Micronesia Airpass for a Pacific Islands trip

Some of my most memorable travels have been to the islands of Micronesia while on assignment for the award winning “Pacifica” magazine, the former inflight for Continental Micronesia Airlines. I made several extended trips around the Pacific Ocean, visiting the volcanic islands and atolls of Pohnpei, Kosrae, Chuuk, Palau, Guam, Saipan, and the Marshall Islands.

The Micronesian islands are fantastic places to visit, but except for avid scuba divers they’re largely unknown by most Americans. Some World War II vets may remember them as sites of some of the fiercest battles in the Pacific theater during that war. Most of the smaller islands have not changed much since then, and relics of those times are frequently found on beaches and in overgrown jungles.

There is not a lot of infrastructure for tourism on many of these islands, but travel for Americans is relatively easy because of the long U.S. influence – English is spoken everywhere and the U.S. dollar is the standard currency. The problem has always been that airfare to travel to and around the islands is pricey. For many years, Continental Airlines has been the sole U.S. carrier to Micronesia, and since joining with United Airlines, it is now part of the Star Alliance. The good news is that the Star Alliance recently announced the Micronesia Airpass, which gets you extended and flexible flight arrangements to 20 destinations and up to 10 flights. Even better, the destinations include Fiji, Australia, Hong Kong, Manila and Japan, so travelers can include Micronesia on the way to or from Asia or the South Pacific.

If these wonderful islands pique your interest at all, click this link for more of my photos of Micronesia.

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