Airline review: Excess baggage causes dramas on this flight

1 week ago 5

Economy

Flight time

3 hrs, 20 minutes. The 9.30am formation is delayed by 35 minutes owed to a deficiency of parking bays astatine Brisbane Airport.

Checking successful

I get bang connected 6.30am for my 9.30am formation time. There are already groups of Solomon Islanders returning location aft moving successful Australia and New Zealand nether the Pacific Australia Labour (PALM) scheme. Check-in is analyzable by their excess baggage, ample boxes of electronics and the obligatory KFC for folks backmost home. This slows the process considerably on with the request to amusement carnal paperwork for COVID vaccinations and instrumentality flights home. The gent down maine is adjacent warned his baggage won’t marque it, which is somewhat disconcerting, but excavation has been tagged priority.

Baggage

Economy passengers get 30 kilograms checked luggage and 1 compartment container up to 7 kilograms, positive an further idiosyncratic point (handbag, laptop etc).

The loyalty scheme

The Belama Club, which was suspended during the pandemic, is slated to reopen this winter. Members person exclusive benefits including precedence check-in and seating; explicit clearance (Brisbane) and further baggage allowances; entree to the Belama Club Lounge astatine Honiara International Airport; and entree to spouse lounges including Fiji Airways’ Tabua Lounge and the Qantas Club Lounge successful Brisbane for Belama Plus Members.

Carbon emissions

0.385 tonnes for flying system class. The hose does not connection an offset enactment but partakes successful a fig of assemblage enactment programs specified arsenic a wide histrion planting workout with the East Guadalcanal communities.

The seat

Economy seats are configured successful a 3-3 layout. The spot transportation is larger than astir airlines these days astatine 33 inches (83.8 cm) and width is 18.5 inches (46.9 cm).

Entertainment + Tech

There’s nary Wi-Fi oregon onboard amusement connected this flight, but determination is an inflight magazine.

Service

The unit is nonrecreational and polite, and luncheon is served promptly, astir 30 minutes aft take-off. However, it takes astir 2 hours to wide the nutrient trays.

Food

There’s a prime of chickenhearted with atom and vegetables oregon beef with mashed potato. The beef stew is piping blistery and afloat of flavour and the mashed potatoes are creamy. There’s besides a acold breadroll (with spreadable butter), a Kit Kat and immoderate cheese. Rothbury Estate reddish and achromatic wines are disposable with lunch.

One much happening

In mentation for the Solomon Islands hosting the Pacific Games past November, successful which Australia participated, Honiara International Airport opened its caller multi-million-dollar departure terminal successful March 2023. The existing airdrome terminal remains operational for accomplishment passengers with caller rider and container screening exertion installed.

The price

From astir $450, system 1 way.*

The verdict

Turns retired the gent down maine astatine check-in has origin to beryllium concerned, arsenic did I, arsenic upon accomplishment we are informed that 100 bags person been offloaded successful Brisbane. Mine included. Had this been communicated successful Brisbane, erstwhile it was intelligibly already known, I would person happily grabbed a fewer much essentials from my checked-in baggage. The adjacent day, different 40 bags are offloaded from the adjacent flight, with passengers advised their luggage won’t get for different 3 days.