Fiji Airways – Dine on the Ground?

Traveller.com.au is reporting that Fiji Airways is introducing not a ‘dine on demand’ service, but a ‘Dine on the Ground’ service, so you can eat before you fly, and sleep on your flight. That’s if you’re in Business Class, and flying from certain airports.

The airline claims that over 30% of surveyed passengers from Australia don’t have the in-flight meals on their morning and evening flights so they can get more sleep. The result is wasted food on the flights.

I flew Fiji Airways for the first time on a trip to Suva, Nadi and some islands back in September 2017. Some Menu samples from that flight are below.

Where and when can you get the pre-flight meals?

The ‘Dine on the Ground’ service will only apply to:

• Morning flights from Nadi to Sydney or Brisbane – in the Premier Lounge (recently renovated)
• Evening flights from Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide to Nadi

No more full meal service on these flights for business

So, you will now only be able to get snacks and light meals on these flights. If you want a full meal service – it’s in the lounge you need to get it.

Fiji Airways has its own Premier Lounge in Nadi (open 5 am to 11 pm daily), which was undergoing renovation in September 2017 when I was last there, and reopened in December 2017.

As the founding member of the junior partner of the OneWorld alliance – OneWorld Connect, Business passengers canl use the Qantas Business lounges in Australia, or if you are Platinum and above on Qantas, the First Lounges.

2PAXfly Takeout

If this was just a service issue, then for 30% of their business customers – they would not be making this move – especially since they already have a buffet service in the new lounge in Nadi, and the lounges they use in Sydney and Melbourne (Qantas) already have food available.

This is a weight issue as far as I can see. By not having a full meal service on board, they save some weight, which saves on fuel, which saves on costs, which puts dollars back on the airline’s bottom line. And it’s probably cheaper to provide the service on the ground anyway.

I like the option of having a meal before, but I would also like the option of having a full meal service onboard.

Service upgrade or downgrade? – a downgrade in my opinion.

I hope you can still get their delicious cocktail on board.