The Coolest Airport I’ve Ever Seen and Business Class on Fiji Airways 737 Max 8

• Airline: Fiji Airways
• Class: Business
• Aircraft: Boeing 737 Max 8
• Route: Cassidy (Christmas Islands) – Nadi (Fiji)

Leaving Christmas Island was surprisingly emotional. In just a few days, this remote Pacific paradise made a lasting impression on me. If you haven’t seen my previous video exploring the island, I really recommend watching it as many viewers have called it my best yet.

But even more fascinating than the island itself is its airport: Cassidy International

Imagine an isolated island—once used by the British for nuclear bomb tests with a population so small that you can count the weekly flights on one hand. Yet, here stands an international airport, kept alive by just two airlines: Nauru Airlines and Fiji Airways.

The terminal is charming, but tiny. After checking in (and credit to the lovely staff who keep the place running), we were asked to wait outside because there simply wasn’t enough room inside. And that’s where I spotted something remarkable: the original wooden ladder once used for boarding flights. Yes, a wooden staircase for a commercial aircraft. It’s easily one of the coolest airport operations I’ve ever come across.

My flight out of Christmas Island was on a Fiji Airways Boeing 737 MAX 8, and this aircraft doesn’t just cross the Pacific, it crosses time.

Because of the International Date Line, it departs Honolulu on a Tuesday morning and lands in Christmas Island on Wednesday afternoon. That means you can quite literally fly into the future. It sparked an idea for me: since Christmas Island is the first place on Earth to welcome the New Year, you could celebrate New Year’s Eve there, then hop on this flight to Hawaii and celebrate it all over again.

Definitely something I’m keeping in mind for a future video.

I was flying Business Class to experience what this award-winning airline had to offer. The hard product on the MAX 8 is impressive: a comfortable 2-2 configuration, generous legroom, personal entertainment screens, power outlets, and the expected pre-departure drink, hot towel, pillow, and blanket. It’s a solid, premium setup one that easily rivals some long-haul business cabins.

But then came the moment that every frequent flyer knows too well. When the menu arrived, I was informed that only one meal option remained— yellow Thai curry. I can’t stand curry, so I politely declined, expecting some form of alternative or suggestion. Instead, the response was a simple, flat “Okay.”

That’s when I made my way to what I call “the Chamber of Truth” , the galley. This is where training really matters. It’s perfectly fine for an airline to run out of certain meals; it happens. But how the crew handles it defines the experience. Service recovery is key.

I asked if there might be an Economy meal available, and after checking, the crew found one, a chicken and rice dish. And honestly, it was excellent. Tasty, well-presented, and a reminder that even simple food can shine. Still, this moment highlighted a gap in training. In premium cabins, crew should be proactive in resolving such issues without prompting from the passenger. It’s the difference between good service and great service.

Fiji Airways already offers a strong product; with better crew training in service recovery, they could easily elevate it further.

The rest of the flight was relaxed and enjoyable. My seat neighbor turned out to be the pilot’s wife, and we had a wonderful conversation, a reminder that even 35,000 feet up, travel connects people in the most unexpected ways.

Landing in Nadi, Fiji was smooth, and that’s where the next bit of chaos began. The hotel I’d booked was… let’s just say, an experience. Upon check-in, I was handed the remote controls for the TV and air conditioning at the front desk. Lesson learned: sometimes, being too frugal on accommodations comes back to bite you!

But that’s already behind me, because my next adventure awaits—Tuvalu, officially the least-visited country in the world. It’s going to be one for the books.

This is it guys, wherever you’re off to, have a safe trip!