Nadi to Christmas Island

Fiji Airways FJ822 | NAN/CXI
Business Class
Boeing 737-MAX8 | DQ-FAF Mamanuca Islands
ATD/0006 | ATA/0653
Fiji Airways Premier Lounge

Sam dropped me off at Nadi Airport just after 4pm. I appreciate that I might have been a challenging customer because I wasn't keen on the traditional stuff tourists do, but Sam did express his appreciation that I was respectful and genuinely interested in learning about their culture and way of life.

I enjoyed my day tour of the west side of Viti Levu, but there clearly wasn't enough to fill a 19 hour layover. If I were to do this layover in the future, I would take a domestic flight to Suva and explore the capital for the day. I understand there are some interesting museums and colonial architecture there.

I still had over seven hours until my flight. At Nadi, extra security screening is required for US-bound flights, and I learned when I got to the counter that check in for my flight did not start until 7pm. Fortunately, the checkin agent exercised her discretion and told me I could check in at 4.40pm with the earlier US-bound flights.

Once checked in, I made my way to the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge where I had a nice shower which helped me recover from a hot day of sightseeing. After that, I grazed on and off on the buffet. The Fiji Airways Lounge was pleasant, but it was small and located in an area without natural light. As more travelers from US-bound flights trickled in, it got crowded and loud. I plugged in my earphones and watched movies to while my time away. The lounge emptied out as the Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Vancouver flights departed, leaving only Honolulu and Narita passengers.

I made my way to the nearby gate at 11pm, only to discover that the flight was delayed. The reason for delay wasn't clearly explained (the gate agent just said something about having to arrive in Christmas Island after sunrise) and no revised ETD was shared, but with my prior airline knowledge, I surmised that if the flight departed as scheduled we wouldn't arrive at CXI before daybreak, and we would not be able to land there because the facilities there are limited. I was slightly annoyed because they most likely knew of the delay in advance and I could have spent a little more time in the lounge.

The flight was only delayed 16 minutes. In Business Class, there were six passengers; I suspect two were airline staff. The flight was another pleasant experience, and I managed to get some sleep after quickly consuming my supper. After about 4.5 hours of flying, we descended over Christmas Island, also known as Kiritimati, just as dawn was breaking.Read more