Flying Solomon Airlines from Honiara to Giza, via Munda

There's Not much of a wait to check-in at Nusatupe Airstrip Terminal. Photo / Stu Freeman

Stu Freeman flies aboard IE802 Solomon Airlines Honiara to Giza (Nusatupe Island) via Munda.

The plane: A De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100.

Class: Only one — two seats either side of the aisle.

Price: About $700 return but you can get it cheaper as part of a package.

Flight time: 55 minutes to Munda, people get off, new passengers get on, then one of the shortest flights you'll ever have (just over 10 minutes) to Giza.

My seat: 3C on my boarding pass and by luck that's where I sat — but it was actually free seating once we got on the plane. At Munda I moved into a window seat.

Fellow passengers: An extended family on a mission (their matching T-shirts proclaimed that healings and miracles still happen), locals heading home for the weekend, a few divers and fishermen. The guy sitting next to me was picking up his yacht — he and his wife had been sailing the world since 2005.

How full: No spare seats.
Entertainment: The view out of the window is spectacular, otherwise read a book or close your eyes and relax.

The service: One friendly crew member who turned out to be the brother of the van driver who took me to the airport.

Food and drink: A glass of water or juice and some peanut butter-flavoured crackers.
The toilets: One at the front — no one used it on the short flight.

Luggage: 16kg checked in and 5kg hand luggage.

The airport experience: Honiara's domestic airport is a big shed; wooden bench seats, a small snack shop. Not much of a wait at the check-in counter. You need to produce a printed ticket.

The bottom line: If you are in the Solomons you'll want to explore beyond Honiara, and the Western Province is spectacular. This is really the only practical way to get there.