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Cousteau Resort Forced To Fly In Guests

Monday: September 08, 2008

(Fiji Times)

An international resort in Fiji is paying to charter domestic flights to get guests to the property because Air Fiji is still grounded, the Fiji Times reports.

The Jean Michel Cousteau Resort in Savusavu, on the island of Vanua Levu, has had to charter flights to get its guests from Nadi on Viti Levu, where Fiji’s main international airport is located. The only other way to get guests from Nadi to Savusavu would be by boat, which hotel managers say would be a long and rough trip.

"A lot of money has been spent on the trips and we have had to do that for our guests because we don't want to disappoint them, although we have had some disappointed guests who were not happy about the Air Fiji situation. The first-time guests who travel to Fiji have been the ones affected and it's not good experience for a first visit,” said resort manager Greg Taylor. The report did not say how much the Cousteau Resort is paying to transport guests from Nadi by air charter.

Air Fiji, which provides primarily domestic service, stopped flying about two weeks ago. It has never given a public reason for canceling services, although there is speculation that the airline may not be able to pay its fuel bills.  

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=100003