SAN FRANCISCO—Flights from Fiji, which formerly had two routes going to the United States, will now have three, with San Francisco joining in as an American flight destination.
According to USA Today, Fiji Airways will add seasonal, non-stop services between San Francisco and Fiji. The change was announced on Tuesday, December 22.
The launch will begin June 16, 2016 and will include 2 flights per week through August 14, 2016. Additional flights will resume on December 15, 2016 and will continue through January 15, 2017.
Fiji Airways plans to fly one round-trip flight each Thursday and Sunday during seasonal schedules and will use Airbus A330-200 as the aircraft for U.S. destinations, according to reports from USA Today.
Fiji Airways, CEO, Andre Viljowen said in a statement: “This new service is in line with our network expansion targets and gives us further reach into North America.”
“The seasonal flying takes into account common vacation trends out of the United States. Along with the Fijian community, the Samoan and Tongan communities living in San Francisco are also big winners with this direct service. It will offer them a convenient one-stop flight back to their homeland to see family and friends,” added Viljoen.
Fiji Airways tells The SF News that although the airline are always looking for at new locations for expansions, no new U.S. destinations, other than San Francisco is being considered right now.
The San Francisco News has also been informed regarding the decision, that a large number of guests already travel to Fiji from Los Angeles, an ideal mix of leisure and VFR traffic owing to the considerable amount of Pacific Island communities that live in the area. As a result, including San Francisco as a destination during the peak holiday season makes sense.
“We are excited by the opportunities the route presents and look forward to working with the SFO airport and other partners to develop the market,” states Fiji Airways Public Relations Manager, Shane Hussein, in an email to The SF News.
Other destinations for people going to Fiji from San Francisco will include connections to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific Nations, according to USA Today.
