The head of Samoa Airways has clarified their airfares for the Apia–Pago Pago sector have not increased, though the addition of departure tax means the ticket's price has gone up.

The airline's interim Chief Executive Officer, Fauo'o Fatu Tielu told Samoa Observer on Tuesday that the increase in the airfares to the U.S. territory is due to the addition of departure tax, which was normally paid to the Samoa Airport Authority (S.A.A.) but has now been passed onto Samoa Airways for convenience.

"The prices of our airfares never increased," Fauo'o said. "It must be the addition of the tax to the ticket that made them think it's an increase but that's the tax which passengers normally pay to the Samoa Airport Authority.

"But it's been transferred to Samoa Airways and has been added to the ticket. This is the tax that everyone normally pays when travelling to any overseas country like Australia and New Zealand. But for other countries, the tax is added to their tickets instead of paying it straight to the airport authority like when you're travelling to American Samoa.

"That's why during the Samoa Atoa Talks in Pago Pago, American Samoa asked the Samoan Government to cease the departure tax for travellers to Pago Pago but the Government refused because passengers travelling to other countries also have to pay for their tax but it's added to their tickets.

"It was only travellers travelling the Apia–Pago route that had to pay this tax to the airport authority so instead of ceasing the tax, we added it to the airfare so that they don't have to pay it to S.A.A. anymore but the airfare prices never increased."

Fauo'o was advised that information on the airline's revised airfares was obtained from a Samoa Airways staff at the airline's headquarters in town.

When asked for the prices of Samoa Airways' airfares for the Apia–Pago Pago route, a staff member said that the current airfare for a two-way ticket to the U.S. territory is SAT$835 which is an increase from the original price of SAT$822. The staff did not reveal that tax was included in the revised price. A one-way ticket also increased from SAT$420 to SAT$492 departure tax inclusive. 

For passengers hoping to fly private-owned Talofa Airways to the U.S. territory, the airfare has increased from SAT$676 to SAT$767 for a return ticket inclusive of tax. Both airlines' flights are fully booked this week amid preparations to resume flights at the Fagalii airport on Tuesday.