Pacific Bula pass by Air Pacific

Hello There,

I am flying from Los Angeles via Fiji to Sydney on Air pacific. Have you used this pass latetly?.I would like to visit at least Salomon Island,Vanuatu and Samoa. There is lot of info on Air pacific`s homepage but When I called them they were just talking about BULA pass whitin Fiji islands.This is not what I am looking for.Does anyone know if I can get it in Fiji or Los angeles? Thank you for any info.

It must be bought before you enter the Pacific Region. Incidentally, you can fly from Nadi to Vanuatu and Honiara (Solomon Islands) but you would need to go back to Fiji in order to fly to Samoa.

I used it in a few months ago.
Their agent in Sydney said that it must be purchased prior to arrival in Fiji, and as as still in Asia then, I did so by contacting Air Pacific in Suva directly (they have contact email and phone numbers on their site) and buying it from them using credit card. I suggest you also call their center in Suva if you can't get it in LA!

However, once in Fiji, their office in Nadi said they could also sell it there.

As the pass is fairly new, there seems to be some confusion around!

Also note that even though AP flies from Honiara to Nadi via Vila, it is not supposed to carry Honiara-Vila passengers (they fly on tix issued by Solomon Airlines who codeshares with AP) so you may need to fly from the Solomons to Vanuatu via Fiji, meaning a total of 6 flights to cover those 3 countries.
At least this was the case when I flew that way years ago - check.

Thank you for reply.I try to get it when I come to L.A.

Last time I checked, Air Pacific allowed one stopover in Vabuatu and one in Fiji, on a return ticket from Australia, so they may be able to let you stop over in Vila.
The old Bula pass was not available to Australians or New Zealanders, and had to be bought somewhere outside the Pacific region. I'm not sure about the new one, as I haven't been in a position to consider using it.

Just to let you know that you have to keep on going back to Nadi to get another flight to Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu etc and flightsd only seem to leave on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sunday from each island. Plan well.

I am also thinking of using the pass. The two things I have found out so far is that you can't get this Pass if you fly VIA Nadi to say... Vanuatu or any of the other countries. You need to arrive or depart on a flight TO/FROM Fiji and your airfare must also be the same (as opposed to: LAX to Vanuatu VIA Fiji, which is considered a LAX-Vanuatu fare, even if you change planes at Nadi).
The other thing I've found out is that you always have to return to Nadi and on the few occasions that there is a through connection to the next country you want to visit, all flights still count as one coupon.
Source: called their 24hs number, listed on the website.
Oh, and is anyone following this intending to go to the region in Dec./Jan.? I am leaving from Europe via HKG.

on the few occasions that there is a through connection to the next country you want to visit, all flights still count as one coupon.

That would surprise me.
I think the rates are defined as valid for trips between Nadi and the listed destinations. But if you can get the pass issued otherwise, be glad for it!

Exactly, Laszlo, every country visited means two tickets.

Yes.
What's more I was told (by AP staff in Nadi) it is even compulsory to buy RT tix to each country. You can't just buy a OW to say Honiara for your last day of the pass, spend there 2 months, then return on a separate ticket outside the pass.

But could ou go onward from Honiara, to, say, Brisbane? They would just list you as a no show.

Yes, of course you could do that, but you would still have to have paid for a Honiara-Nadi segment in advance (with taxes). And that segment would have to be within the 30 day limits of the pass.
If I wanted to visit the Sols on this pass, I'd probably do just that as I would never go to that country for just a few days, squeezing it into 30 days alongside several other countries.
Of course the price of a RT to Honiara with the Bula Pass would have to be compared with the price of a oneway ticket for the same route. After all, Air Pacific is one of the few full-service airlines that does offer good value OW tix, too.

Another issue to clarify in such a case would be whether you can get a Bula Pass at all if you are only flying TO Fiji with Air Pacific OW. Some say yes, others no. If you must fly with Air Pacific both into and out of Fiji to qualify for the pass, then instead of flying from Honiara straight back to Brisbane you'd need to buy a OW ticket back from Honiara to Nadi, and fly from there to AU on AP. This would probably be cheaper anyway...

Are you planning such a trip, OG? ;-)
I'd strongly recommend it! You could see Fiji at leasure before starting the 30 day pass, then see (bits of) 2-3 Polynesian/Micronesian countries on the pass before flying on to the Solomons. And I think AP would give you a competitive enough RT fare from Brisbane to Nadi. Or even just a few days in Vanuatu could be worth it to be able to compare the 2 Melanesian countries, though of course ideally Vanuatu, just like the Solomons, deserves longer.

For me, I don't think the no show would work, because I'll still need to take their Nandi - HKG flight to come back to Europe. And once you are a no show, all subsequent flights are cancelled.

The Bula Pass and the RT ticket to Nadi are issued as separate tickets, so missing the last segment of the pass would probably not impact your RT ticket to HK. Check anyway.

Two problems, Laszlo, time at present, and also, I am not sure if Australians are eligible for a bula pass.
Alex, you could get a cheap Pacific Blue flight back to Nadi from Brisbane to get your flight to HK.

You are eligible.

The only restriction is:

Not applicable to residents of Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Kiribati.

Ozziegiraffe: generally, you can't fly one airline in and back on different one (except with the new alliances such as Qantas/BA/Iberia and AF/KLM). So, if I fly HKG - Fiji on Air Pacific, I don't think it would be cheap flying back from BNE on Qantas. I'll have to go through Nandi to catch that Hong Kong flight anyway.

You could still fly Nadi-Honiara before the pass expires, miss your booked return flight and then fly Honiara-Brisbane and Brisbane-Nadi on Pacific Blue (Virgin- which books online one-way tickets), and back to HK on Air Pacific.

What would be the point though, unless he is keen to visit Brisbane?
It would be cheaper to fly straight back to Nadi on Air Pacific, which also sells good value OW tix.

Exactly, been in Australia already. Thanks

I thought you wanted to stay longer in Solomon islands, after the Bula pass expires.

Even if he did, why should he go to AU afterwards?
He could just fly straight back to Fiji on a OW ticket bought outside the pass...

I am thinking of using the pass to visit: Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga and obviously Fiji (as as mentioned before, very few flights have a straight connection).
Will try to leave Vanuatu for last and as I book, will check whether I can travel independently to Noumea and from there to Fiji (as suggested here).
Before taking my flight back to Hong Kong (and Europe from there), I'll check whether I have Star Alliance miles enough to reach the Cooks via Auckland (hopefully spending new year's eve in Auckland and then flying to Rarotonga to have a SECOND new year's eve, which would be cool!). That will also depend on the availability of the Air NZ flights, after all booking high season tickets on miles can be hard.
So, that's the plan. After I get my holidays confirmed by the 15/08, will have to also take into consideration last-minute obstacles such as two root canal surgeries and a ceiling leak at my apartment... (ouch!!). THEN I will know for sure! :-)

After I get my holidays confirmed by the 15/08

I meant "before"

Oh, and I'm ruling out the Solomons, for time reasons, and Tuvalu and Kiribati because I think there's nothing for me there.

Good idea. Samoa and Tonga are doable in 30 days without a rush, and on your last days with the pass you could still reach Vanuatu (skipping your flight back from there).
But a OW flight to Vanuatu without the pass may also be cheaper than a RT there within the pass - compare!
And of course you can continue from Vanuatu (which deserves sufficient time) to Noumea (Air Vanuatu or Aircalin) and on to Fiji (Aircalin only) on OW tickets afterwards.

Also look into doing Vanuatu and NC on a RT ticket out of Nadi either with Air Vanuatu to Noumea (with Vila being a stopover) or with Aircalin to Vila (with Noumea as a a stopover).
Such a RT ticket may or may not be cheaper than 2 OW tix bought separately.

Thanks, will check those too!

Amazing news today: just got an email from the Frankfurt office of Air Pacific, and they said I could make a reservation through them until 60 days before departure, which means they can hold me a seat until my stupid company lets me know whether I can have holidays on the dates I asked.

On the other hand, the news I get here from that particular part of the world are not encouraging, and that makes me quite worried. Being Air Pacific the only airline offering flights to all those destinations (without the need of flying through Aus/NZ, that is), I have to say that the situation in Fiji makes me feel a bit concerned. I've been listening to this program on a regular basis

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/pacificbeat.htm

and they talk of NZ trade unions disrupting flights in solidarity to Fiji workers and all that...

I don't think NZ disruptions will affect Air Pacific much at all. If you travel in the Pacific, you get used to delays, and just relax and do everything Pacific style, in island time. Things are fairly settled in Fiji at present, and tourists are needed , so they will always be welcomed, and not inconvenienced if at all possible.