Pacific islands are open to international tourism
Most countries in the Pacific Islands region (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia) are open to general tourism. The governments resumed the issuance of tourist visas, and airlines reopened their international routes to such popular destinations as Bora Bora, Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa.
Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, and Vanuatu have lifted all travel restrictions for arrivals. There is no mandatory quarantine or health testing for all visitors – regardless of their vaccination status. French Polynesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, and Tonga may still require proof of vaccination and/or a negative Covid test result to be presented on arrival.
However, the regulations may change at short notice, depending on the situation – always check the official websites before booking a flight to Pacific Islands.
Practical tips
- If you are flying to Pacific Islands from abroad, you will most likely land at its main international airport—Pago Pago
PPG(Tafuna in American Samoa), RaratongaRAR(Avarua in Cook Islands), DiliDIL(East Timor), Faa'aPPT(Papeete in French Polynesia), GuamGUM(Hagatna in Guam), TontoutaNOU(Paita in New Caledonia), Norfolk IslandNLK, PalauROR(Koror in Palau), Fua'amotuTBU(Nuku'alofa in Tonga), FunafutiFUN(in Tuvalu), and BauerfieldVLI(Port Vila in Vanuatu).
PPG in American Samoa, Papeete PPT on Tahiti in French Polynesia; Raratonga RAR in the Cook Islands, Tontouta NOU in New Caledonia, Bauerfield VLI in Port Vila in Vanuatu, and Tongatapu TBU on the main island in Tonga.
- Planning to explore the region? Popular destinations can be easily reached with regional low-cost carriers (LCCs) by the likes of Aircalin, Air Chathams, French bee, Jetstar Airways, Jin Air, Jeju Air, Palau Express Airlines, Southern Airways Express, and T'Way Air.
Flights to Pacific Islands
from United States and Canada
- There are no direct flights from the US or Canada to Pacific Islands. However, most major hubs in Asia have non-stop flights to Pacific Islands, as do some larger airports in the Middle East – your journey will have at least one stop. There are direct flights from the US to some popular destinations in Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melansia: to Tahiti in French Polynesia, to Raratonga in Cook Islands, to Pago Pago in American Samoa, to Majuro in Marshall Islands, to Kiritimati in Kiribati, to Nadi in Fiji, and to Apia in Samoa. Currently, Canada has only non-stop flights to Nadi.
- Pacific Islands is well-served via one-stop flights from North America. Flights to Pacific Islands with one layover depart from most major North American airports, including Atlanta
ATL, DallasDFW, DenverDEN, ChicagoORD, Los AngelesLAX, Las VegasDFW, MiamiMIA, SeattleSEA, HoustonIAH, New YorkJFK, and San FranciscoSFOin the United States and TorontoYYZ, VancouverYVR, CalgaryLAS, and MontrealYULin Canada. - The best airlines to fly to Pacific Islands from the US and Canada are: American Airlines, Air France, French bee, Delta Air Lines, Air Tahiti Nui, Fiji Airways, Qantas, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. They are top full-service carriers, offering exceptional customer service, in-flight comfort, a generous checked baggage allowance, and reliable customer support channels – all included in the ticket price.
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What is the best time to book flights to Pacific Islands?
The best time to book flights to Pacific Islands is between 2 to 8 months before your travel date. The prime booking window (the most likely time to find the bargains) for Pacific Islands flights is 4–6 months before takeoff. Book when you notice a significant drop in price.
Airfare prices for Pacific Islands flights fluctuate due to demand, seasonal trends, and competition, causing numerous price drops and increases as your departure date approaches. The airlines use sophisticated revenue management systems to adjust pricing for optimal seat sales.
Generally, as seats are sold, prices tend to become more expensive.
Don’t book too early
Most airlines start selling their flights 9–12 months in advance. However, booking a ticket too early in that window can be an expensive mistake – airlines typically start by setting prices at a relatively high level to capture early demand from those willing to pay more to secure their seats.
Peak seasons are expensive
Peak travel seasons are always expensive – due to higher base prices set by airlines for dates they expect to be popular. Try to avoid the high season during summer and major holidays including holidays in Pacific Islands. If you must travel during peak times, book your flight well in advance.
Avoid last minute
Avoid booking flights to Pacific Islands less than 30 days before takeoff. Prices spike sharply then, as airlines are taking advantage of any last-minute travelers who have no choice but to pay up.
Prime Booking Window
For long-haul flights to Pacific Islands, the best time to book your ticket is around 4–6 months before departure. This is the “Prime Booking Window.” After some seats have already been sold, airlines start dropping prices to stimulate demand. They may also offer promotions and sales. This is the ideal time for bargain hunting.
Fly on weekdays
It makes a difference which day of the week you board the plane. Midweek travel (especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays) is less busy and likely cheaper than flying on weekends. Airlines charge higher prices for weekend travel due to the high demand from people going on short getaways or visiting family and friends.
Opt for early morning flights
To save on airfare, select a late night or early morning (1–5 a.m.) flight. Airlines often offer discounts on their first flight of the morning (up to 15-20%) simply because of lower demand—most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Moreover, morning flights tend to have fewer delays, and airport queues are usually shorter.
Flights to Pacific Islands from Europe
- There are no direct flights from Europe to Pacific Islands — you’ll need to get a connecting flight from elsewhere in the Middle East or in Asia. The offer of direct flights from Europe to the Pacific islands (Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia) is limited to non-stop flights from Paris to Tahiti in French Polynesia by Air France. You'll need at least one stopover if flying from other European cities.
- Airlines that frequently fly from the UK, Germany, France, and other European countries to Pacific Islands include Air Caraibes, Air France, French bee, Air New Zealand, Fiji Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines.
- Consider departure airports in neighboring countries to increase your chance of spotting the best deal. Especially look for large airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines. For example, if you live in Western Europe, check air tickets to Pacific Islands from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. Leverage frequent promotions from European budget carriers like RyanAir, EasyJet, and Eurowings to reach a major hub; from there, take a cheaper long-haul flight to your final destination, potentially saving hundreds of euros.
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Traveling to Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia
The Pacific Islands can be divided into three main groups based on physical geography and cultural significance:
- Micronesia (“small-islands”). Located north of Papua New Guinea. It includes Federated States of Micronesia (the Caroline Islands), Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau.
- Melanesia (“black-islands”). Anchored north of Australia, and bordering Indonesia to the east, this region includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
- Polynesia (“many-islands”): This large triangular area of the east-central Pacific Ocean includes American Samoa, Cook Islands, Easter Island, French Polynesia, Hawaiian Islands, Line Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna.
Hawaii, Fiji, French Polynesia, and Easter Island are the most well-connected Pacific Islands and act as hubs when flying from Asia (especially Korea, Taiwan, and Japan), Australasia and the USA. The poorly connected island countries like Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, or Tuvalu are best visited via these main hubs.
Please note that the whole region is expensive to get around. Once you get there, costs can quickly add up to well above that in your home country, especially if you require comforts and imported products (on islands everything comes by plane or by ship).
South Pacific time travel (the international date line)
The international date line (IDL) is an imaginary line on the Earth’s surface that stretches from the North Pole to the South Pole, running through the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It roughly follows a 180-degree longitude and defines the border between one day and the next.
IDL is not a straight line, though. It zig-zags back and forth across the Pacific Ocean, so it is not always at the same longitude. Starting from the north, it passes west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of the Marshall Islands. As it moves further south, it reaches the Pacific island nation of Kiribati and makes a major deviation east to encompass the Kiribati and Line Islands. Then it passes between Samoa and American Samoa, keeping the former west and the latter east of the IDL. It then stays parallel to the meridian, keeping to the east of the line so that Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand are all west of the IDL.
When you cross the ID westward, you gain a day, and if you are traveling eastward, you lose a day. It may seem like you are moving forward or backward in time, but obviously, you’re just adjusting to a different time zone.
Earn and redeem Qantas Points on Fiji Airways flights
Both Fiji Airways and Qantas have a robust network out of Australia and New Zealand to the Pacific islands, providing direct flights to Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
It’s good to know that Fiji Airways is a Qantas partner – it means that the members of Qantas Frequent Flyer Program can earn Qantas Points and even Status Credits on Fiji Airways codeshare flights (look for the ‘QF’ flight number rather than ‘FJ’).
The Qantas Points can also be redeemed on Fiji Airways flights. The number of points needed to book a Fiji Airways flight is the same as to book a Qantas flight of the same route length – for example, to book a Fiji Airways flight from Brisbane or Sydney to Nadi, you’ll need 18,000 Qantas Points for the Economy Class or 41,500 Qantas Points for the Business Class.
To earn or redeem your Qantas Points on Fiji Airways flights, visit the Qantas website, and include your frequent flyer number during the booking.
Long waiting times when calling the helpline?
Social media is usually a faster way to reach the airline when a problem arises. Use Twitter or Facebook Messenger to contact the airline customer service and get a response and solution within minutes (see detailed guides for Qantas, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, and others.
When it comes to Twitter, there’s one more trick to get in touch with the airline faster: mention the airline in a tweet about your issue (add “@airline_handle”, for example: @AirTahitiNui” if contacting Air Tahiti Nui). The social media team will often notice it immediately, ask you for a direct message, and respond privately.
The cheapest time to fly to Pacific Islands
The cheapest time to fly to Pacific Islands is during the low (off-peak) tourist season – between November and April. It is also the wet season when the weather is humid and sticky. The wettest months typically start in October (for Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tahiti, and Solomon Islands), and in November the rainy season spreads to Fiji, Vanuatu, and Tonga. The period from December to April not only brings heavy rains to the islands but also the cyclone season.
The wet weather keeps most tourists from visiting the Pacific Islands – because prices are dictated by supply and demand, November to April is the best time to find some great deals on airline tickets and accommodation.
Domestic flights from Pacific Islands
Most domestic routes in are operated by local carriers. When traveling to popular tourist destinations such as Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Samoa, Cook Islands, Guam, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu from Pago Pago, Raratonga, Guam, Papeete, Paita, Niue, Norfolk Island, Palau, Saipan, Fua'amotu, Funafuti, and Port Vila, you’ll likely fly with one of these domestic airlines: Aircalin, Air Calédonie, Air Kiribati, Air Rarotonga, Air Vanuatu, Air Marshall Islands, Blue Micronesia Airlines, and Solomon Airlines.
This is often the best transportation method, providing speed, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Local airlines often offer multiple daily flights to key destinations, providing flexibility in scheduling and competitive pricing. They also serve smaller regional airports, enabling access to a wider range of Pacific Islands destinations.
Flights to Pacific Islands
from Australia and New Zealand
- Australia and New Zealand offer robust flight networks to key APAC locations, Pacific Islands included. While domestic carriers like Qantas, Jetstar Airways, Virgin Australia, and Air New Zealand provide solid options, several major international airlines also serve these routes. These include ANA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways — expanding your choices for travel between Australasia and Asia.
There are no direct flights from Australia or New Zealand to Pacific Islands. You’ll need a layover in one of the major hubs in Asia. Every year thousands of Australians and New Zealanders visit the islands of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia - this is reflected in a wide choice of direct flights to countries in the Pacific Ocean. You can fly non-stop from Australia or from New Zealand to Raratonga in the Cook Islands, Tahiti in French Polynesia, Nukuʻalofa in Tonga, Alofi in Niue, Port Villa in Vanuatu, Honiara in Solomon Islands, and Noumea in New Caledonia. Among the airlines that operate those flights are Air New Zealand, Jetstar Airways, Qantas, United Airlines, Virgin Australia, Aircalin, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Vanuatu, and Solomon Airlines. - Airlines have different pricing strategies for different routes. Depending on airline partnerships, demand, and even the time of year, a flight to Pacific Islands could be significantly cheaper from Sydney than from Melbourne.
Compare fares from main international airports in Australia: SydneySYD, BrisbaneBNE, MelbourneMEL, PerthPER, AdelaideADL, CairnsCNS, Gold CoastOOL, CanberraCBR, DarwinDRW, and in New Zealand: AucklandAKL, WellingtonWLG, ChristchurchCHC, and QueenstownZQN. - If you’re looking to save, consider flying from Australia or New Zealand to a primary Asian hub, then catch a connecting flight to Pacific Islands with a regional budget airline such as Aircalin, Air Chathams, French bee, Jetstar Airways, Jin Air, Jeju Air, Palau Express Airlines, Southern Airways Express, and T'Way Air.
For the initial leg of your trip, full-service airlines such as Qantas or Virgin Atlantic offer premium comfort and exceptional service, albeit at a premium price. However, many Asian airlines, including budget carriers, operate out of Australia and frequently feature sales and promotions. For instance, AirAsia runs deals to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore; Cebu Pacific to Manila; Scoot to Singapore; VietJet Air to Ho Chi Minh City; Jetstar to Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo; Bamboo Airways to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Beijing; Batik Air to Jakarta and Singapore.
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Flights to Pacific Islands
from major hubs in Asia
- Asia is probably the best continent for short-haul and mid-haul flying. The sheer scale of this most populous region on Earth is reflected in the type of aircraft operating many shorter routes: intra-Asia flyers benefit from comfortable, wide-bodied aircraft by the likes of Boeing 777, 787 or Airbus A350, A330, and A380. When booking your flight to Pacific Islands look for these bigger planes as they will almost always give you the best experience in every cabin, including better seat pitches, higher ceilings, and larger overhead bin space.
- Asia is also home to most of the world’s best airlines. There are only ten airlines that received the prestigious 5-star mark of quality from Skytrax, and all of them are from Asia: ANA, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines. Choosing one of these airlines for your trip to Pacific Islands will guarantee a pleasant journey – delicious meals served during the flight, great in-flight entertainment, and above-average airline customer service.
- Asia is extremely well served by low-cost regional airlines. If you are visiting Pacific Islands and want to see several other countries on a tight budget, they often have great sales with rock-bottom prices, while still offering a relatively comfortable flight experience. Among the best Asian budget airlines you can book without hesitation are AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Citilink, FlyDubai, Indigo, Jetstar Airways, Scoot, SpiceJet. The cons? Being no-frills airlines they may not provide free baggage allowance, inflight meals, or onboard entertainment. The departure times may also be quite inconvenient as they try to save money by flying at off-peak hours.
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Flights to Pacific Islands dataset
