This article is reprinted from a reader’s WeChat public account, 懒人 33 的吃喝玩乐. Original link.

After talking about documents and entry requirements and how to choose an island, this post will cover transportation.

Flight options from the U.S. to Tahiti (US - French Polynesia)

At the moment, the only nonstop flights from the U.S. to Tahiti Papeete Airport (PPT) are from San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), and Honolulu (HNL) in Hawaii. United Airlines flies from SFO; Air Tahiti Nui, French Bee, and Air France fly from LAX; and Hawaiian Airlines flies from HNL.

Some flight options departing from Seattle. Image source: https://www.google.com/travel/flights/

United Airlines had a sale during our travel window, with SFO round-trip fares at just $500+, which was an amazing deal (painful lesson: I kept waiting for visa reopening and didn’t lock in the trip, so I watched this great fare slip away).

                                                                                            A deal I missed, image source

Tahiti did not appear at all in the island-selection post because every travel agency said there was “nothing to see on Tahiti island”; Tahiti is usually just a transportation hub rather than the final destination of the trip. Since the latest inter-island flight or ferry usually leaves in the late afternoon, travelers arriving in Tahiti at night have to stay overnight on Tahiti and continue to other islands the next day. Likewise, travelers with an early morning return flight who can’t make the connection will often choose to stay on Tahiti the night before.

Because we were traveling with an active three-year-old and also needed one connection, my top choice was a red-eye flight. Whether flying from SFO or LAX to PPT, there are at least 7.5 hours of overnight flying time, and getting some sleep with a kid on board is the least exhausting option for us. Another advantage of a red-eye is that after landing, you can head straight to another island instead of dragging the whole family and a pile of luggage to a hotel for one night, which saves a lot of packing and unpacking time. The downside is that adults may not sleep well on the plane while also taking care of a child (I can only envy those whose kids sleep well and behave perfectly).

We also considered a Stop Over in Hawaii on the return, but Hawaiian Airlines priced HNL-PPT one-way the same as round-trip. Since we’ve already been to Hawaii many times and didn’t want a Stop Over in Hawaii both ways, we eventually gave up on that option.

After a lot of research, I learned that French Bee is much cheaper, but there are also more reports of unreliability. For example, some people said French Bee canceled flights before departure without notifying passengers at all. Travel agents also kept recommending Air Tahiti Nui, so in the end we chose ATN over French Bee and Air Tahiti Nui.

Air Tahiti Nui

Air Tahiti Nui currently flies the Boeing787. If you want seats other than the middle four, you have to pay extra, $30/person. The checked baggage allowance is one free 23kg/50lb bag per person, and carseat/stroller items are free (not sure how many pieces; we had our carseat and stroller in the same bag). Carry-on bags are limited to 10kg, and they enforce it strictly; we had to open our luggage and rearrange things right at the check-in counter. Small personal items like backpacks were not weighed. Customer service said check-in only opens 2.5 hours before departure, but in reality, for our 23:55 flight, we were able to check in when we got to the airport around 19:00. The check-in line was long that day, but 8-10 counters were open, so it still moved fairly quickly. All entry documents were checked by the ground staff during check-in.

The gate was in LAX’s new international terminal and was very, very far away; it took us quite a while to walk there. On the return, we also used the new terminal. My guess is that ATN flights all arrive and depart from the new terminal?

Families with children board early. At the aircraft door, each passenger could pick up a small kit containing a mask, disinfectant spray, and sanitizing wipes. ATN’s inflight service was quite good. On the outbound flight, each passenger received a Tahitian national flower, Gardenia Taitensis, also called Tiare. The fragrance was wonderful and made everyone even more excited for the trip. In addition, economy seats all came with a blanket and pillow, which was a blessing for someone like me who gets cold easily. Flight attendants also gave each passenger a small pouch with socks, earplugs, an eye mask, and other items. The socks were loose and surprisingly comfortable; for a long-haul flight, that kind of sock plus slippers is much more comfortable, and you don’t have to worry as much about swollen feet.

The inflight meals were also much better than what you usually get on U.S. airlines, and some dishes actually tasted pretty good. Here’s a small tip: if you’re worried about viruses and want to eat at a different time from everyone else, you can request a low sodium meal in advance on the ATN website or by phone. The low sodium meal is brought out earlier by the flight attendants and is almost completely different from the regular meal.

Check-in on the return was very slow; we waited more than half an hour before reaching the counter. Be sure to leave enough time for Covid Test + tax refund + check-in. We had a four-hour connection window, and in the end it was just about enough.

Tahiti airport

PPT airport, as well as Raiatea (RFP) and BofA BofA (BOB), where our flight stopped, do not have jet bridges, so you need to use stairs to board and deplane.

After immigration, the next step was the nucleic acid test. Our 3-year-old still did not need to be tested (see the earlier documents post). They swabbed pretty deep, and I could smell blood in my nose afterward. After the test, you go straight to baggage claim, then wait until the time listed on the test document; only after your nucleic acid test is confirmed negative can you leave. The result came back very quickly, and by the time we collected our luggage, the waiting time was already up.

After picking up your bags, there is an ATM on the right. I recommend using a Charles Schwab or Fidelity debit card, since they reimburse ATM fees worldwide for local-currency withdrawals. How much cash should you take out? You actually don’t need much cash in Tahiti. If you plan to take taxis/water taxis on your own or shop at small local stores, you can withdraw a little. The Tahiti currency exchange rate is about XPF:USD = 100:1. For booking activities or dining at restaurants, you can usually pay in U.S. dollars or by card.

Airport signage is not very clear. The airport is small, yet even on the return—our third time at PPT—we still couldn’t figure out the directions well. If you’re worried about a language barrier when asking for directions, ask the people at the travel agency near the international exit; they all speak English.

At night, no restaurants were open in the departure area; there was only a small shop selling snacks. Part of the waiting area is outdoors, which is pretty distinctive. The duty-free shops mostly carry local specialty items, along with some lower- to mid-range luggage and luxury-brand perfumes. It’s a good place to pick up gifts for friends and family on the way home.

Inter-island transportation

As mentioned in the documents post, booking inter-island transportation on your own is cumbersome, and there is also the language barrier—French is the official language, while locals speak Tahitian. I recommend booking in advance through a Travel Agency or your hotel. Aside from the BofA hotel shuttle boat, we booked everything else through a travel agency. Details below:

Tahiti - Moorea: From PPT airport, we took a travel agency shuttle to the ferry terminal, then a roughly 25-minute ferry ride to the Moorea ferry terminal, and then transferred to the Moorea Explorer shuttle to our hotel. Checked luggage on the ferry was free. You may want to prepare a few $1 bills to tip the staff who help move luggage along the way, especially since traveling with a small child usually means lots of bags…

Moorea - Tahaa: Tahaa does not have an airport, so you have to fly into nearby Raiatea. On the day of our trip, there was no direct Moorea-Raiatea flight, so we had to connect via PPT. From our hotel in Moorea, we took the Moorea Explorer shuttle to the Moorea ferry terminal, took the ferry to Tahiti, then an agency shuttle to PPT, flew to Raiatea, and finally took the hotel boat shuttle for about 45 minutes to our hotel in Tahaa.

Tahaa - Bora Bora: Take the hotel boat shuttle for about 45 minutes to Raiatea airport, fly to Bora Bora, then take the hotel shuttle boat for about 20 minutes to the hotel.

Bora Bora - Tahiti: Take the hotel shuttle boat for about 20 minutes to Bora Bora airport, then fly to PPT airport.

Bora Bora

Air Tahiti

All of our inter-island flights in Tahiti were operated by Air Tahiti. The Air Tahiti tickets booked by the travel agency included one checked bag per person; car seats/strollers were not free; and our 21-inch carry-on suitcase could not be brought onboard and had to be checked, with a weight limit of no more than 5kg. Checked bag fees are calculated based on weight and distance. At PPT airport, I managed to persuade the ground staff to let us keep the carry-on suitcase, but after failing to do so in Raiatea, we gave up in Bora Bora and just paid the fee.

Seats on the plane were first come, first served, and families with children boarded early. On the flight to Bora Bora, the views were excellent from the left side of the plane; on the return, the right side was better. If you can’t remember, just ask the flight attendants when boarding.

We flew Air Tahiti three times, and two of the flights were delayed, though maybe we were just unlucky. If you book on your own, it’s best to leave some buffer time for connections.

Raiatea and Bora Bora Airports

Neither Raiatea nor Bora Bora airport required security screening, and each terminal had only two gates. Many travelers chose to wait at the outdoor cafe. Bora Bora airport had beautiful scenery, and you could also walk along the causeway. By comparison, the environment at Raiatea was much less impressive.

Tahiti Series Articles

Some parts still contain pandemic-related information. I hope this series can give people interested in Tahiti, including Bora Bora, a better overall understanding.

About the Author

This article is reposted from the WeChat public account “懒人 33 的吃喝玩乐,” run by a reader from our WeChat group. The articles are all original and very well written. If you’re interested, feel free to follow the account.