It is worth noting a number of passengers were delayed for FIVE DAYS, and that Fast Talking High Flying Dave did not sign the circular because he was busy resting in the USA for his Christmas Holiday;

26^th December 2011-12-29

Honoured Guest

On behalf of Air Pacific, I would like to sincerely apologise for the fact that your Christmas or vacation plans were seriously disrupted this past weekend, and I would like to offer you the following gifts to try to make up for the trouble that we may have caused you or your family. 

A F$400 voucher (attached) which is good for travel on Air Pacific by 22 December 2012, as well as a small holiday gift ( a small bottle of body lotion) for you or a loved one will be handed to you. 

In addition, while it may provide little comfort at this point, I would like to explain the lengths that our team went to in an attempt to get you to Nadi as you had originally planned.
 

As you know, after you were boarded in Hong Kongour Boeing 767-300ER experienced an engine start problem that HAECO, our engineering service provider, believed would be easily resolved. It was for that reason we did not cancel the flight. After several hours and after working with our engineering team here in Nadi as well as General Electric, our engine manufacturer, it was believed that the most likely cause of the start problem was a defective fuel pump. Unfortunately, after a great deal of time and effort, a replacement pump did not resolve the problem, and that left us with no choice but to locate and air freight a replacement engine from Taipei to Hong Kong. 

While we were very fortunate to locate a spare engine inTaipei, and our engineering support provider agreed to replace the engine on Christmas eve, staffing issues onHong Kongover the long weekend resulted in additional delays, and after the engine was replaced today, our maintenance provider identified some other unrelated issues which required rectification and caused another delay. 

Separately, while we were troubleshooting and replacing the engine on our B767-300ER, we also tried to move as many of our Nadi bound passengers as possible to other airlines. This proved to be very difficult because there was very limited capacity out of and intoHong Kongat this time of the year. In addition, a number of our passengers were not able to travel viaAustraliaorNew Zealandbecause they did not have transit or entry visas. We also approached no less than seven other airlines in an attempt to find a charter aircraft to move everyone to Nadi in one flight, but again, because of the holidays, there were no charter aircraft or flights available. 

My team and I know that this unexpected maintenance issue significantly disrupted holiday plans of many people, and we deeply regret the time it took for us to get you back toFiji. We are aware that many of you had  made special plans to spend the Christmas holiday period with family, friends, and loved ones in Fiji, and we also know that some of you were flying with us for the first time and were looking forward to spending time relaxing and enjoyable [sic] vacation here in Fiji. 

As a result, I would like to again tell you how sorry we are for not being able to live up to your expectations on this occasion. On behalf of us at Air Pacific, I want to thank you for patience [sic] and understanding, and I hope that you will consider giving us another opportunity to earn your business in the future. 

Sincerely 

Dave Phlieger
Managing Director & CEO (Absent in time of need)