... Air Vanuatu is the national carrier of Vanuatu, an archaepelago nation in the south west Pacific, between The Solomon Islands and Fiji. Tourism is still in its infancy there, although it is becoming a popular destination with Australians and New Zealanders looking for some south sea paradise, ... Read review
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Advantages: Impressive route network, punctual, friendly crew Disadvantages: If 'plane breaks down, there's no replacement
...before I flew with them. Air Vanuatu is the national carrier of Vanuatu, an archaepelago nation in the south west Pacific, between The Solomon Islands and Fiji. Tourism is still in its infancy there, although it is becoming a popular destination with Australians and New Zealanders looking for some south sea paradise, good diving, friendly locals and stunning scenery. In this review, as with all of the ones that I write, I am trying to help readers ... ...the most impressive things about Air Vanuatu: the scale of the network it can operate with only 2 'planes. From its base in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, it operates twice weekly return services to Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Nadi (Fiji), codesharing with Qantas, using a Boeing 737-300 and a more frequent service to New Caledonia using a smaller ATR-42. However, this ambitious service plan has a flaw: should one of the 'planes break down ... more
---Introduction---
Having reviewed a couple of other airlines already (Finnair and Northwest), I decided to try reviewing this airline, which will almost certainly be unknown to most people in the UK, as it was to me before I flew with them. Air Vanuatu is the national carrier of Vanuatu, an archaepelago nation in the south west Pacific, between The Solomon Islands and Fiji. Tourism is still in its infancy there, although it is becoming a popular destination with Australians and New Zealanders looking for some south sea paradise, good diving, friendly locals and stunning scenery. In this review, as with all of the ones that I write, I am trying to help readers to decide whether it is worth flying with this airline and I have tried to keep factual and background information to a necessary minimum.
---Route network---
This is one of the most impressive things about Air Vanuatu: the scale of the network it can operate with only 2 'planes. From its base in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, it operates twice weekly return services to Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Nadi (Fiji), codesharing with Qantas, using a Boeing 737-300 and a more frequent service to New Caledonia using a smaller ATR-42. However, this ambitious service plan has a flaw: should one of the 'planes break down there is no other to take its place and it is possible that passengers may be stranded for a day or two before they can get to their destination. It didn't happen to me, but it is possible, unless Air Vanuatu can charter in a replacement aircraft at short notice.
---My flight---
I flew with Air Vanuatu last Christmas, booking a return economy class trip via www.travel.com.au from Brisbane to Port Vila. The outward leg was direct but coming back I had to change 'planes in Sydney and transfer onto a Qantas domestic flight to Brisbane, as Air Vanuatu were not operating their Vila to Brisbane service on the day that I wanted to return. Cost of the ticket was AU$ 890 return (which is about GBP 350); not particularly cheap considering it is only a 2.5 hour flight but it really was the only convenient way to get there. I should also point out that flying over the Christmas period ALWAYS means higher prices and this trip would be less during off-peak times.
Check in at Brisbane was fairly speedy although there was a bit of a queue and after clearing customs and immigration we boarded. Boeing 737s are not my favourite 'plane as I usually find them quite cramped, as was the case on this occasion. However, I got the aisle seat I requested and we took off on time. Flight time was 2.5 hours, during which we were served drinks (free) and lunch, which if memory serves was the usual beef or chicken choice, although quite tasty. Cabin crew were all young, female ni-Vanuatu (nationals of the country) and very helpful and friendly. Certainly, when I requested an additional drink it was brought to me promptly. A nice touch is that they also served ice-creams to everyone after the main meal. Landing was problem-free and luggage very speedily unloaded. The return flight was much the same, although flying from Vila to Sydney is a slightly longer route and took about 3 hours 20 minutes.
---Travelling from outside Australia/New Zealand---
This is the part of the review where Air Vanuatu fall down, although not particularly through any fault of their own. Although they are an attractive option for flying to Vanuatu from Oz or NZ, they do not of course operate any flights from Europe, Asia or North America. Consequently, UK travellers wishing to visit Vanuatu (and I highly recommend it!) are probably best off trying to secure a flight with either Qantas or Air New Zealand to get them to that part of the world, and then booking their fares with Air Vanuatu separately. Trying to book a flight from, say, London to Vila in one go will probably cost more than booking the flights separately. In addition, attempting to fly this route in one go in economy would be hell on earth, as it would mean spending about 24 hours in the air, not to mention shockingly long lay-overs in at least two airports on the way.
---Competitors---
Recently, Virgin Blue/Pacific Blue have begun operating a budget, no frills service between Oz, NZ and Vanuatu. Travellers on a tight budget may like to look into this option as a cheaper way to get there, although like Air Vanuatu, flights are not daily between any two given airports. (see www.virginblue.com for details). It is also possible to get to Vanuatu with Air Calin, the carrier of New Caledonia, which operates services from Oz and NZ via New Caledonia to Vanuatu. My feeling is that Air Vanuatu is the preferred option for getting to Vanuatu currently, but are now beginning to face competition from other airlines and so for the traveller this may mean lower fares.
---Frequent Flyer Programme---
In addition to codesharing with Qantas flights, Air Vanuatu is also part of the Qantas frequent flyer programme (which includes other major airlines like British Airways) so if you join this then you can get points with Air Vanuatu which can be used to buy, for example, British Airways flights.
---Safety---
Air Vanuatu has had no major incidents since its inception and I have no complaints about the level of safety awareness that I witnessed.
---Value for Money---
The crucial bit. I believe this airline does represent value for money and I think their product is modern and relevant to the needs of travellers, whether they are flying for business or leisure. Although they have historically had a monopoly on routes from Australia/NZ to Vanuatu, they now have some competition on this route, and I would enjoy reading a review by someone who has flown Air Vanuatu and Virgin Blue and wants to compare them in terms of value.
---Summary---
A good, professional airline that stretches its resources to the limit. Punctual and affordable with good all-round service. Only a limited international route network but an attractive option for exploring Vanuatu if you can get to Australia or New Zealand with other carriers.
Advantages: White sandy beaches, crystal clear ocean, coral reefs and colourful tropical fish, coconut palms, the list could go on forever. Disadvantages: humidity from hell in the wet season
When the opportunity to visit Vanuatu arose I jumped at it. I was aware that it was the rainy season and it would be hot and humid ( I don't do hot and humid very well) but the timing couldn't be helped as my husband was attending a seminar.
Nothing I could imagine could prepare me for the initial blast of hot air.The heat coming off the plane as we walked across the tarmac made it almost unbearable and thankfully it was slightly cooler in the airport, but only slightly.
We realised fairly soon that the locals pace is slow to very slow. In this heat it is basically a matter of survival. There is nothing for it but to relax and adopt " Island Time " as well.
The line at immigration inched forward at a snails pace. With our passports stamped it was onto baggage claim. Another long wait in the heat here and fellow travellers were ...
