FIJI AIRWAYS: Bound for Dallas Fort Worth?

The winner of Skytrax Best Airline in Australia and Pacific 2024 has applied to fly three times a week between Nadi and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW).

DFW is a major hub for fellow OneWorld member American Airlines.

This makes sense since Fiji Airways has recently adopted American Airlines’ AAdvantage scheme as its frequent flyer loyalty program.

The Route

Fiji Airways currently flies to three USA destinations: Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO). That’s 10,662 kilometres or 6,625 miles. If successful, it will be the longest route Fiji Airways operates.

According to an application to the US Department of Transport dated 11 July 2024, a three-times-weekly service is requested. The service is proposed for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to begin as soon as approval is given

This is in keeping with the bilateral Air Services Agreement between Fiji and the USA. Fiji Airways plans to use its fleet of four Airbus A350-900s to service the route. These Airbus aircraft are configured with a total of 334 seats, with 31 Busiiness seats, and 301 in the Economy cabins.

I’ve travelled with Fiji Airways many times, but not yet on the A350s. Fiji Airways has the most hospitable staff, well fitted out cabins, and good food and beverage.

Partnering with American Airlines

With an application for full membership of OneWorld pending and having adopted AAdvantage as its frequent flyer scheme, it’s only natural that Fiji Airways would cement this with flights to an American Airlines hub.

The airline and the nation are eager to expand tourism to the islands, so providing more services to the USA market seems logical. There also happens to be a growing Tongan community close to DFW, which should provide a family visit market.

When this route gets off the ground, it will compete with Qantas, which operates a nonstop route between the East Coast and Dallas. If pricing is competitive, it will be hard to resist the idea of flying indirectly with a couple of days’ stopover in Fiji on the way over or on the way back. You could even go on to another Pacific destination, as that is a network Fiji Airways excells at.

Next Seattle!

Fiji Airways CEO, Andre Viljoen has already suggested Seattle as the next USA hub it might join with. This is an interesting choice, as it will be a first for an Oceania/Pacific carrier. Qantas had it on its agenda pre-pandemic, but I haven’t heard anything lately.

OneWorld flyers; Qantas, American and Fiji Airways in competition on the Pacific route

Traditionally, Qantas and American have been able to charge a premium for their joint venture on routes to the USA. If you want proof, compare the cost of airfare between Australia and Canada to one to the USA on OneWorld members.

Fiji Airways has usually priced itself very competitively on Australia to the USA via the Fiji route. It will be interesting to see how they manage this with their now-partner American Airlines, not to mention their OneWorld partners on the route, like Qantas.

2PAXfly Takeout

I welcome a new way to travel between Australia and the USA. Fiji Airways is one of the Pacific’s best carriers, and a delight to travel with in my experience.

If the flight schedule does not require a long layover in Nadi, this could be a great option for travelling to the USA.

The Fiji Airways Lounge at Nadi Airport is quite pleasant to spend a few hours in, and Fijian hospitality has that relaxed charm that I find quite beguiling.

Of course, pricing will do the trick for me besides the layover in Nadi.