Samoans flying Air New Zealand to come home will be paying extra, as the airline announced increased prices last week in response to the rising cost of jet fuel.

Domestic flights were going up by NZ$10 one way, short haul by NZ$20(SAT$32), and long haul by NZ$90 (SAT$145). Air New Zealand remains the biggest carrier of people to Samoa.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Nikhil Ravishankar told media that the "interventions we're putting in place are not only reasonable, but are what all airlines around the world are doing".

"We're living in unusual times, but we're going to work very thoughtfully, very collaboratively with everyone involved."

The airline also announced flight cuts due to fuel price hikes. The Kiwi airline stated on 12 March 2026, that it would trim around five per cent of its scheduled flights in the weeks through May. The measure, which has also been attributed to the fuel price increase, will affect some 1,100 flights in total.

Most of the cancellations are domestic flights. Nothing has been said about the flights to Samoa in terms of cancellation.

In February, Air New Zealand announced a loss before taxation of NZ$59 million for the first half of the 2026 financial year, compared with earnings before taxation of NZ$144 million in the prior corresponding period. The net loss after taxation was NZ$40 million.

“This result reflects the combined impact of ongoing fleet constraints, a slower recovery in domestic demand and rising costs, including persistently high aviation system inflation. Cost pressures have been further exacerbated by a weaker New Zealand dollar,” the airline has stated.

“The result is slightly outside the guidance range of a loss of $30 to $55 million provided to the market in October 2025, primarily reflecting a $13 million headwind from higher-than-assumed fuel prices in the second quarter.”

Meanwhile, there have been no changes for Fiji Airways, which transports the second largest number of people to Samoa. The airline said it would maintain its scheduled flights, and no price hikes have been announced.

Fiji Airways CEO Paul Scurrah said they were doing everything they could to maintain seat capacity.

“Right now, we’ve had a global impact happening within our industry,” said Mr Scurrah.

“That is (there are) two impacts for us, and that is the significant increase in the cost of fuel, which puts a lot of pressure on our ability to operate in the markets we operate.

“What I have said to my team is we need to do everything that we possibly can to make sure that seat capacity that is coming and going to Fiji is maintained, and in order to do that we need to make sure that we are covering the increase in fuel costs that could scare people from coming to Fiji.

“So, we are walking that fine line and finding that delicate balance.”

The possibility of further service disruption is looming in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly after China and Thailand restricted fuel exports. Vietnam Airlines, for example, warned that it may cancel flights soon, while Qantas, Cathay Pacific, AirAsia and Thai Airways have all announced fare hikes in response to rising fuel prices.