With the flight from West Coast cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles taking just under 11 hours, the Fiji Islands are one of the world's most faraway destinations for Americans to visit.
Some make Fiji a stop on the way to Australia or New Zealand but, otherwise, it is a trip that usually only the most hardened travelers will take given the time and financial commitment required — the more than 5,000-mile distance from the West Coast mean that a plane ticket will set one back at least $2,000.
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But as the airline continues to grow with strong ticket sales from those taking long dreamed-about trips after the pandemic, Fiji Airways is looking to reach more American travelers. Last week, it formally asked the Department of Transportation for permission to start running a new direct flight between Dallas-Forth-Worth and Nadi International Airport (NAN).
Fiji Airways calls proposed new route 'within the public interest'
"Fiji Airways intends to operate three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays beginning as soon as all required government approvals are received," reads the DoT filing submitted by the airline.
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Further details show that the flight would run on an Airbus A350-900 (EADSF) with room for 334 passengers and take approximately 13 hours. The 6,625-mile distance would make this the longest flight offered by the airline — that title is currently taken by the Fiji Airways flight to Nadi from Vancouver — and fourth U.S. destination after Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“Grant of this authority is consistent with the public interest," the filing reads further. "There is currently no direct, nonstop service from Nadi to Dallas-Fort Worth."
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The goal is to bring more Americans to Fiji. Will it work?
The airline also said that the goal is to not just offer "new travel options for travel to Fiji from a major market" but also "create convenient connections to the middle and eastern U.S." — the new route is the farthest east the airline breached the North American. continent.
Fiji Airways recently also held a sale in which it offered flights to Nadi from LA and San Francisco for the end of 2024 or the first half of 2025 for as little as $709 round-trip. While the period for booking the cheap fares has now passed, the sale was part of a wider strategy to break the image of the Oceanic country being something very far away and expensive for Americans who might not have otherwise thought of it as a vacation destination.
For decades, Fiji saw large numbers of Australian and Kiwi visitors for whom the islands are an easy weekend getaway and notorious party spot akin to Cancun for Americans.
At the start of June, Fiji Airways has also announced plans to join the Oneworld alliance that also includes carriers such as American Airlines (AAL) , British Airways and Cathay Pacific (CPCAF) by the end of 2025. Being part of the same network will make it significantly easier for the airline to connect flights from cities where it does not fly with partner airlines.
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