Infants (aged 7 days to 23 months) travel free

• Infants must be seated on an adults lap and do not occupy a seat.
• To qualify for the free airfare for your infant you MUST present their birth certificate at the time of booking & checking in
• The baggage allowance for infants is 5kilos.

Please note that infants must be more than 7 days old to travel with Chathams Pacific.  

Important: Do You have more than 1 infant travelling with you?

If you have more than 1 infant please read the FAQ titled "I am travelling with two infants.  Can they both travel for free?".

All fares are quoted in Tongan Pa'anga ($TOP) and will be converted to $NZD at time of payment online.

Airfares include all applicable taxes and airport fees.

Over-sized items such as surfboards and bicycles may be carried subject to the following:

• Carriage is generally only possible on the Convair & Metro aircraft which service the Ha'apai & Vavau & Tongatapu Islands
• A handling fee of $TOP30 is charged
• Carriage is not guaranteed and your over-sized/excess items may be off loaded or carried on a separate flight
• Please advise us in advance of your surboard / bike weight and dimensions so that we can assist. 

Chathams Pacific have generous baggage allowances applicable to all our aircraft:

• Adults & children - 20kg maximum with excess baggage payable over this limit
• Infants - baggage allowance of 5kg
• Carry on baggage - 5kg maximum

There are a range of excess baggage rates depending on your destination (and therefore the distance travelled)

Currency

• The Tongan dollar or Pa’anga (TOP) equals 100 seniti (cents).  Roughly speaking $AUD1 = $TOP1.45 / $NZD1 = $TOP1.30
• Tonga's own bank is the Tonga Development Bank and the Kingdom is also is home to two international banks being the Westpac and ANZ banks
• Banks are generally open from 9.00am to 4pm Monday to Friday in Nuku'alofa (Tongatapu), Pangai (Ha'apai) and Neiafu (Vava'u)
• ATM cash withdrawal machines are increasingly available thoughtout Tongatapu and in Neiafu Town (Vavau)
• Currency exchange is available at Fua'amotu International Airport (Tongatapu) but there are no facilities at the domestic airport.

Paying For Goods & Services Electronically

• During your visit you will find that the use of bank EFT-POS, debit and credit cards in shops and eateries is not widely spread (although increasing).

Tipping and Bargaining

• Tipping is not expected in Tonga however some cafes and bars may have a tips jar and rewarding for good service will not casue offense
• Bargaining is not practiced and people expect to be paid the asking price.

In a word - YES!

Tonga is a very small country with limited resources.  Furthermore its island groups are widely spread. 

Please ensure that you protect yourself, as well as your family, by carrying adequate travel and medical insurance.

Important Note: if you miss your domestic and / or international flight, for whatever reason, and you have not taken adequate travel & health insurance then you do so entirely at your own risk.  This includes aviation & weather disruptions.

Please refer to your itinerary and our terms and conditions of travel to ensure that you have booked (or your agent has booked) the most appropriate fare for your needs.

How It Works:

• Most bookings made are flexible fare classes (B & Y) fares allowing you to make updates to your bookings (for a fee). 
• If you are in any doubt about your travel then you should choose a Y fare which is also refundable.
• Periodically Chathams Pacific offer discounted Q class fares to the market which are strictly "use it or lose it".  It is vitally important that you understand that if you require changes to your booking then there must be at least  48 hours notice, an upgrade to a flexible fare applies as does a change fee.  Refunds ARE NOT possible if you have purchased a Q fare.

Travel Insurance - don't forget that if circumstances change resulting in your being unable to travel then you should check your insurance policy to see if loss of airfares are covered.

Being tropical the climate is very kind all year round.

• Light casual clothing is recommended
• Footwear: Do wear good footwear so that you can enjoy the walking. It's the tropics so you are better with open style footwear
• In Public places - clothing should be respectful without too much exposure.  Guys - You need to wear a shirt.  Everyone -  wearing swimwear in public places is not permitted.
• Somewhere Special: If, by chance, you are invited to any sort of official function then ladies should cover their shoulders and their dress length should be at knee length or longer
• At The Beach: Topless bathing is not permitted, water shoes are often a great idea due to the coral

The Kingdom Of Tonga has a comfortable sub-tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 25 C to 33 C for most of the year.  

Winter (July through to September) the temperatures range range from 22-25C however may dip as low as 18 on a cooler day

Average annual rainfall, most of which occurs from December to March during the hot season, is 160 cm (63 in) on Tongatapu, 257 cm (101 in) on Niuatoputapu, and 221 cm (87 in) on Vava'u.

The mean relative humidity is 80%.

6 months validity on passport required

Please check with your travel advisor for specifics related to your home country

Our 50 seat Convair and 18 seat Metroliner aircraft are both pressurised and operate mainly on the longer flights.

The DC3 and our smaller 10 seater aircraft are not pressurised and operate mainly on the shorter sectors and at lower altitudes than the pressurised aircraft.

 Yes, generally you will be able to carry your excess baggage subject to the following:

1. All excess baggage is carried on a space available basis
2. Over-sized items such as surf boards may not be able to be carried on the smaller aircraft  (there is another FAQ dealing with oversized items)
3. You should make prior arrangements to carry large or heavy items.
4. Excess baggage rates apply
5. Even though you may pay the excess baggage charge it does not guarantee the excess will travel on the same flight as you.  All aircraft have payload restrictions and the carriage of excess baggage will be determined 15 minutes prior to departure.  We will advise you prior to departure if we are unable to carry your excess on your flight.  Should it not be able to travel it will go on the next flight that has space available.

If you need your excess baggage carried on a guaranteed basis please contact us at the time of booking.  We will look at your specific needs and recommend options and costs.

It is required for safety and legal reasons that we know how many passengers are travelling on each flight and each passengers details.

Our aircraft types have regulated limitations on the number of infants carried on one flight and booking infants ensures we do not exceed these limits. Infants that are not booked on flights will not be accepted for travel.

No. Only one infant can travel free of charge with each adult.

Your child must be aged 2 years to 11 years on the day of travel to be classed as a child.

As soon as they have turned twelve years they need to purchase an adult's seat.

Proof of age in the form of a copy of their birth certificate or passport will be required at the time of making the booking and at check in. Failure to produce this documentation will result in an adult fare being charged.

Chathams Pacific do understand that, periodically, people need to make changes to their itinerary. To this end, Chathams Pacific's change fees are modest compared to many other airlines and they also offer a simplified airfare structure.

Please read the terms and conditions of your booking to ensure that you have (or your agent has) booked the appropriate fare class to suit your needs.

Important Note To Travellers:

• Not all fare classes are flexible and some cheaper fares are "use it or lose it"
• If you need to make changes to your booking, change fees apply as do time limits on how close to the date of travel 
• Only the Y (flexi class) is refundable
• It is recommended that you carry adequate travel insurance to cover your needs.

Many travellers choose to travel the same day as their international connection however please note:

1. Tonga is a very small Kingdom with limited flight schedules
2. Tonga does not allow flights on a Sunday
3. Every airline in the world suffers aviation disruptions and every one of them does its utmost to minimise the consequences.  That said - If there is a disrupt eg. for weather - then you may well miss any international connection.
4. Chathams Pacific are NOT RESPONSIBLE should you miss an international connection due to a disruption.

We recommend that you carry adequate travel insurance and ensure that you understand the risk and consequences to you personally should a disrupt mean you are unable to meet your outbound flight.

Tourism in Tongatapu is vibrant with many attractions - if missing your outbound flight were to cause you massive upset then  please stay over rather than take the risk of missing your flight.

7 adults travelling together (same flights on the same day) qualify for our Group booking discounts.

No.  You must make a 50% deposit to secure the booking and complete the entire payment by the date advised by your reservation consultant.  

If everyone wishes to pay separately then they need to book individually and will not be extended the group booking fares.

Due to the high atmospheric temperatures within Tonga, it is not uncommon for an aircraft to be restricted in how much payload it can carry. The reason for these performance restrictions is to ensure the aircraft is operated safely.

Children must be at least five years old to travel by themselves on Chathams Pacific flights.

When children are travelling by themselves they will be classed as 'unaccompanied minors' and you will be required to fill in forms at check in. Someone must be there to meet them at the other end and sign for them.

Children under the age of 5 can not travel without an adult.

Tongan (lea fakatonga) is an Austronesian language spoken in the Kingdom. 

Education is highly regarded and you will find many Tongan people fluent in English.

Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +13 hours with no daylight savings.

During the period October - March - When it's Noon Monday in Tonga, it is:

• Fiji  11:00 A.M. Monday
• London midnight Sunday
• Sydney 10:00 A.M. Monday
• Brisbane 9:00 A.M. Monday
• Los Angeles 3:00 P.M. Sunday
• New Zealand Noon Monday

Like Australia and New Zealand the power in Tonga is 230 volts / 60 Hz

Most power is diesel generated and expensive. For that reason you will find that power supply can be a trifle inconsistent with outages commonplace.

Tonga has initiated a number of sustainable policies for power generation particularly to support the outer islands and is actively engaged in the implementation of these.

TIP - you are on holiday.  Forget hair dryers and other non-essential appliances.

Yes!  There are a number of taxi services in place.  Here is what you need to know:

• There are no taxi meters - before you get in the cab, ask the driver what the fare will be 
• Vehicles range from modern to "you are kidding!"
• Taxi services may not be available on a Sunday - please ask your host's advice if you need Sunday transport
• Some outer islands have limited to no services - again just ask your host's advice.

Most food ranges in Tonga are simple and fresh. You will probably find other food choices difficult to purchase therefore if you have specific health and dietary needs then you will need to bring most of these with you.

For example:

• Bread tends to be somewhat bland with only white, wholemeal and kibble being commonplace.
• Seasonal fruit and vegetables are available from the markets
• Red meats are imported
• Freshly caught fish & seafood is abundant and delicious
• Even in restaurants and at resorts, options for those lactose resistant, vegetarian or avoiding dairy are very limited
• As so much food is imported supplies can fluctuate.

Importing food items ?  Ensure all food items are sealed and (for meats) are vacuum packed.  Declare your food stuff and carry the receipts for customs.  

1. No vaccinations or inoculations are required
2. Mosquito repellent is a must due to the nuisance factor.  Malaria is not found in the Kingdom however there have been some incidences of Dengue Fever
3. Soap and Water can be lacking when you are out and about and you might appreciate carrying the likes of Dettol's Instant Hand Sanitiser 
4. Use sun block as well as hats

The humpback whales visit the Kingdom, to birth and mate, during the southern hemisphere's winter months.  We generally tend to see them from July through to late October or early November.  As whales don't make appointments we recommend the following:

• Give yourself plenty of time to see the whales  - at least a week during which you can go out with an authorised Whalewatch operator several times.  
• August and September are the high season so book well in advance to avoid disappointment

Tonga offers many of the South Pacific's top destination dive spots, sporting and game fishing adventures as well as pristine beaches set amongst diverse landscapes. If all you want to do is curl up with a great book and chill out then that can be easily achieved also.  Largely undiscovered, you will not lack for land and sea adventures whilst visiting the Kingdom.