. You could have drank Kava, visited Suva and its wonderful market. When I was there the Rainbow Warrior was harboured at Suva and I got to visit it. Bula from London.
I enjoy his videos, they are detailed and informative, but sadly he mispronounces Los Angeles as well as Nadi (Nandi).
I think you got a better view of Sydney Airport than I did at the Rydges! I am looking forward to flying Fiji Airway very soon! Thank you for the report.
We recently stayed at the IBIS Hotel next door to the Mantra and had a corner room overlooking the Royal Flying Doctor Service hangar. An RFDS plane took off every two hours. I loved it!! The private jets are in the same area and a few arrived or left over a period of 6 hours.
Hi Noel. Except for the loooouuuudy music I think Fiji Airways is amazing. I will put a thumbs up. Merry Christmas Noel and a big hug from Colombia.
Design and market sound proofing Ear Covers...Thank You for sharing. Merry Christmas and Happy flying 2023.
A shame the entertainment system was malfunctioning. I'm sure the staff were unhappy too (as much for themselves as for the pax, as you alluded to). I've flown Melb to Nandi and back many times with Fiji Air via mostly A330's and 737max. I've always found them great (and better than our Aus national carrier). Nice upload.
@andyh5666 I don’t think the staff was sad or too unhappy about the entertainment system ….
The nicest people I ever met islands' wide were the Fijians. They use the word Bula as a greeting and an attitude. So worth visiting.
They should have yanked the fuse for the mood music.
The airline was awesome I love the seat arrangements it looked very cosy and comfortable. I agree about the loud music was rather annoying but it felt great seeing the view when taking off and landing. The food looked good as well.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow!!Well done on your move to the USA.Seize the moment as a family!!!No regrets.
Does he have a GREEN CARD to legally stay in the US or is he an illegal Alien?
Heading down to Sydney in March: my 17th visit! Flying via Changi with Singapore Airlines - though only travelling economy. Singapore used to do an economy amenity kit and hot towels on boarding, but they seem to have stopped that little 'luxury' now.
Great video - Fiji is definitely on my bucket list.
I am surprised a professional traveller such as yourself does not carry a pair of noise cancelling headphones !
By the way Nadi is pronounced Nandi (nan).
Natives pronounce it Nah - dee. Nahn- dee is acceptable.
@@trimuleNatives? Really? And no, they don’t. It’s pronounced Nandi. In the Fijian alphabet, d is pronounced nd.
came here looking for the pronunciation correction
@@hefsbeerreviews4127 Not arguing about how it's pronounced, because idk, lol, BUT - you seem offended by the person using the word "native", when a lot of the time native just means.. well, the people born there. I mean, that's the main definition of the word - people who are born and live somewhere. Like, I'm a native of the US, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm "native american". The person could obviously be wrong about the pronunciation, but there's nothing wrong with saying the natives of a country pronounce something a certain way.
@@LadyBeyondTheWall he's a liberal he probably only thinks a native can be a brown person
A very casual attitude: "Oh it just keeps rebooting mate"
Hope that doesn't happen with the avionics!
Ambient Music can drive you absolutely nuts if it is forced upon you!
But it isn't forced upon you. It is never forced upon you on planes.
Fiji Airways seems like a good airline with great potential to be an even better airline in the future.
Fantastic video as always.
Keep it up.
Thanks a lot!
@@noelphilips You're welcome.
Were you not supplied ear plugs in your amenity kit ?
Since you’re based out of the US now you should try Cayman Airways, nothing extremely luxurious but comfortable. We’re pretty proud of our national airline here. They fly the JFK, Miami, Tampa, Denver and LAX in the US.
Why have you stopped giving out the cost details of each flight Noel?
Hmmmm….. 🤷♂️
this information is useful for others who might want to book the flight
I remember being on an overnight bus from Asunción to Buenos Aires and they showed several movies during the trip. After one of the movies ended, it kept playing the same preview over and over for at least half an hour. Hearing the same tune over and over got quite tiring rather quickly.
I think it’s important to remember that 90% of your viewers travel almost entirely in economy. Bring back more economy videos!
Hear, hear!
He could never, at least we have simply aviation 😂
Good shout, couldn't agree with you more.
Totally agree with you guys.
Yea, but some of these flights would be impossible for me in economy. 11 hours in an economy seats? I could never... Hahaah
I have been wanting to take a flight to Europe with a fun layover at a place I have never been before, but then I want to stay at least a day to explore some of the city and the connections are usually just a few hours long. I am amazed how you booked a trip to Fiji and didn't spend at least a day to see some of the island.
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I flew to Fiji from YVR to Brisbane when Fiji Airways was Air Pacific years ago, the terminal in Nadi was very basic in those days from what I remember!
It is still pretty basic.
Was waiting for opportunity to say “Houston, we have a problem.”
Ooooh getting a tail camera is just like getting a cool surprise in a happy meal for adults!! I love it!! I wouldn’t need any other flight entertainment!
Noel, please, continue with this type of content. I watch YT videos to see experiences I will most likely never have. ❤🎉
I was in Nadi in 1983. Those same guys were playing welcome music at the airport back then too.
Other than the random music, the flights seemed nice, Noel. All the meals looked absolutely delish -- maybe I'm just hungry. No, the food looked absolutely delish!
That STAR lounge at LAX is one of my favorite lounges ever, as soon as you said there's no view I was saying to myself "guess he hasn't found the terrace yet". The even better part about that terrace is pretty much no one ever goes out there, you'll often have the space to yourself. LAX has some really nice lounges these days with one of the UA clubs having a nice outdoor space as well.
Noel years ago on your Around the World in 80 hours as you were on final into LAX, you said the USA felt like a second home, and I said "You'd be welcome to make the US your home, we can always use talented people.". Now here you are! I feel so flattered you've chose the USA. Happy Holidays!
18:25 Someone was enjoying their breakfast while getting youtube famous, haha. Love the intrigued look.
Great video!
That music is so annoying, especially when you try to get some sleep, can ruin the whole flight..
.. otherwise I was impressed by them! Nice plane, crew seemed nice, great food, clean plane, nice seat, cool livery (branding in general, loved the crew outfits!), nice transit and lounges etc, much to like!
Great video Noel, any plans to visit the Greek Islands? Reckon that would make a great flying adventure, especially the more remote airports!
i'm surprised that a veteran traveler like Noel doesn't carry headphones and ear plugs and face mask or a combo of those (i know i've seen him in masks before, maybe amenity kits?), to cancel out noise and light when needed. though having said that it looks like he has earplugs around 15:00-15:12?? so i dunno... i realize headphones are difficult to sleep in but an airplane, for me, is a MUST HAVE for Heavy Duty noise cancellation at a moments notice. Love the vids!!
I do, even my Bose headphones only cancel ambient noise, and not music/talking.
@@noelphilips whoa! the man himself! Hello!!! Love your videos. And I know what you mean about noise cancellation and how it does not always cancel certain sounds. I certainly empathized with you on this one as I am very sensitive to noise in tight spaces myself. And the only way I cancel out some of those things is by blasting my audio in my headphones, which some people cannot sleep like that so I get that too. And I realized after I posted my msg that a pro such as yourself must carry those things, not to mention i've seen you wearing such things in other videos. Cheers! ps- for christmas I am thinking of getting you an audio file of that air fiji song, played on a loop for sayyyy, 10 hrs??? Sound good??? hahaha. that way you can always listen to it on long flights
Do they give you a second amenity kit when you get back on the flight?
You could have even flown to Sydney via IAH UA100 but glad you did it this way Noel
I love Fiji been a few times and never disappointed. Just a hop, skip and a jump over the pacific from Brisbane. Actually cheaper to fly to Fiji then other places in Australia. Also much prefer it over Aussie Paradise in Bali
I’m terrified of flying, so I love watching your reviews to help build my confidence, to one day fly again ☺️
You can do it!
@Noel Philips I do hope so... I have flown from Adelaide SA to Singapore then onto Vietnam in 2012, and I think I cried the whole way...lol... and have done a few flights within Australia since but I am a wreck during every flight.. watching your videos is helping ... keep up the great work ☺️
You should be more afraid of driving
@@deannaleclerc5749 so not helpful.
@J it may not be helpful but it's the truth
Beautiful landing shot followed by shadow of aircraft. Well done Noel.
The same music thing happened to me on a Finnair A350 the crew had to shut the whole system down but it did nothing.
32:01 Thats Wattamolla beach in the Royal National Park just south of Sydney, awesome place to swim either in the ocean or the lagoon or just grab a ice cream. 🇦🇺
How much did this flight cost you?
Your house looks beautiful Noel! Texas is lovely.
Noel, you killed me when that music was playing on the plane..😂 Crikey!
Hey Noel I am asking this question as a retired airline mechanic. I never worked on these newer planes. I worked on MD-11 DC-10 B-727 MD/DC-9 etc. BUT I have two questions about the music issue which ruined your trip. It takes electrical power to run the music system? First, does the ambient music system not have a volume control knob which can raise or lower the music? Also there should be a circuit breaker for the music system which could be pulled, as I suspect this would not be a safety issue? It seems it was not a critical issue for the crew and airline to fix the issue? You were at the main hub for the airline which should have the parts to fix the issue. Usually it may be just a black box in the avionics bay, that could be swapped out in a couple minutes. Fiji Airlines thanks for not putting this issue at the forefront, and making your customers miserable. Especially on an 9+ hour flight. Also there are other carriers that fly the A350 at LAX who may have had the part to fix this. We used to borrow parts all the time from other airlines, also if a airline did not have a maintenance person available. A mechanic from another airline would help out. Plus let's face the fact that the aircraft was on the ground on the turnaround to fix this if a part was available. In LAX and Fiji. Sometimes ramp mechanics only have minutes to make a fix happen if the part is available. Yeah Noel all travel bloggers are not like Sam Chui. He flew on Fiji recently and loved the flight and it was almost flawless. The travel Gods must be in his favor. One note it is always nice when you share the cost of the ticket. Wishing you the best:)
Yep I'm mechanic and your all words is true, today Airbus have full CIDS-digital IFE(more modern) based in cheap programs like Linux sys from communications and announcements, Reseting IFE is available but today running this music(same A320Neo IFE), I never see that in A318(old analogic CIDS)/19(dig)/20 (digital) in my early days at Avianca Brazil. Cheers 👍🏻