Prices keep tumbling for Fiji trips

By CHRIS DANIELS, aviation writer

The Fijian airfare price war has resumed in earnest with the Flight Centre slashing fares on its new charter service.

New Zealand's biggest chain of travel agents has joined forces with aviation company Airwork to offer package holidays to Fiji.

Air NZ and Air Pacific, which have until now enjoyed a cosy duopoly on all flights between New Zealand and Fiji, reacted quickly to the entrance of the Flight Centre, cutting fares.

Freedom, the low cost-arm of Air New Zealand, has also started flying between Fiji and Palmerston North and Fiji and Hamilton - just as the Flight Centre proposed.

Freedom has linked with the House of Travel chain to offer similar accommodation packages.

The Flight Centre has cut another $100 from its prices, taking the lowest price down to $399 for trips booked and paid for by the end of this month.

Its charter flights are due to start on March 19, while Air NZ will start its Freedom Air service from April 29. Last month's court action by Air NZ over an allegedly stolen flight manual threatened to delay the start of the new service but the dispute has been resolved.

Freedom general manager Wayne Dodge said the Palmerston North-Fiji service was a resumption of its service that had been stopped in 2002 because of the political situation in Fiji.

Flight Centre chief executive Graeme Moore said that he was not surprised by the reaction of competitors to the Fiji charter plan.

"Our intention was always to grow the market," he said.

"We're looking to get people to Fiji who hadn't been before, or get people to Fiji more often.

"We hope people who previously might have gone to the bach may be able to get to Fiji, and those that already travel there will go more often."

Accommodation was sometimes tight in Fiji but Mr Moore said a huge amount of new accommodation was due to open in the next 12-24 months.

* The Flight Centre charters will leave Auckland for Fiji on Fridays and Sundays, Hamilton and Christchurch on Saturdays, Wellington on Sundays.