Flight question about LAX to Tahiti for P.G ?

[CRIMMS]

This message board has been so much help for our trip on P.G for Feb.07. From the water shoes, suntan lotion,blow up rafts- so many great tips here! I went back to past posts and we are so excited to be going. Is there any info on Air Tahit Nu flights? Its is a long flight and we had thoughts about upgrading our flight.Are these seats roomier than typical economy seats? Is it worth it? Its over an 8hr flight from LAX. Has anyone here upgraded and have some tips and value ideas about first class? Please let me know. I can't thank you guys enough for all the P.G travel help! CRIMMS

[karenj4546]

ATN will bus you out from the gate to the plane in LA. Use the restroom prior to boarding, as there's quite a haul plus awhile before you get airborne. ATN uses the Airbus for this flight. We had a new one on our outbound trip. Not a lot of legroom in coach, but there are pull-down leg rests and personal screens on each seat back (16 channels (8 in English and 8 in French), music, and games). 1 full meal (not bad, by airline standards) and one "light snack". Drinks are all free, and that's where we first tried Hinano beer. We were told that the flight was full, but it wasn't. Had the woman at the end of our 4 seat center section moved her stuff off of the seat in between us, we'd have had some extra room. (She moved up a few rows and had 4 seats to sleep on). The flight attendants worked quite hard to make it an "easy" flight.

Coming home, we upgraded to business class (I thought a good nights' sleep was worth the cost). We had an "older" Airbus for this flight. The seats in business reclined 150 degrees. Personally, I think I'd have rather been in coach, as I'm 5'2" and the seats were built for much bigger bodies. (First class seats recline 180 degrees, according to the airline magazine, "RevaTahiti"). I actually preferred the meals in coach to what we had in business, but the hot washcloths, welcoming drinks, etc. WERE nice.

The nicest thing (IMHO) was the lounge in PPT. Upstairs, hidden in a corner is the door. It's air conditioned, has a bar, TV (too loud), snacks, nice seating..... I went downstairs a couple of times (had to declare my pearls, etc) and was glad to come back up. We spent 2 hours in that lounge. Really nice!

Any more questions, just ask.

Karen

[Jim B]

We did coach on ATN LAX to Papeete round trip 02/15/2003.

We had asked for a window seat which because ATN is 2-4-2

across meaning I had a window and wife had an isle. The plane we were on

was only one month old at the time. For coach there was a little more room than most domestic airline coach seats. You had your own personal screen built into the seat in front of you. They give you head phones. Drinks are free, and the meals were suprisingly very good. What we liked is that it was easy to get up and walk around the plane. Because of the seating arrangements there are some areas you can go to and not be in the way if you would like to stand for awhile.

We would probably do coach again next time. Not that bad.

[Dreps]

We went in both 2/2003 and 2/2006. We thought the service and food were considerably better in 2/2003. That being said, coach is not too bad, especially if it is not full. We tried to upgrade LAX-PPT, but it was not possible. However, business class was full, but coach was not, and we could spread out. On the way back, we tried again, and we thought it was going to work, but in the last minute, it didn't. We were in the lounge with friends who had business class seats, and it was much more pleasant there because of the A/C. The plane was completely full on the return trip and not very pleasant in coach. I remember reading on one of these boards that they are upgrading the airport in PPT, but I don't remember when. (I doubt it will be relevant for your timeframe.) The bottom line is that I think it is probably worth the upgrade if you can do it for $600 pp and your budget permits.

[azgkrudi]

We flew business LAX-PPT and first PPT-LAX. IMO, well worth the upgrade, even just to have use of the lounges, especially on the return - PPT is not a very nice airport. It was great to escape the hot and VERY crowded downstairs.

 

The seats and amenities in business were decent, but first class is over the top. The seats were much better than business - fully adjustable at every point - great lumbar support, extended/adjustable leg support for any height, and of course, a full 180-degree recline. Pajamas, slippers, fluffy down pillows & comforters - we slept better than we sometimes do in our own bed! 1 flight attendant to 6 of us, so you can imagine how attentive the service was. The menu seemed upgraded from what we had in business, as well. We also had our own bathroom - it was almost twice the size of the business class bathroom, and had an array of freshen-up items (I forget the brand, but it was the expensive stuff ;)).

 

The price difference may not be worth it to some, but it was our anniversary and hey, you only live once, and you honestly don't know how much longer you have!

[CRIMMS]

Thanks so much for all the Air Tahiti Nu Tips. it seems if the price is right and the seats are available an upgrade is worth the expense. I never read the tip about the A/C lounge upstairs! I knew this message board would give me more than I asked for! The size of seats, bathrooms, food, ect!!!!!!! :)

[freddie]

We upgraded in advance to business both ways, in order to be certain of getting the upgrade. It is more expensive that way, but without risk of not being able to upgrade. (It's our impression that upgrades on the PPT-LAX leg are very hard to get at the airport - on our flight, there was no such availability). In fact, now that I recall, we flew outbound on ATN and inbound on Air France. The Air France business class was a bit better than the ATN; but both were quite good. The flight attendants were nicer on ATN. A wonderful aspect of upgrading was the use of the lounges at each airport. The one at LAX was a welcome respite from the ghastly chaos of the Bradley Terminal - what a wretched zoo that terminal is!!! We were able to relax in a pleasant, although far from lavish, lounge, with a good supply of decent booze and snacks, plenty of comfortable chairs, and good cell phone reception. Even more important, as it turned out, was the privilege to use the lounge at PPT. That airport is quite basic - very crowded and not air-conditioned. The lounge, however, is neither crowded nor hot. The selection of wine, beer, sodas, and nibblies was modest but quite acceptable; and the cool, cool space with lots of comfy seating was, as the ads says, "priceless". Cheers, Fred

[CRIMMS]

Thanks again for all your help! Its so nice to get advice from people that are smart and know how to get the biggest bang for buck! I was surprised to see the U.S prices for round trip for 2 non-stop from LAX to Papeete on Feb.9th! $2400 coach,$8600 business and $16400 first class!!!! I will try my luck at the airport for an upgrade ( I saw $600 per person on this board at the airport ) even though it will be slim to none to get. But at least got a tip about arriving early at the airport to try it. Thanks again for all your help-we can't wait to sail on the P.G!!! CRIMMS-N.J

[cwc]

CRIMMS, are you using Regent for air or you booking the air portion by yourself? If you are not planning to do hotel stay for pre or post cruise, booking the air through Regent will definitly save you more money than on your own.

 

Think about that. Good luck!

 

Cindy

[karenj4546]

Thanks again for all your help! Its so nice to get advice from people that are smart and know how to get the biggest bang for buck! I was surprised to see the U.S prices for round trip for 2 non-stop from LAX to Papeete on Feb.9th! $2400 coach,$8600 business and $16400 first class!!!! I will try my luck at the airport for an upgrade ( I saw $600 per person on this board at the airport ) even though it will be slim to none to get. But at least got a tip about arriving early at the airport to try it. Thanks again for all your help-we can't wait to sail on the P.G!!! CRIMMS-N.J

 

Yes, it was quoted as $600, but that either didn't include tax or some other fee. Our bill came to $1348 for the upgrade. The lounge was worth that much alone!

Karen

[karenj4546]

oops...meant to say $600 p/p!

[CRIMMS]

Thanks Karen and Cindy for more upgrade info. I agree Karen, $600pp would be fine compared to double and triple that, I was quoted. How early did you get to airport to get such an offer? You would hate to miss too much of your last day at the airport hoping for an upgrade.

Cindy, we are staying at the hotel intercontinental pre-cruise thanks to the tips on this message board. We were'nt even thinking about the rest up before the P.G and us getting on so late saturday night. We are so happy we found this site! We have to book thru our company Toyota, because we won the trip. We just have to pay for extras, like upgrades and post cruise stay ect. Yes, we are so lucky to win such a trip! Crimms

[karenj4546]

We flew back from Mo'orea on the 5:45 flight, walked to the international terminal and got in line (must have been about 6:15 and they started at 7PM through "initial security").

Now, here's a BIG heads up.....there was already a line of about 5 couples in the "first and business class", but no one in the economy line. So, we were first in THE RIGHT LINE. Once folks figured out that they were in the wrong line, they tried to cut back in, but security didn't let them. (It pays to read signs!) Business class had 8 seats available. First was empty.

Some folks were ticked off, but again...read the signs (they were in French and English, so there's no excuse).

Karen

[CRIMMS]

Thanks Karen, That just another example how great this message board is! We will head right to the economy line and try for an upgrade. Each day we pick up another tip to save us time or meney-Thanks soo much!!!

 

Crimms

[egret]

I second the opinion that the Air Tahiti Nui service is following the unfortunate US trend, poorer food and less service. I tried to talk the wife into trying for business class from PPT to LAX, but she didn't think it was worth the money even at $600 PP. I guess she feels if there was no pain to the trip I would want to do it even more frequently. She may have a point. Another $1200 also would probably cover another whole day in paradise.

Just a dissenting opinion.