Media Releases

Nadi, Fiji - As part of its efforts to ensure on-time flights and better service delivery, Fiji’s national carrier Air Pacific and its regional subsidiary Pacific Sun will be implementing new check-in times for all customers beginning on the 15th of September. 

Check-ins for Air Pacific will no longer be open for three hours as has been the case. From September 15, international passengers will be required to check-in no later than one (1) hour before departure for all Air Pacific flights from Nadi and Nausori international airports in Fiji. This same check-in requirement will also apply to all flights from Apia, Christmas Island, Funafuti, Nuku’alofa and Tarawa.

Passengers arriving at the airport and attempting to check in less than one hour before scheduled departure will not be permitted to board. They will, however, be allowed to rebook their ticket on a subsequent flight for a fee. Operating hours for all Air Pacific check-in counters will remain the same, with check-in counters opened to customers three hours before departure.

As for Pacific Sun, check-in opening times as well as close out times will be different from Air Pacific's for obvious reasons; domestic passengers need not undergo Border Control checks. But domestic passengers will still need to check in 30 minutes before scheduled departure. Passengers who arrive late will have to rebook their ticket for a fee.

Air Pacific Managing Director and CEO Dave Pflieger said that bringing about new check-in and flight close-out times will lead to improved on time performance for the airline. “On time performance is a basic requirement for any airline, and this new policy should help address the cause of many of our flight delays,” said Mr Pflieger.

“Customers expect airlines to get to their destination on time. By closing check-in one hour before departure, we will ensure passengers who get to the airport on time will not be impacted by small numbers of others who arrive late and cannot get through security and immigration in time to make their flight."

"I want to thank Air Pacific customers for their loyalty and patience as we make this first of many changes that are necessary to run an on-time and customer-service focused business. To that end, I welcome any comments on how our airline can do things better. Please send those comments/ideas to my email address: fjceo@airpacific.com.fj," said Mr Pflieger. 

Mr Pflieger stresses travelers should note the different check in times for Air Pacific and Pacific Sun. "The easiest way to remember this is for international flights, you should check-in well before one hour before scheduled departure, and well before half an hour for domestic travel.