Singapore & Fiji

Fiji Airways FJ822 | CXI/HNL
Business Class
Boeing 737-MAX8 | DQ-FAF Mamanuca Islands
ATD/0759 | ATA/1109-1

One of the reasons why I was so eager about taking this roundabout route home was because of the stopover between Nadi and Honolulu: Cassidy Airport (CXI) in Kiritimati (aka Christmas Island) in Kiribati. Located pretty much due south of Honolulu, Christmas Island's time zone is 24 hours ahead of Hawaii's. Looking at the international date line, one can see that the line extends in a pocket eastwards in order to allow all of Kiribati to remain within one time zone. When I researched Christmas Island, one fun fact stood out to me: the main settlements on this atoll are Banana, London, Paris, and Poland. The closest settlement to Cassidy Airport is Banana.

As mentioned in my previous entry, we landed at Cassidy Airport just after sunrise. About two dozen passengers disembarked, including the two Business Class passengers who I suspect were Fiji Airways staff. During the transit, I saw one of them on the tarmac wearing a hi-vis vest. I did not see my seatmate, though. Neither one of them reboarded the flight to Honolulu. I wonder if they stay at Cassidy Airport and work the return flight back to Nadi later in the afternoon.

The 20 or so transit passengers were not allowed to disembark. I did ask for permission to step out the front door to take photos though. During the transit, TSA mandated safety checks were conducted in the cabin.

When it was time to board the joining passengers, I watched in surprise as approximately three dozen caucasian men - almost all carrying angling equipment - boarded the flight. I guess there is good sportfishing around the atoll.

The 3 hour flight to Honolulu went smoothly. I enjoyed a dosa breakfast. The same crew from NAN/CXI operated this second leg.Baca lagi