Honeymoon season is nearing and cheap flights to the South Pacific are still available
It’s actually a coincidence that most honeymoons for North American couples are in June and July, and those months also mark the beginning of the high season in the South Pacific. It just so happens that the rainy season ends in mid May, and most Americans travel in summer anyway, so prices for most things are at their highest during this period.
There are many dozens of wonderful resorts all over the South Pacific, with quite a few budget-friendly choices on the main island of Tahiti itself, but these days more couples are opting to honeymoon at one of the fabulous overwater bungalows throughout the region. These rooms aren’t cheap, but they are incredibly romantic and memorable, so more resorts are adding them every year.
Finding cheap flights for South Pacific honeymoons
First off, it’s worth explaining how things work getting to the South Pacific in the first place. Regardless of where you are starting, you’ll end up taking a flight from Los Angeles to Tahiti on either Air Tahiti Nui, or perhaps Air France. Even if you are starting in Europe, the best choice will almost always be to fly to Los Angeles and proceed from there.
Now, Tahiti is where you’ll find more of the older and larger resorts in the region, so even though it’s the easiest to reach, the ideal honeymoon spot is one of the overwater bungalows in Bora Bora. That smaller island has 10 of the finest such resorts, and is reachable by a 50-minute flight from Tahiti. There are also overwater bungalows on Moorea, which is only a 10-minute (and cheaper) flight.
Believe it or not, the inter-island flights operate almost like buses, with fixed fares and many flights per day, so in most cases it’s not even necessary to make a reservation. These flights are all operated by Air Tahiti, which is different from the international Air Tahiti Nui. You can reserve seats and buy tickets on their (slightly confusing) website at the above link, and a flight to Bora Bora from Tahiti will cost around US$400 round-trip. It’s expensive for sure, but it’s also a lovely flight over amazing scenery.
The best days to travel for cheap South Pacific flights
Since Air Tahiti Nui has almost a monopoly on these flights, and they all go through Los Angeles, it can be hard to find a great price. The trick is to book as far in advance as possible if you want a good price for a weekend flight. If your trip dates are approaching and you still haven’t bought your tickets the best strategy is to fly and return on any combination of Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays.
It’s not surprising that these are the least popular days, so you can get the round-trip fare from Los Angeles for just over US$1,000 per person. However, if you are booking in April for a June flight and you want to go on a weekend, you’ll be looking at over US$2,000 per person for the same flight.
Not everyone wants to cut corners on their honeymoon arrangements, but if you can wait another day or two and go on a Monday or Tuesday it could mean booking an upgraded bungalow with the money you save.
During the high season for the South Pacific it’s very rare to find any kind of fare sale, especially since one airline controls the market. If you can book long enough in advance you might get a weekend flight for that same US$1,000 per person, so if that’s important to you then book as early as you can, or save money by traveling early in the week instead.