Walking into Suva’s domestic airport is a little bit like stepping back a few decades. A hodgepodge of different check in desk designs line the main wall, flanked by retro analogue luggage scales. There is no airport lounge, though a few small shops and a café are available to help pass the time.

The check in agent advised I had arrived at the airport too early, and suggested I visit the café until check in opens. However, after a short time she came into the café to find me and said she could check me in early. This was much appreciated as it allowed me to send my larger bag off to await the plane.

About 30 minutes before boarding, FJ18 was called to pass through security. Airside, there was a small waiting area with 1980s style plastic airport seating and overhead fans doing their best (but failing) to cool the room. Large windows overlooking the apron gave us a great view of the ATR-42 when it arrived.

On Board

Our flight was full, but boarding was an efficient affair. Boarding passes checked, we walked across the tarmac to our awaiting aircraft and boarded at the rear door. The sole cabin crew member on this flight was waiting at the door to greet us.

The seats felt narrow, but I was seated in 2C, next to my best mate in 2D. We both have good centre-arm-rest etiquette, so it wasn’t awkward.

Waiting for us at our seat was a bottle of water – which was the entire inflight service experience given the short flight.

Row 2 on the starboard side is unusual as it faces directly into Row 1 which are backwards facing seats. This feels kind of strange, as you can’t help but make the occasional awkward eye contact with the strangers staring at you – but it offered plenty of leg room which was critical for me at nearly 2m tall.

The cabin was warm, having been baking in the Fiji summer heat. Small overhead bins sit above the seats and were large enough for our backpacks. Boarding completed 13 minutes early, allowing us to depart early at 17:17 after a brief safety demo and short taxi to runway 28.

Inflight

Row 2 gives a great view of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 turboprop as it speeds up to provide take-off thrust. As with all turboprop flights it is considerably noisier on board than a jet aircraft, yet it was no worse than other turboprop types I’ve flown.

There was no inflight service to speak of, though the bottle of water was appreciated as the aircraft’s onboard temperature remained warm for the trip. Take off was bumpy given to passing rain showers, and most of the flight was spent ascending and then descending with no more than 5 minutes in cruise.

The seatbelt sign remained on for much of the trip, though about 10 minutes into the journey people were welcome to use the tiny bathroom at the very back of the aircraft.

As we commenced our descent, the bumps started again (Nadi was experiencing similar weather to Suva) so the seatbelt sign was illuminated again. The views as we passed near the Nausori Highlands were amazing. So too were the views on approach as the aircraft turned to line up with Nadi’s runway 27. We landed 11 minutes ahead of schedule at 17:49.

Final Thoughts

This was a perfectly acceptable flight experience. I appreciated the extra care provided by the check in agent who came to find me in the café even though she did not need to. We departed early and arrived early.

Luggage collection was straight forward and before we knew it, I was in a taxi heading to the hotel for the night. I’d fly this service again if needing to travel between Suva and Nadi.

The Flight in Detail

Airline: Fiji Link

Flight: FJ18

Route: Suva to Nadi

Date: 22 February 2024

Cabin: Economy

Seat: 2C

Aircraft: ATR-42-600

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Chris Frame is a travel writer and maritime historian and travelled on a self-funded paid ticket on Fiji Link.

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