The Cook Islands’ top airport officials are publicly calling for the return of nonstop flights to Los Angeles, saying the current Honolulu gateway is not enough to support the country’s long-term tourism and economic goals.
In a July 17 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Cook Islands Airport Authority Acting CEO Joseph Ngamata called the U.S. connection “critical,” saying it provides access “not only to North America but also to Europe and beyond.” Chairman Edward Herman added that restoring nonstop Los Angeles service “would be highly beneficial for tourism and economic resilience.” Those comments are the clearest public indication yet that the Cook Islands wants more than its current U.S. connection through Hawaii.
The comments reinforce what we’ve been watching.
We’ve seen the Cooks firsthand. The Cook Islands sits 710 miles from Tahiti and roughly 3,000 miles south of Hawaii, close enough to French Polynesia to share that region but different enough in feeling that travelers who reach both take notice.
We flew the 50-minute hop from Rarotonga to Aitutaki, and came away thinking the Cook Islands feel like Hawaii before density and resort fees took over: uncrowded beaches, no high-rise hotels, and prices that make Hawaii look expensive by comparison. That’s the pull for American travelers who’ve never heard of it, and it’s also why easier access matters more to that small island country than one weekly flight can deliver.
We’ve followed Hawaiian Airlines’ Honolulu to Rarotonga service since it launched in May 2023. We’ve flown the route, tracked its fares, and watched how it has performed since becoming the only nonstop link between the United States and the Cook Islands.
That is why Herman’s and Ngamata’s comments stand out. Rather than celebrating the existing Honolulu service as a long-term answer, they openly talk about the need to restore a direct mainland connection.
Honolulu became the gateway by default.
Today, travelers from California heading to the Cook Islands generally connect through Honolulu or Tahiti. That was not always the case.
Before the pandemic, Air New Zealand operated a Los Angeles to Rarotonga service via Auckland using Boeing 777 aircraft. The route gave North American travelers another way to reach the Cook Islands without relying exclusively on Honolulu.
When that service disappeared, the Cook Islands lost roughly 15,700 annual seats and nearly 12,000 visitors from the United States, Canada, and Europe, according to figures cited by Cook Islands officials. Viewed in that context, the latest comments are less about replacing Honolulu than about rebuilding a second gateway to North America.
Why the Cook Islands is worth the trouble.
Most Americans, even those familiar with Tahiti or Fiji, may never have thought of the Cook Islands, and that gap has little to do with what it’s actually like there. Hawaii drew 9.2 million visitors in 2024. Rarotonga drew about 180,000. That difference is apparent in everything: free beach parking instead of paid, no resort fees instead of up to $65 a night, hotel rates roughly half what Hawaii charges.
Access is the real barrier, and BOH readers have told us so directly. After we published our Aitutaki trip report, one reader wrote that he had wanted to visit for years but wasn’t sure he was up for two flights from the West Coast, and wished there were still flights from LA.
A direct Los Angeles connection would do something the Honolulu route alone never has: put a genuinely different version of Polynesia in front of a mainland market that mostly doesn’t know it even exists, and give travelers like him a reason to finally go.
What this could mean for travelers.
Nothing changes today for Hawaii travelers. Honolulu remains the only nonstop U.S. gateway to the Cook Islands, and Hawaiian Airlines continues to operate that service.
For mainland travelers and those who follow Pacific aviation, however, the comments are notable because they show the Cook Islands is actively seeking another option rather than depending indefinitely on a single Honolulu route. Whether that ultimately comes from Los Angeles or another West Coast airport remains an open question, but the destination has now said publicly what it wants.
We’ll continue watching to see whether any airline answers that call.
Have you flown to the Cook Islands through Honolulu? We’d love to hear about your experience and whether you’d choose a nonstop Los Angeles flight instead.
Lead Photo Credit: © Beat of Hawaii at Aitutaki Lagoon in The Cook Islands.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
Some of the most meaningful parts of Hawaii are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →
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I’m an American and have been to Aitutaki 7 times, the first time in 2011 and the most recent in Dec 2024. The first 6 times were the direct LAX to RAR on Air NZ. The last time was via Honolulu. The Air NZ route is Much preferred. Roughly 9 hour flight direct vs 5 hrs to HNL, layover, then another 6 hour flight to RAR. Air NZ is a superior airline to Hawaiian and flying on their larger 777 dual aisle plane is a better ride than the single aisle A320 from HNL to RAR. I am very encouraged to hear that the Cook Islanders want the direct connection again. As it stands, the current routing (and higher pricing) is a deterrent to another visit. Let’s hope this happens!
Was just there Cook Islands a few months ago via HNL. Cook islands were less expensive with New Zealand money the preferred currency. Hotels were good, food was good no over water bungalow but beaches were clean and empty. Bus service was great in Rarotonga easy to get around. Aitutaki we had bikes and used a taxi only one t-shirt shop whole island, taxi picked up a fare to the airport and asked us to go along so we got an island tour for free. Only downside was dengue fever but they sprayed the whole island just before our visit so no issues. Hawaiian only flies there once a week so 8 nights is required. English roads left side driving and meat pies.
Is there work available in these places?
Timely. We just booked Cook Islands a few weeks ago. We’re excited and ready to go, after continuing to explore the entire Pacific region beyond just Hawai’i. I think Cook Islands themselves need to “up their marketing game” just as I feel that Fiji should targeting more Americans/Canadians. The stark contrast of feeling welcomed and affordable and appreciated has been unmatched.
Heck, maybe I do it and get myself a nice contract with stipulations for having to fly between the two as part of my package…
I was on Air New Zealand’s inaugural flight from LAX to RAR, Nov 9th, 1990. NZ55 flew LAX-HNL-RAR on a 767. During the stop in HNL, the Prime Minister of Cook Islands boarded the flight for the continuation to RAR. When we landed, the aircraft and airstairs were covered with lei. It was a great experience.
Aloha flew HNL to Rarotonga in the early 2000s. A fantastic experience!
Been to Rarotonga and Aitutaki twice way back when Aloha flew the route. Both islands are beautiful, the people are very friendly and beaches practically empty. Even back then it was a wonderful contrast to the huckster atmosphere of Waikiki. Snorkeling off Aitutaki is possibly the world’s best.
We flew Air NZ from LAX to Rarotonga every year from 2015 to 2019. They used to have a Cyber Monday sale to get a great deal on those flights.
Went through HNL to get to RAR in 2024 which is longer and more complicated. Would love to have a direct route from CA come back!
We’d absolutely 1000% choose a LAX – RAR nonstop over the connection in HNL.
We’re about 8 weeks away from our 3rd trip in 4 years to the Cook Islands and going through HNL is almost unbearable, especially the return. The RAR – HNL flight gets in too late to connect to a flight home the same night and forces us to spend the night in HNL. While we could do the outbound in one day, but the way air travel is nowadays there is no way I would risk missing a connection to HNL and missing the once per week flight to RAR, so we go to HNL a day early in order to be more comfortable with making the connection.
We’ve been to HawaiÊ»i well over 20 times, so we have had all of HNL we can stomach. We’d probably go to the Cook Islands at least twice a year if we could fly direct and avoid HNL.
You said pretty much what I would say. We used to go at least twice a year on Air NZ for 20 years. But the long layovers, the extra hotel nights, and just the hassle of more airport time were just too much. By the time direct flights return, if they do, I will be too old to go. But at least others will enjoy what I did for decades.