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South Pacific stopovers: Cheapest flights to Australia via Samoa, Tonga & Cook Islands in 2010

For the cheapest flights to Australia via Samoa, Tonga or the Cook Islands, visit the Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue websites to compare prices. Is it better to book a stopover in Polynesia on a round the world flight ticket or buy separate flights?

South Pacific stopovers on UK to Australia flights

To fly from the UK to Australia and not see anything else of Oceania can seem like a bit of a waste. After all, if you’re going to the other side of the world, why not take the once-in-a-lifetime to visit the incredible islands of the South Pacific at the same time?

UK to Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands

Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands are all destinations that I would happily recommend to anyone, and although they’re about as far away as it is possible to get from the UK, they are not impossible to get to.

In fact, if you are flying to Australia anyway, it is relatively easy to add on a trip to Samoa, Tonga or the Cook Islands while you’re out there. And, in general, there are two best ways of doing this.

Air New Zealand round the world ticket

The first is to book a round the world flight ticket with Air New Zealand or a specialist agency such as Roundtheworldflights.com. Air New Zealand flies from London to Auckland via Los Angeles, but once a week, a separate flight is put on. This flight hops from Los Angeles to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, then on to Apia in Samoa and Nuku’Alofa in Tonga before finishing in Auckland.

Star Alliance partnerships for round the world tickets

Air New Zealand also has flights from Auckland to Sydney and operates partnerships with several airlines in the Star Alliance group. This makes it a logical step to book all legs of the journey – including Samoa, Tonga or the Cook Islands on the way to Sydney – with Air New Zealand. Inevitably, doing so on a round the world flight ticket will work out cheaper than booking each leg of the journey individually.

Los Angeles, Singapore, New Zealand… and other options

If wanting to visit more than two destinations on this route (say, Los Angeles, Rarotonga and Sydney, Tonga, New Zealand and Sydney or Samoa, Sydney and Singapore) booking a round the world ticket is almost certainly the best way forward.

Cheap flights with Virgin Blue

However, if the main purpose of your trip is to visit Australia and you just like the idea of booking a side trip to one of the islands in the South Pacific, it may work out cheaper to buy a straight return ticket to Sydney or Brisbane. From either city, it is possible to book a cheap flight on a budget airline out to the Pacific Islands. Virgin Blue (called Pacific Blue when going to Tonga and the Cook Islands, Polynesian Blue when going to Samoa) often has excellent prices on return fares from Australia to the South Pacific nations.

Cheapest Pacific Island flights

The combination of getting a good deal from the UK to Australia – then a return from Australia to Samoa, Tonga or the Cook Islands – will quite often work out cheaper than taking a Pacific Island stopover on a round the world ticket. It’s advisable to check both options before booking.

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