Fiji — Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji and the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission

The clocks it starts

• Two years for a Montreal Convention claim (Art. 35)This is the limitation period for the Convention claim for proven delay damages on international carriage, not for any national compensation scheme, which may have its own. It is fatal to the Convention claim specifically, and correspondence does not suspend it.Montreal Convention 1999, Art. 35(1) — Art. 35(1)Limitation period

What it entitles you to, beyond money

• Check the regime at the other end of the ticket firstLong-haul Pacific itineraries almost always touch a jurisdiction with a real tariff. A flight departing Australia engages the Australian Consumer Law; one departing New Zealand engages the Civil Aviation Act 2023 delay provisions, which are unusually generous; one departing an EU or UK airport engages Regulation 261/2004 or its UK equivalent against any carrier. Where a small-island regime has nothing to offer, the leg that departed Sydney, Auckland or London very often does.
• Montreal Convention damages for delay (international carriage)On international carriage between States Parties, Art. 19 of the Montreal Convention makes the carrier liable for the damage the delay actually caused you — the unused hotel night, the missed onward booking, the extra meals and transport — unless it proves it took all measures that could reasonably be required. It is capped at 6,303 SDR per passenger (the figure ICAO set with effect from 28 December 2024) and it requires receipts, not a formula. This claim exists independently of any national scheme, and airlines never mention it. The right is extinguished two years after arrival under Art. 35.Art. 19, Art. 22(1)

Where to take it next

1. 01Written claim to the airlineComplain to the carrier in writing with the flight, the disruption and your itemised loss, and ask which provision of its conditions of carriage or the national regulations it says applies.Claim direct·typically 30 days
2. 02Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC)The FCCC is the route with teeth in Fiji. It enforces the consumer provisions of the 2010 Act against service providers including airlines, investigates complaints, and has acted over refunds and misleading conduct. Complain here rather than to the aviation regulator if what you want is money.Regulator·typically 90 days·official page
3. 03Civil Aviation Authority of FijiCAAF regulates safety and licensing for carriers operating to, from and within Fiji. It does not administer a compensation scheme.Regulator·typically 90 days·official page
4. 04Small claims or magistrates' courtBinding on themAvailable where the carrier refuses. Most Pacific jurisdictions run a small-claims process suitable for a disruption claim built on receipts.Small claims·typically 180 days