Virgin Australia takes over Australia-New-Zealand-Samoa flights
A seamless transition to Samoa.
The Virgin Samoa joint venture will be running out on 12 November, after Samoa called for it to end amid tensions between the island nation and Virgin Australia. As the only nonstop operator of flights between Samoa and Australia, the closure was going to pose a significant problem for travellers, especially the many Samoan expats who routinely head back home from Australia and New Zealand.
But now, Virgin Australia has announced that it will start flying all the way to Apia, Samoa the very next day, 13 November, for a seamless transition, pending approval from the Samoan government.
"Samoa is an important tourist destination and since the Virgin brand commenced flying there in 2005 we have carried more than 1.4 million guests between Australia, New Zealand and Samoa." explained Virgin Australia general manager Russel Shaw. "We look forward to receiving approval from the Samoan Government to commence these operations."
The new routes will be flown by Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with 8 business class seats (in a 2-2 configuration) and 168 economy class seats (3-3 configuration) each, including 30 more spacious premium economy spots.
Flights will be making regular trips between Auckland and Apia, five times a week, and more sporadic trips out of Australia, twice a week from Sydney and once a week on Saturdays from Brisbane. However, these current plans are for November only, and are subject to seasonal variation, starting just a month later.
Although still subject to regulatory approval, the departure dates are coming right up and tickets are on sale. They might be changing again a month later, and flights might get particularly busy in December as Samoan expats head home for the holidays.
Samoa is a relatively short and affordable jaunt from Australia and New Zealand, and the month of November might be a solid chance for a quick trip before prices rise and the schedule changes for the holiday period.
If you want to check the prices for these, just enter the travel dates and departure city on Skyscanner below. This will also show you who else is flying on the same route, and who Virgin Australia is going to have to compete with.
Virgin Australia flights to Samoa
| Route | Flight Number | Departure/Arrival | Flight days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland - Apia | VA73 | 4.25pm/9.20pm | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday |
| Brisbane- Apia | VA93 | 8.25pm/5.25am (+1) | Saturday |
| Sydney-Apia | VA79 | 9.00pm/5.30am (+1) | Tuesday, Friday |
Virgin Australia flights from Samoa
| Route | Flight Number | Departure/Arrival | Flight days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apia - Auckland | VA70 | 7.00am/10.05am | Saturday |
| VA70 | 9.40am/12.45pm | Wednesday, Sunday | |
| VA74 | 10.20pm/12.25am (+1) | Monday, Thursday | |
| Apia - Brisbane | VA92 | 9.45am/11.35am | Saturday |
| Apia - Sydney | VA78 | 6.25am/9.45am | Wednesday, Sunday |
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