A big thank you to Tahiti Tourism for providing us with tickets so we could write this airline review.
Ia ora na from French Polynesia! We just arrived after a seven-hour and thirty-five-minute flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This is my fourth time here but my kids’ first (ages six and nine) so I thought I would share what it was like to fly Air Tahiti Nui (TN) in Moana Economy (coach).
For starters, TN charges for seat assignments. They’re $30 each for regular advanced seat assignments and $80 USD for bulkhead or exit-row seats (which have more legroom). You can wait until check-in opens to avoid the fee.
If you want extra legroom, better service and upgraded amenities, you can also submit a bid to upgrade to Poerava Business Class or Moana Premium Class. The minimum bids are 2,020 USD and 760 USD per passenger respectively but that’s too pricey for me.
Note: If you’re traveling with a baby under 2 years old the airline recommends seats 18A, 18L or 32D which offer more legroom and a free bassinet.
We were supposed to fly out the day before but a week prior Air Tahiti Nui emailed customers to let us know the flight was canceled and rebooked us on the next day’s service. I was bummed since we’d lose a day but grateful they gave us plenty of notice so we could adjust plans and avoid an unnecessary trip to the airport.
We departed yesterday, Friday, November 21 on TN 427 which was scheduled to leave at 4:20 pm from LAX and arrive in Papeete (PPT) at 11:30 pm local time. My family and I arrived at LAX at 2:05 pm and, surprisingly, there was no traffic entering the airport or inside the terminal.
There was absolutely no line for check-in which takes place in Area A of the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT).
The agents were friendly and said we had just missed the rush.
The CLEAR line was closed but thankfully, there was no line at TSA PreCheck and no one behind us so I chatted with the TSA agents. They said they were shocked it was so quiet. What surprised me even more was hearing that they still haven’t been paid since the government shutdown and when I asked if they were among the lucky ones who supposedly received $10,000 they laughed. Multiple agents said that wasn’t true and one mentioned having perfect attendance. They also said that in a private TSA Facebook group they’re part of, everyone reported that the envelopes Secretary Noem handed out contained no checks, only notes. So disappointing.
It was a long walk to gate 221. The signage suggests allowing 10 to 12 minutes. My kids were thirsty and we needed to fill their empty water bottles but for a fairly new terminal I’m surprised how few water fountains there are. There are none in the tunnel leading to gates 201 to 235.
To pass time, I took my kids into the LEGO store which has a cool DigiBox that creates a 3D image of the finished product on certain boxes (mostly the larger ones). There’s also a TMZ store which felt very L.A.
Boarding began at 3:30 pm by groups. We were in Zone 5 but families with young kids were allowed to board early so we went on after Zone 2 or 3. They use biometric gate readers for boarding. No passports are needed except for kids. Just remove your hat and glasses so the camera can scan your face then place your boarding pass directly on the reader. I kept holding mine an inch or two above and wondered why it wasn’t working.
My kids gave chocolates to the flight attendants and asked if the captain could sign their flight logs during the flight. The crew did and even invited us to visit the cockpit after landing but we passed since we didn’t want to risk a long immigration line.
Air Tahiti Nui has not only a beautiful exterior but a cheerful cabin as well. Their colorful pillows and soft green blankets make it feel welcoming (though the pillowcases aren’t very soft). The flight attendants were friendly and the 787-900 wasn’t full. We were in row 24 and seats F, J, K and L. My wife sat across the aisle from us next to a big Tahitian guy but when I heard the door close 15 minutes early and noticed the row in front of us was empty I told Natalie to move there. Our daughter joined her so we each ended up with an empty middle seat. The Tahitian guy was happy too.
The crew makes announcements first in French and then in English so I’m usually guessing until the English version comes on. We pushed back at 4:11 pm and because of stormy SoCal weather took off to the east at 4:30 pm. The one time I’m heading west and we launch east made me laugh. At least we were early and it didn’t add time since we still arrived 26 minutes ahead of schedule.
Important: There are no power outlets in economy. I planned to work on my laptop during the flight but since my Lenovo barely holds a two-hour charge I ended up just watching movies. They only have USB ports for phones.
Important #2: If you want to watch entertainment on your own device be sure to download the Air Tahiti Nui “In the Air” app before your flight. What’s great is that you can pair your device to use your own headphones or earbuds.
I hadn’t downloaded it so I used the seatback screens which actually worked out well. There were plenty of movies for both adults and kids including new releases.
Fifteen minutes after takeoff flight attendants handed out immigration forms. Two per passenger for visitors which is a lot for a family of four and includes redundant information.
A minute later they passed out Tiare flowers to anyone who wanted one. They’re so fragrant and are the symbol of Air Tahiti Nui (they’re painted on the tail).
At 5:05 pm the flight attendants delivered all the preordered special meals. I ordered the Kids Meal for my children: “Suitable for children between 2 and 7 years old, less consistent than an adult meal but suitable to children’s tastes and easy to eat and digest.” It came with chicken fingers, sweet potatoes, peas, what I think was a side of tuna salad, cheese, a wrapped dinner roll, a mini KitKat and a brownie.
Ten minutes later (5:15 pm) the regular drink and meal service began. The choices were chicken teriyaki or beef bourguignon. I chose the chicken teriyaki as shown in the photo above.
At 5:58 pm they collected the trays, offered refills and then at 6:20 pm dimmed the cabin lights. We were chasing the sun which had been setting for over an hour. Amazing.
BTW: Air Tahiti Nui offers a wide range of special meals for dietary or religious needs. They include:
Baby Meal: for infants up to one year old
Kids Meal: for children 2 to 7 years old
Meals for specific medical conditions
Low-salt meal
Diabetic meal
Low-fat meal
Gluten-free meal
Vegetarian or fish-based options
Vegan meal
Vegetarian lacto-ovo meal
Vegetarian Hindu meal
Seafood meal
Religious meals
Kosher meal
Muslim meal
Hindu non-vegetarian meal
Orders must be placed at least 48 hours before your flight.
Allergies
Because Air Tahiti Nui can’t guarantee the absence of allergens, we brought food for our son. Their website states: “If you are allergic to certain foods, please plan your meal and arrangements to keep it fresh. It cannot be refrigerated or reheated on board.”
Seats are tight in coach but they recline more than most. However, if the person in front of you fully reclines and you don’t it could be uncomfortable, especially on a full flight.
At 8 pm the flight attendants came through with bottled water and paper cups. They did the same 49 minutes later. I went to the lavatory at 9 pm and saw a flight attendant cleaning it. They did a much better job than American Airlines for sure.
Most passengers were asleep by then and based on accents it seemed many had connected from Paris which is where our aircraft originated. I went to the back galley for more water. They had a small self-serve bar set up and one of the FAs refilled our bottles without touching the spouts.
I chatted with him for a while. He was finishing a 9-day trip (2 days in L.A., 24 hours in Paris and 4 more days back in L.A.). He says L.A. is his favorite and when he jogs on The Strand in Manhattan Beach “it’s the American dream.” That made me smile. He also said most of the crew shops at Costco since it’s so much cheaper than Tahiti. He made me smile again when he mentioned bringing back two hams for his mom for Christmas dinner.
FYI: The cabin is chilly so bring a sweatshirt. I kept mine on the whole flight and used the blanket.
About 1 hour and 45 minutes before landing (10:15 pm L.A. time) the cabin lights came back on but stayed dim. The FAs delivered special meals and then the regular service. The kids’ meals were penne with meatballs, a side of melon (cantaloupe and honeydew), Oreos and apple juice.
Adults received a not-so-great-looking but surprisingly tasty hot cheese, tomato and turkey panini.
We landed at 10:04 pm local time (12:04 am L.A.) and parked at the gate five minutes later. At PPT passengers deplane via outdoor ramps and walk into the terminal. It was drizzling but it felt surreal and wonderful to be back in Polynesia, especially with my kids. We were all excited and grateful.
As always there was live music and traditional dancers welcoming passengers. When immigration officers saw the kids they opened a VIP line for us so we were among the first to clear. It took them a while to process the forms.
I love that they have a red line around the baggage carousel so people don’t stand right on top of it which makes it easy to spot and grab your bags. Ours came out a minute later, one of the first, likely because we were the last to check in.
