Cook Islands welcomes more non-stop flights from Sydney to Rarotonga
Testament to the success of the recently started Sydney to Rarotonga direct flights, Jetstar is adding a fourth weekly direct flight from Wednesday 27 March 2024. The non-stop service already operates three times a week on a Tuesday, Thursday (moving to a Friday from 3 Nov.) and Sunday. The new direct service will be on a Wednesday.
Cook Islands Prime Minister, Honourable Mark Brown said ‘’This is a further step towards re-building our economy. Demand from Australia has been strong and in July we received the highest number of Australian visitors ever in a July. Our Government and Jetstar saw an opportunity to increase the number of weekly services, hence the extra flight from late March.’’
Jenn Armor, Jetstar’s Executive Manager, Customer said the popularity of the route had exceeded expectations. “We’ve already carried more than 8,000 customers between Australia and the Cook Islands since we launched four months ago”.
With the additional weekly flight, Jetstar expects to carry more than 70,000 customers a year between the two destinations using the newest aircraft in its fleet, the Airbus A321neo LR. Armor adds “Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands, is utterly breathtaking. Every week more and more Australians are falling in love with its white sand beaches, sparkling blue waters, warm weather and friendly locals.” “We thank the Cook Islands Government for its ongoing support of the route.”
Cook Islands Tourism and Jetstar marketing has played an integral part in driving bookings and raising the awareness of the Cook Islands in Australia, especially in NSW and on the eastern seaboard. Cook Islands Tourism continues to look for the best advertising opportunities available, using mediums such as social and digital, radio, outdoor and tv. The retail trade is an important part of the mix also, with various campaigns in market now and more planned.
‘’We have to punch above our weight’’ said Karla Eggelton, CEO CI Tourism. ‘’It is a large market with multiple tropical destinations on offer, so our job is to constantly show Australians why the Cook Islands is a fantastic choice for them. Feedback over the past few months has been excellent, with most saying that the convenience of the direct flight influenced their decision to travel to the Cook Islands.’’
Jetstar’s new Airbus A321neoLR aircraft operates the route, departing Sydney at 9.30pm, arriving in Rarotonga at 7.00am the same day. The return flights leave Rarotonga at 9.00am arriving in Sydney at 12.30pm the following day. The flight times allow for easy connections to and from other Australian cities.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES TO:
Karla Eggelton, CEO Cook Islands Tourism Corporation
