Paul Gauguin cruise - Tahiti Nui flight

[windsurfer77058]

Can someone tell me about the airplane to Tahiti? We have standard seats. Do we get a movie? Music? Do we need to purchase headphones? How can we make this flight comfortable without booking business class?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

They are Airbuses, pretty comfortable in general. The planes I've been on have individual video viewers in the seat. Choice of a few films, and the usual music. I don't think you have to purchase a headset. Not bad at all.

[windsurfer77058]

Thanks, Wendy. Have you ever taken the helicopter tour on Bora Bora or heard anything about it?

[catmommy]

If I recall correctly you get a small bag that has headphones, a sleep shade and socks. The head phones are nothing great and I used the ones for my ipod with an adapter for the plane jack. (About $6 dollars at Radio Shack.)

 

Individual entertainment screens with various channels of movies and music and cool display showing the plane, temp and airspeed.

 

Food was really quite good and they came around with drinks and hot towels on a fairly regular basis.

 

DH and I had no problems but we are both on the shorter side.

 

Caroline

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I've heard the helicopter ride is great, but I have not taken it.

[mythologist]

Our helicopter ride got rained out, but the others who made it said it wasn't worth it. They said it was way too short and they should have saved their money and bought pearls.

[newlondon]

Strictly a matter of choice, but I do not think you can make a seven hour flight comfortable without upgrading to bc. To be honest the AB 340 bc seats do not recline to fully flat beds so even that isn't perfect. Check seatguru.com

[RachelG]

My son, who is 6'4" said coach "wasn't that bad", better than most other carriers. He thought the food was adequate and they refilled drinks fairly often. He said he watched the movie (no idea whether he purchased headset, used the one he carries in his backpack or was given one) and even slept quite a bit.

The bc class seats don't fully recline, but they are very comfortable and I slept a lot.

[Jancruz]

We are flying ATN to Auckland with an overnight stop in Papeete, Tahiti..not hard to take..will be on in January so will report back on seats and flights.

Jan

*****

[DrHemlock]

Oddly enough, though all ATN aircraft are A-340s, their seating arrangements seem to vary by aircraft. I base this claim upon personal observation, having flown with them twice R/T LAX-Tahiti and once R/T LAX-Paris, always in economy class.

 

I'm 6'2", so I'm sensitive to seat pitch (i.e., leg-room). On two out of the six legs mentioned above, I've been squeezed in like a sardine with my knees absolutely pressed against the seat ahead so the person sitting there could not recline without causing grievous bodily harm to my esteemed self. Uncomfortable in the extreme. The other four flight segments, however, were at least tolerable with an additional inch or two of pitch. It didn't seem to have anything to do with being in or near an exit row, either, as that has never happened.

 

Frankly, I don't know how a person 6'4" could say it "wasn't that bad," but maybe he had a higher paid threshhold than mine.

 

The other comments given regarding economy class are true. They do quite a nice job of providing entertainment and service. And yes, the headphones are free.

 

As for Jan's promised January report: Before you believe anything she writes about seats, ask how tall she is and what she weighs.....

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You're right, I think there's some variation in the aircraft. So in addition to asking weight and height, ask the *name* of the plane. I can't remember the names of the planes that I've been on, except for the Rangiroa.

[RachelG]

I think my son was comparing to some on the other airlines he has been on--"not that bad" is a relative term. I am sure he was pretty crammed in--his knees always touch the seat in front of him unless he is in an exit row (which he wasn't on this trip). Actually I feel sorry for the person in front of him as they can't recline their seat at all.