Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Samoa mulls change to international dateline Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
jaded1720 14:21 UTC 05 May 2011 | First the road rules change, now they want to dissolve a day. Here's hoping that it's not enacted in July when I'm holidaying, or there'll be one day less in paradise. |
wksamoa 18:14 UTC 06 May 2011 | No, but it will most likely happen around or at New Year 2012. They just decided it, according to this news item I am curious how the airlines will get along with it. And I will have one year of my life with 364 days only ;-) | 1
agingaquarian 04:11 UTC 07 May 2011 | If it goes ahead it will make it easier for Australians and NZers to make flight and accommodation bookings as there will be no plus or minus days to contend with. However, the changeover period could be fun for the airlines, especially when some flights will have been booked well in advance. I thought this article interesting. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/4974902/Samoa-moves-into-tomorrow | 2
Laszlo 17:22 UTC 07 May 2011 | It certainly makes sense as all their closest neighbours linked to them by air are in the same day. Except for American Samoa, which I guess will stay put sharing its day with the US, right? | 3
pago 17:59 UTC 07 May 2011 | Doubt if AS will change since it's the same day with HA. Sure could mess things up for the folks who go back and forth between Apia and Pago. | 4
wksamoa 19:25 UTC 07 May 2011 | AS will most likely want to stay in line with HA - for the same reasons that make this change a really good idea. In the link provided by #2, the Samoan PM points out interesting options for tourism. How about extending a special day of your life to be up to 48 hours long? Or rather completely leave out one specific date you don't like? Just by traveling between Apia and Pago (or reverse). Cross the dateline at midnight and double your day. Or forget about it. People did that on Millennium day, traveling between Tonga and Samoa which was possible at that time. | 5
alex_carioca 21:31 UTC 07 Jul 2011 | Hopefully I'll have visited before all that happens... | 6
wksamoa 22:21 UTC 07 Jul 2011 | Why? | 7
alex_carioca 22:15 UTC 08 Jul 2011 | Sounds nice when read about on a paper, but although it may be selfish from my side, but I would find it really messy to be there on the precise date. Good that my plans are to be in the Cook Islands on 31/12. | 8
alex_carioca 22:15 UTC 08 Jul 2011 | Sounds nice when read about on a paper, but although it may be selfish from my side, I would find it really messy to be there on the precise date. Good that my plans are to be in the Cook Islands on 31/12. | 9
wksamoa 02:17 UTC 09 Jul 2011 | We will not feel it. It will be going to bed on the 29th and waking up on the 31st. I will have to adjust the date on my laptop. And that's it. Nothing messy at all. | 10
alex_carioca 07:00 UTC 28 Jul 2011 | Guess what? I was just checking what would be the best dates to fly where on my Bula Pass. One of the possibilities is flying from Vila to Fiji on the 31/12, arriving at around 17hs, then spending the year break in Nadi, and catching the first flight to Apia at 0145 on 01/01. At this moment, it says on airlines' computer reservation systems that this flight arrives into Apia on 31/12, but I suppose there will be what the airlines call an "involuntary schedule change" on the 29/12, which means that flight will then take off and land on the -now- same day (as Fiji and Samoa will be then on the same side of the date line). In order not to loose the chance of having "two new year eves", I could get to Apia and, on that same morning, catch the first fly to Pago pago. But isn't it weird that local airlines just open flights for sale one month before departure? For me it works fabulously, but still too difficult to believe. Maybe a reflex of "fa'a Samoa"?? :-) | 11
wksamoa 21:13 UTC 29 Jul 2011 | Maybe a reflex of the fa'a Samoa Who knows? But aren't they right ;-)? Maybe there is a plane, maybe not. They only have two of them and both are not new. Maybe there is a hurricane. Quite frankly, I never did a booking to Pago longer in advance than a week at most, nor do I know anyone in Samoa, who would do it. But for the time around New Year's Eve, booking is really essential. You should indeed try to book your flight as early as they let you, in order not to miss your chances ;-) It will be awfully crowded those days, especially when one is 'missing' ... I think that they will have a new flight schedule from September or October on, so maybe that is why they do not take bookings now. Edited by: wksamoa | 12
alex_carioca 21:54 UTC 30 Jul 2011 | Let's see how it goes. The lady at Air Pacific has been kind enough to advise me they're quite flexible with advance purchase, I have secured my seats now and just need to pay 60 days before, ie. beginning of Oct. In any case, I'll do it in August, then I'll know my itin. for sure. | 13