How to Get Cheap Airfares for Tonga
For many, the airfare is one of the most significant costs for a getaway to Tonga. You’d rather save money for a whale swim, snorkelling excursion or at least another refreshing Tongan beer! In this guide, we’ll show you how to shave off the cents on expensive airfares and teach you how to book a cheap flight to Tonga!
Want to save money on domestic flights in Tonga too? See the 10 Tips for Flying in Tonga.
10 Ways to Save Money on a Flight to Tonga
Across the web, you’ll find tons of nifty tricks and hacks to save money on airfares for just about anywhere in the world. While the advice we give in the guide below is more concrete ways of saving money on a flight to Tonga, here are some other quick tips worth trying:
- Use private browsing to stop airfares from increasing as you browse
- If your flight involves a stopover, consider using two different airlines
- Check the airfares from all of your possible departure cities
- Check the price of connecting flights when booked separately compared to within the same booking
- Find and compare flights on comparison websites (then see if your airline offers a price-beat guarantee)
- Use your frequent flyer points
- Be aware of extra fees while you are booking, such as seat selection and meals
- Fly on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
- Fly in Tonga’s low season – late-January to March
- Don’t book your flight at the last minute.
For additional money-saving tips for your trip, check out the 20 Tips to Save Money in Tonga.
The Cheapest Time of Year to Fly to Tonga
The best months for cheap Tonga airfares: From the Southern Hemisphere, late-January to March. From the Northern Hemisphere, October to November or March to June.
When is the best time to fly to Tonga to save money on the airfare? This depends on where in the world you are coming from.
If you are taking a direct flight to Tonga, from New Zealand or Australia, for example, the cheapest time of the year to fly to Tonga is during the wet season skipping the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, so from late-January to March. Learn more about direct flights in Which Airlines Fly Directly to Tonga?
If you’re coming from the Northern Hemisphere, from destinations like the US, Europe or Asia, then airfares are more likely to be influenced by factors from your departure country and stopover country. For example, the tourist high season in New Zealand is between December and February, so your flight to New Zealand to make your stopover may be more expensive at this time of year. In this case, you might want to aim for Tonga’s shoulder seasons for cheaper airfares, such as October to November or March to June.
Learn more about the benefits of travelling in the low and shoulder seasons in the 10 Reasons to Travel in the Low Season in Tonga.
The Cheapest Day to Fly to Tonga
The best days for cheap Tonga airfares: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Airfares for Tonga even mildly fluctuate between the days of the week. The most expensive days to travel to Tonga are typically Friday and Saturday, while the cheapest days tend to be Monday to Thursday.
This coincides with a study by Google Flights using flight metadata for a five-year period that showed flights that depart on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are on average 12% cheaper to book than over a weekend flight.
In short, look for mid-week flights to find the best deals on airfares for Tonga! Remember, no flights operate in Tonga on a Sunday under Tongan law.
The Cheapest Time to Book Flights to Tonga
The best time to book short-haul flights to Tonga: No later than a month before departure.
The best time to book long-haul flights to Tonga: Between 50 and 179 days before departure.
According to our own research, it’s very rare to get a good last-minute deal for flights to Tonga. Airfares tend to increase the closer to departure you book your flight, especially when booking within a month of your departure date.
For short-haul flights, such as those from New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, airfares tend to stabilise (i.e. not be at their highest) up to around a month before departure.
For long-haul flights, for example, coming from Europe with perhaps a stopover in the US and Hawaii, Google Flight’s study found that prices tended to be lower anywhere between 50 and 179 days before departure with 129 days out being when you can find the best deals.
Speaking of stopovers, the study also found that flights with stopovers averaged 20% cheaper than direct flights.
The Cheapest Airport to Arrive in Tonga
The best airport for cheap airfares in Tonga: Fua’amotu International Airport.
Tonga is home to two international airports: Fua’amotu International Airport on Tongatapu and Lupepau’u International Airport in Vava’u. Both airports receive international flights from Fiji, while Fua’amotu Airport also receives flights from New Zealand and Australia and Lupepau’u Airport receives flights from Samoa and American Samoa – see Which Airlines Fly Directly to Tonga?
With the highest frequency of flights landing at Fua’amotu International Airport, this airport is almost always cheaper to fly to than Lupepau’u Airport. So when your airfare comparison website automatically selects “Vava’u– (VAV)” or “Lupepau’u International Airport”, you know to amend your search to Fua’amotu International Airport (TBU).
Learn more about the airports in Tonga in What Are the Airports in Tonga?
The Cheapest Place to Book Flights to Tonga
The best websites for cheap airfares in Tonga: Flight comparison websites and direct via the airline website.
Now that you know what time of year to search for cheap flights to Tonga, what day of the week, how far in advance to book, and to which airport, you can start finding and comparing flights on flight comparison websites.
Flight comparison websites are a good place to start when searching for cheap flights to Tonga. They give you an idea of the possible routes to take from your departure airport, as well as prices.
Once you have found a desired route with the cheapest airlines used, we recommend going directly to the airline to see if they can beat the price of the comparison website. You’ll usually find that they are happy to beat or match the price in order to save on the commission they would have to pay to the flight comparison website.
Top Tip: Use Private Browsing
Both airline websites and flight comparison websites use cookies to have your browsing information and, in turn, increase airfares the more you search to encourage a “panic purchase”. To avoid rising airfares when you search, set your browser to private browsing.
If you notice prices increasing while using private browsing, open a new private browsing window and start the booking process again.
More About How to Book a Cheap Flight to Tonga
Now that you know some ways to get a cheap flight to Tonga, get more budget tips and advice on flying to Tonga from our guides:
- What is the Cost of Travelling in Tonga
- Arrival at Nuku’alofa Airport: A Step-by-Step Guide
- The Cheapest Airport Transfers in Tonga
Finally, if there’s anything we’ve missed, you’re likely to find it in How to Get to Tonga and our Tonga Transport Guide: 10 Ways to Get Around Tonga.
Author
Robin (Lopini) C.
This article was reviewed and published by Robin, the co-founder of Tonga Pocket Guide. He has lived, worked and travelled across 16 different countries before settling in the South Pacific, so he knows a thing or two about planning the perfect trip in this corner of the world. Robin works and consults regularly with the Ministry of Tourism of Tonga. Robin is also the co-founder of several other South Pacific travel guides and is a regular host of webinars with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.