Fiji Airways flights are now bookable with Avios on ba.com

It’s taken over four years to get to this point, but you can finally book Fiji Airways flights on ba.com using Avios.

Back in 2018, the oneworld airline alliance, of which British Airways is a core and founder member, launched oneworld connect. Fiji Airways was the first oneworld connect member.

oneworld connect had the potential to be very interesting indeed, although to date no-one has followed Fiji Airways.  The scheme allows smaller airlines around the world to partner with oneworld but without having to go through the complex process of becoming a full member.  I imagine it is possible that Aer Lingus may go down this route.

Unfortunately, oneworld connect is more complex than it really had to be.

Each airline joining oneworld connect has to be sponsored by at least three existing oneworld members.  Fiji Airways has four sponsors:

• British Airways
• American Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Qantas

The reason I stress the names of the sponsors is that different benefits apply depending on whether you are a member of a sponsors frequent flyer programme or not.

This is how it works:

For holders of frequent flyer accounts with sponsoring airlines:

• Through check-in of bags and passengers
• Earn miles
• Redeem miles
• Earn tier / status points
• Lounge access when flying the oneworld connect member

For holders of frequent flyer accounts with other oneworld airlines:

• Access to priority check-in desks when flying the oneworld connect member for Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby members
• Priority boarding for oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members

Here it is as a graphic:

What this means is that, as a British Airways Executive Club member, you can earn and redeem Avios of Fiji Airways, as well as accessing their lounges if you have British Airways Gold or Silver status and are flying Fiji Airways.

However, if you are – say – a Qatar Airways or  Royal Jordanian frequent flyer member – you will not get these benefits.  Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian are not sponsoring Fiji Airways into oneworld connect and so their members do not get any mileage benefits.  All they get is priority boarding and priority check-in.

In future, you may find other airlines joining oneworld connect with are not sponsored by British Airways, which means you won’t get much in the way of the benefits.

Where does Fiji Airways fly?

Quite a few places, surprisingly.  Here is their route network and I have copied it below (click to expand, although it doesn’t get much bigger):

Key long-haul routes include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Singapore, Honolulu, Tokyo and a number of destinations in Australia and New Zealand.  This may make them an option if you are interested in an alternative way to get to Australasia.

The Fiji Airways fleet runs from brand new Airbus A350 aircraft, plus some older A330s, through to Vikings DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otter planes for domestic routes.

Booking Avios redemptions on Fiji Airways

Reader Stephen, who spends a lot of time in the region, dropped me a note to say that – after four years! – ba.com was finally showing Fiji Airways redemption flights.

Here’s a return Business Class flight (A330) between Fiji and Sydney, for example, which is a 4 hr 40 min trip:

Business Class availability seems spottier on the US routes, although I haven’t done a detailed survey. Economy seats are easy to find.

This is the Business Class seat you get on the new A350 fleet, which looks very good:

The older A330 aircraft have a 2 x 2 x 2 layout in Business Class, which is fine for couples but less good for solo travellers.

Whilst Fiji Airways is not going to be a core redemption for most HfP readers, there is potential here for anyone planning a round the world trip. Los Angeles to Fiji to Australia or New Zealand, potentially returning via Singapore, Hong Kong or Tokyo, would be interesting.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2023)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Successfully apply for either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards by 2nd April 2023 and you will be entered into a free draw to win ONE MILLION AVIOS! Full details are on the application forms here (free) and here (paid). This competition is exclusive to Head for Points readers. T&C apply.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. The bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.