BootsnAll Insiders

The short answer is: none.

This part of the world is mostly connected by regional and national airlines which run infrequent routes between most major cities. They are not part of most major airline groups and usually do not have frequent flier programs.

Routes and airlines in the region come and go on a regular basis, so you have to go and check yourself for what flights are available. This might be a good time to use a travel agent as even sites like Expedia are not useful for these kind of trips.

Here is what I can tell you based on the information I gathered in 2007/08:

- Bangkok to Brisbane is trivial. Any number of airlines will do this route. You might want to consider going to Singapore if you want to get to PNG. There are flights from Singapore which may be cheaper than going all the way to Australia.

- Brisbane to Port Moresby will be via Qantas or some smaller regional airline like Air Nuigini. Be careful in Port Moresby as it is a very dangerous city with little to see. Hotels are expensive as they are mostly booked with businessmen. There is a diver resort about 20km out of town (on an island) which is cheaper and safer, but takes longer to get to.

- As of July 2007, there was only 1 weekly flight from Port Moresby to Honiara. Given the cost of hotels in Port Moresby, it could be cheaper to fly to Brisbane and then fly to Honiara. I know Our Airlines (Nauru) did a weekly run on Thursdays from Brisbane to Honiara.

- There are many flights from Vanuatu to Honiara. I had no problem with this route from Port Vila.

- Getting to American Samoa will take a few connections. Only flights there come from Apia (Western Samoa) or Honolulu. To get to Apia you will have to fly through Fiji. As of 2007, flights from Fiji were twice a week. There are several flights every day from Apia to Pago Pago. It is easy to do and the flight is less than an hour.

- Note that flights from American Samoa to Hawaii are expensive. Only domestic US airlines are allowed to make the trip, so they can charge high fares due to a lack of competition.

You might have to take up to 5 airlines to make this trip. You will probably have to check the individual websites for each airline. Airlines to check include Pacific Blue (Samoa), Solomon Airlines, Fiji Airlines, Our Airlines, and Air Niugini (that is the correct spelling).

Answered by CaesarRomanus on Wednesday February 18th

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