Hawaiian Airlines Adding Flights To Cook Islands

Went there in 2019 -- did the 2 NYE's hack -- flew Air NZ from AKL and after a brief stay continued onto LAX. Rarotonga is ok but Aitutaki is the most beautiful place I have ever seen (even better than Maldives). Yes hotels arent world class but the location & people are.

The plot thickens...Jetstar has announced direct flights from SYD tp Rarotonga.

Love Rarotonga. Went in 2019 for a week using the now-dead LAX-RAR ANZ flight. You're correct about the hotel situation, but the VRBO situation is quite good. I still miss having a beer on the back porch, a literal stone's throw from the beautiful, coral-filled lagoon. A good bit cheaper than nearby French Polynesia...and in English too!

RAR-LAX was not 5th freedom :rolleyes:

That's like calling GUM-NRT 5th freedom.

The Cook Islands travel website says that Lax to Rar will eventually return, but without any indication of when it will resume.

Also with the strong relationship between New Zealand and the Cook Islands calling it a 5th freedom flight is a stretch.

I visited the Cook Islands in 2014, one of the greatest trips I ever done. While Rarotonga leaves a lot to desire, neighboring Aitutaki is a real treat! Atiu is very pretty as well but even smaller. The flights to these Islands are incredible and would make for a great flight review, please do it!

Have been 4 times and is Heaven on Earth. Was disappointed when ANZ dropped this route as it was so accessible from LAX. The lack of large hotels/resorts is what makes CI charming. It is Hawaii from 50 years ago.

It would sure be nice if Delta would expand the ability to earn miles on Hawaiian from just intra-Hawaii flights to the handful of other intra-Pacific flights that Hawaiian offers.

While working for South African Airways I went to the cook islands on a round the word trip I stayed in rarotonga,then went to one of the outer islands (Aitutaki ) had a fabulous time on both, the cook Islands are well worth a visit they are beautiful❤️

The hotel situation is perfectly fine there, just not with points, other than perhaps Wyndham rentals. Not sure it was a fifth freedom flight. Cook Islands uses NZ currency, among other ties, but you can find a Cook Islands three dollar note, which is the most beautiful bill I’ve ever seen.

I went back in 2006 and it was awesome. I've never been to the Maldives before and considered French Polynesia, but chose the CI instead and glad I did. I tend to prefer off the beaten path locations (i.e. I hope to visit Christmas Island on Fiji Airlines) and going there was great. Aitutaki, in particular, is what I imagined an idyllic South Pacific atoll to be and it totally met my expectations. No, there are no over-the-water bungalows. But it's so low key and the people are super nice. Drove around on a moped and I couldn't have been happier.

Super stoked about this since I live in Hawaii and would love to go back. I just hope that HA's redemption rates are somewhat reasonable, though I'm not hopeful. 🙁

Cook Islands are part of the realm of NZ, meaning cook islanders are NZ citizens however CI is considered Independent with NZ maintaining full diplomatic relationships with the cooks and NZ both having High Commission(embassy in commonwealth countries)

CI does rely on NZ for most external affairs and security however. This would be considered a 5th freedom flight as CI maintains its own CAA and external borders with NZ.

There is a Hyatt affiliated property on Aitutaki close to One Foot Island, home of probably the most famous South Pacific island photo. Back in the early Naughts Aloha Airlines ran flights to Aitutaki direct from HNL

There's literally a Hyatt points hotel (Pacific Resort Aitutaki) and Aitutaki is fantastic. We just did the day trip from Rarotonga, but it was so good.

Literally?

Yes I've been to the South Pacific paradise island of Aitutaki for 10 years. Aitutaki won the World Travel Award (WTA) "Oceania's Leading Island Destination 2022" (Bora Bora was in second place after Aitutaki).
Some Aitutaki information and old photos are on my http://aitutakicookislands.info and the FB Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AitutakiCookislands

It is an expensive place to get to unless you live in a place that offers service to/from The Islands and is very timely to get to.

ugh the timings of these flights ... horrific ... nothing worse than arriving in a new country and stuck in an immigration line around midnight

Ben, why didn't you mention how to best redeem miles for this flight? It's the reason I clicked to read this post, but there's nothing about miles?