Guide to San Francisco (SFO) to Nadi (NAN) Flight on Fiji Airways in Economy with Kids
Are you planning to fly from San Fransisco to Nadi on Fiji Airways with kids and want to know what to expect?
After flying from Brisbane to San Francisco with United Airlines, the kids and I ended up flying back with Fiji Airways, stopping in Nadi, Fiji for a few days on the way home.
While this flight (which for us, started in Orlando more than 24 hours before) wasn’t quite as long as our flight to Tampa from Brisbane, when it comes to a couple of hours on a long-haul flight, it doesn’t matter too much.
We left Orlando at night and arrived in San Francisco way past bedtime. After spending the night at Hampton Inn by the airport, we left our luggage there and took a taxi into the city to explore before our late-night flight to Nadi.
Of course, traveling with kids, I am always curious about food options on flights, especially long-haul flights.
If you are curious as well, here is a guide to what we experienced on a flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Nadi (NAN) on Fiji Airways in economy class with kids.
Curious about the United Flight from Brisbane to San Francisco? Read the details here.
Checking in at San Francisco Airport
Our flight time out of San Francisco International Airport was 10 p.m.
After a full day exploring San Francisco, we picked up our luggage at Hampton Inn and arrived at SFO by 6:30 p.m., 3.5 hours before our flight.
Looking at the screens to see which desk to go to, it showed that check-in would start at 7 p.m.
Still, we walked to the check-in desk and saw a line of at least 30 people in front of us. There were already staff members checking in guests.
Even though our flight originated in Tampa, and the flights were booked together, since they are on partner airlines, we had to do the whole check-in procedure again.
In addition to checking in our luggage and checking our passports, I needed to show proof of Covid vaccinations and proof of insurance with Covid coverage. (This is no longer necessary as of mid-2023).
After 5 weeks in the US, we piled up extra luggage, and this time we checked one large suitcase and 2 small kid’s suitcases.
I wasn’t sure if they would check the kid’s bags for free, but it wasn’t an issue.
International Terminal at SFO
After going through passport control and security, we walked past the Duty-Free Shop to the international terminal.
The terminal is long and narrow with shops and restaurants on the sides. A moving sidewalk is available down the center on the long walkway.
The actual gates are located downstairs, while the shops and restaurants are upstairs. Lots of seating is available upstairs, including standard airport seats, comfortable seats, tables with chairs, and high-top tables with stools. The high-top tables had plugs attached so they could be workstations, though the plugs did not work for me. I tried them all.
Of course, my kids refused to sit on the comfy chairs as they wanted to go straight downstairs to the gate. I first convinced them to eat dinner.
The seats at the gate also had plugs, and those ones worked. I was able to charge my phone while the kids read and worked on their activity books before we boarded the flight.
Food Options at Terminal G in SFO
While we definitely had enough time to sit down and enjoy a meal before our flight, the kids wanted pizza. I opted to share a margarita pizza with my daughter while my son ate a pepperoni pizza.
We also had a sourdough turtle that was purchased earlier at Boudin Bakery on Fisherman’s Wharf.
Asian Box is a Vietnamese take-out restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To-go options include noodles or rice, veggies, and protein boxes. Both sweet and savory options are available for breakfast.
Tomokazu is a Japanese restaurant located inside terminal G at SFO. Limited seating is available inside Tomokazu. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, options include sushi, rice bowls, and noodle dishes.
Napa Farmer’s Market combines Bay Area favorites with a farmer’s market. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, options include soups, sandwiches, salads, and pizza as well as a bagel bar during breakfast.
At the far end of Terminal G is Joe and the Juice. Coffee, freshly pressed juice, and smoothies are served at Joe and the Juice as well as made-to-order sandwiches. Joe and the Juice are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.
For those who want to sit down and be served a meal, Mustard’s Bar and Grill has table service. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Mustard’s Bar and Grill serves soup, salads, and sandwiches along with a full bar menu.
Another full-service restaurant option at SFO is 1300 Filmore, a Southern-inspired restaurant. Southern favorites from grits to boiled peanuts to fried chicken are served daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Shops in Terminal G at SFO
- DFS Duty-Free
- Duty-Free Galleria
- DFS Watches, Jewelry, and Accessories
- Hermes
- Burberry
- Gucci
- News Stand
- The Chocolate Market
Walking on Board Fiji Airways
From San Francisco to Nadi, the plane was an Airbus A330.
Seating options in economy on a Fiji Airways Airbus A330 are 2 seats together on each side and 4 seats in the middle.
I opted to put the kids together on one side and sit in the aisle seat across from them. I figured that would be the most comfortable for us and the option that would give us the most space.
We usually sit in a row, but I wanted one kid to be able to have a window seat. It is likely that in a row of 4, I would have to sit next to the stranger while in the middle seat.
While I almost sat us in the middle with the hope that the remaining seat stayed empty, I am glad I didn’t, as the flight was completely full.
My kids had their own belongings and were able to sit on their own with minimal help.
Each seat has a pillow and blanket on it as you arrive.
Entertainment on Fiji Airways from SFO-NAN
On board Fiji Airways from San Francisco to Nadi, there are televisions on the back of each seat. Our plane looked pretty old and the remote control was attached to the seat with a wire.
While there are a variety of television shows and movies, there weren’t many that I was interested in watching.
There are older shows and movies as well as newer ones, but nothing I was excited to watch. In the end, I just watched reruns of my favorite TV shows.
The kids had a few options, and they were happy with watching just about anything, especially on a flight.
This flight in particular was way past bedtime, plus we arrived in Nadi early in the morning, so the majority of the flight was spent sleeping, at least for the kids.
Meal Service on Fiji Airways from San Francisco to Nadi
I preordered kid’s meals for both kids when I made the original booking, but as kid’s meals aren’t always available, I didn’t know what to expect.
Having eaten at the airport due to the flight time, I wasn’t too concerned about the food on Fiji Airways. As always, we had snacks in our bags.
Dinner Service
Our flight boarded and took off on time. The kid’s meals were served at 11:45 pm, San Francisco time. As expected, we were glad to have eaten dinner at the airport.
The kid’s dinner meals on Fiji Airways from San Francisco to Nadi were chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and carrots, a fruit cup, water, and a brownie.
The kids weren’t very hungry. They both handed me their brownies for later and just ate the fruit.
The adult dinner meal service was next, but a little bit delayed due to turbulence.
The adults had an option for dinner meals on Fiji Airways. The choice was between chicken and vegetarian, though when they got to me, the flight attendant had only one meal in his hand and it was chicken. I took it instead of asking him to go get a veggie meal, though I most likely would have requested a vegetarian meal.
My meal ended up being chicken with a sweet and sour type sauce over rice and veggies. It included cheese and crackers and a brownie.
The vegetarian meal was roasted cauliflower, though I didn’t see it.
Like the kids, I put the brownie in my bag for later. I ate the cheese and crackers and attempted to eat the chicken and rice, but I didn’t like it.
I ended up taking one of the kid’s meals and eating part of that instead.
The drink service arrived after the meal service. I stuck with water, but the usual soda and juice options were available, as were beer and wine. Alcohol is included complimentary on Fiji Airways international flights.
Breakfast Service
Breakfast was served about 7 or 8 hours later. They turned on the lights after they were dim for the majority of the flight.
The kid’s breakfast was pancakes with syrup, sausages, and tater tots, a cup of fruit, water, and a brownie.
Soon after the kids got their meals, the adult meals were served. There wasn’t an option during the breakfast service. We all got the same thing.
The adult breakfast meal was a vegetable frittata, tater tots, fruit, and a blueberry muffin.
While the kids ate their pancakes and fruit and one kid ate the brownie, I ate my fruit and muffin and attempted to eat the frittata and tots, though they weren’t very good.
I have no idea why the kids were served a brownie with breakfast while the adults were served muffins, but all in all, I appreciate the kid’s meals.
The kid’s meals on Fiji Airways are clearly thought out and aimed at kids. They include food that kids are aware of and generally like.
While I struggled with both of the main parts of the adult meals, I enjoyed all of the side dish options.
Fiji Airways SFO to NAN with Kids Review
Collectively, the staff on Fiji Airways is the nicest group of flight attendants I have ever flown with. I didn’t know it at the time, but the Fiji Airways staff was reflective of the kind of people we would meet in Fiji.
My budget doesn’t include business class, or even premium economy, though I am sure those seats are a lot more comfortable than the ones back in Fiji Airways economy class.
The economy seats looked old and thin, plus they were not very wide. Of course, the person in front of me put their seat back the entire time allotted during the flight.
I put the pillow they gave me up above with the luggage as I had my own travel pillow, but kept the blanket. The flight was cold.
It is hard enough for me to sleep on planes, especially flying solo with kids. I did rest for a bit and even fell asleep for a short time.
For the majority of the flight, I watched TV. I just couldn’t get comfortable enough to rest so I watched Friends and The Office to pass the time.
I was awake when the kids had to go to the bathroom, and every time, I was glad they were old enough to go in on their own. The bathroom in the back of the plane especially was tiny.
As always, I was concerned about meal times and getting enough sleep, but the kids were able to sleep between meals and get a decent amount of sleep for a plane ride.
Drinks were served at meal times and water was available throughout the flight.
As the 4th leg of 2 long-haul flights solo with kids, I feel like it all went well and we couldn’t ask for much more given we purchased economy tickets.
Looking for a resort in Fiji? Read our guide to Intercontinental Fiji with Kids.
Fiji Airways SFO to NAN FAQ
Fiji Airways is in International Terminal G at San Francisco International Airport.
No, Fiji Airways does not have a lounge at SFO.
