Guests on Virgin Australia’s first flight to Samoa in three years will receive a friendly welcome home today, with the flight to be operated by a proud Samoan crew.
Sydney-Apia services commence today and Brisbane flights will take off on 23 March – with both routes operating up to two return flights a week on the airline’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The all-Samoan cabin crew and First Officer will warmly greet guests, who will also be treated to a traditional song during the flight and cultural welcome upon landing in Apia.
To celebrate the resumption of services to Samoa, Virgin Australia has launched a 72hr Samoa sale today, with return airfares from $549 (Economy Lite).[1]
Virgin Australia Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Alistair Hartley said the return was welcome news for travellers across the Pacific.
“There is a strong Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) market in Samoa which is why we wanted to mark this occasion with a Samoan crew,” he said.
“It’s an exciting step in the rebuilding of our short-haul international network and comes ahead of our return to Vanuatu later this month.
“Samoa is well-known for its rich culture and friendly locals and has been a popular destination in the Virgin Australia network since 2005.”
Samoa Tourism Authority CEO, Pativaine Petaia-Tevita said: “The return of Virgin Australia flights from Australia to Samoa is wonderful news for the nation, boosting collective efforts to rebuild and recover Samoa’s visitor economy.
“With a diverse flight schedule it means more and more travellers will be able to make their way to us to experience Fa`a-Samoa, our beautiful culture and way of life.”
Guests travelling on Samoa services will be able to access strong connectivity to the rest of the Virgin Australia domestic and short-haul international network through Brisbane and Sydney.
Flights from both Brisbane and Sydney will initially depart in the evening, and from 28 March the Sydney flight will move to a daytime departure.
Virgin Australia’s International short-haul network continues to expand following the relaunch of the business in November 2020 and now includes Bali, Queenstown, Nadi, Port Vila and Apia, as well as Tokyo (Haneda) which will commence in June 2023.[2] New short haul international services will see Virgin Australia grow its international capacity by 50 per cent by mid-2024.
Under the Velocity Frequent Flyer Bonus Points offer, guests will receive 2,000 bonus Points each way on Trans-Tasman and international short-haul flights when activated and booked between 10-22 March 2023, for travel before 3 February 2024.
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