Airport Madness in Tahiti

[Degas]

For all of you who are returning to reality and your flight leaves in the evening......FORGET the transfers and take a taxi!!!!!!

Find out when your airline opens their counters and be there early. Yes I know that you might have to sit for a couple of hours...............

BUT at least you will get a seat!!!! The buses with people with transfers seem to arrive all at the same time. The little airport is not meant for 600 people all wanting to get thru the lines and dump their luggage!!!!

No A/C makes it unbearable to stand for 3 hours in lines and wait your turn.

GO EARLY .....SPEND THE $20.00 or whatever

YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OR go business class......it was money well spent for me....no line ups etc:)

But I felt bad for the 100's of people waiting for Air New Zealand.Air France and Ait Tahiti Nui that all leave in the late evening!!!!!!

[nattie]

EEK! My flight doesn't leave till late at night!

 

I was actually thinking about doing an island tour on our departure day after storing luggage at the airport.

 

Do you think it is feaseable?

[Degas]

Absolutely ...take the tour. If I am not mistaken the ticket counter opens at 6:30 ???There is a flight to LAX that leaves at 8pm so if you could manage to get to the counter around 6:30 before all the busses for Lax and Air new Zealand and Air france dislodges its passengers fro the busses you will not have to stand and wait in line in the unrelenting humidity.

Good luck....please don;t let this part of your vacation worry you,. I place is heaven!!!!!!!

Check out my review 13-24oct of the PG for more details

[AtA]

Are you sure about the 8 PM flight? I know there's a 10 PM and an 11 PM.

[Degas]

Positive,

When I left on the 24th at 11:30 pm approx....for LAX and then Vancouver....my friends from the eastern US and Canada left that same night at about 8pm. They went on the bus at about 6:30 to thre airport. I got an email from her that said the airport wasn;t too crowded and the counter had just opened.

It isn't until later that all the other airlines..Air New Zealand and AIr France and ATN leave from about 8 to 11:30 PM that the crowds get nuts in the small terminal.

[meherio]

Ia orana

yes the counters do open only 3 hours in advance and by then already many passengers are in line. The Lack of Ac in the terminal is a very well known fact ( for many years that I have known faaa. the Fans are absolutely ineffective (a change of shirt has beed necessary on many occasions before boarding the plane) That last hinano shirt you did not buy in town will now be very welcome at the duty free shop!.

 

For those leaving the ship early, you can use the lockers behind the shell lei market and make sure to reutrn at least 3 hours before your flight.

 

Keep in mind that Atn sells upgrades for $ 700 per person one way on a stand by basis, anpother way to avoid the lines. My check in lastedc 10 minutes in total 3 hours before the flight.

A walk up hill to a great Chinese restaurant "L'ocean" always does the trick.

 

Welcome back Degas

meherio

[spate]

We have a 7:30 pm flight back to LAX. Are those as crowded as the late night flights and do you need to get there more than 3 hours before to beat the ship transfer rush?....thx

[Degas]

I wrote this heads up for anyone who flys out of fa'a airport. Keep in mind the airport is really really small. It is totally inadequate for all the people who pass thru it everyday. Having said that they do the best they can with what they have. And usually with smiles. Check out when you arrive WHEn the ticket counter opens on your day of departure and if you want to have an easy time there GO EARLY TO THE AIRPORT.

Otherwise you could be in line in the unrelenting un A/C'd humid heat ...standing for 2-2.5 hours.

Your call.

[kusscate]

The wait at the airport for the 11:30 plane on 10/31 was about 45 minutes. (Two lines -- one to check in and then security, where they took my little nail file that I'vetravelled with for at least 20 years.) I think it was a little longer for the 10 pm plane. We got there three hours in advance. Once you are in, the sitting area is nice. And there is a bar upstairs for your last Hinano oportunity.

Skip the Princess transfer. It is $30 per person. We left the ship 45 minutes later and arrived at the same time. Cab was $35 (incl. luggage)

[mipps]

We got there at about 6AM for an 8AM flight on AirNZ and we were about the 10th couple in line when the counters opened. It took us about 20 minutes to get from the counter ... through baggage, customs and security. After hearing so many horror stories we were very very surprised. The staff at the boarding counter noticed I had injured myself and had trouble walking so they put me to the front of the queue and I got wheeled onto the plane.

 

:)

[AtA]

Just so I'm clear, you're saying if you have biz class the wait is shorter? Once you get through check in and security, is it a/c then or do you also wait in an unairconditioned area? What about for biz class folks?

[meherio]

Ia orana

Shorter lines, Air conditionned lounge with free Hinano,... That's the life of the lucky 26 'chosen' people in Business class and 6 in first class.

 

Well worth the $ 700 upgrade fee if you can afford it

 

meherio

[AtA]

Ia orana

Shorter lines, Air conditionned lounge with free Hinano,... That's the life of the lucky 26 'chosen' people in Business class and 6 in first class.

 

Well worth the $ 700 upgrade fee if you can afford it

 

meherio

We are already booked in Biz class as my S.O. prefers it because of his back. I'm just lucky to be able to go along for the ride with someone special. :)

[meherio]

ia orana and Bon Voyage

 

keep in mind that the upgrade offer is valid from Business class to First, those overnight flights on a full 180 degree flat seats with a duvet and pajama....

 

Meherio

[AtA]

now there's a thought! lol

[Jenny526]

Any one know what time do they take you to the airport if you have a transfer for a late night flight? (11:30pm); trying to decide how to handle the last day. So far I think we are going to get a room at Le Meridian (sorry about spelling). How far in advance do you need to be at the airport?

 

thanks for any help

[Degas]

I think they wanted us in line for the bus at 7:30. As we were leaving on the disembarcation day there were 3 buses full. From our ship and when we arrived at the airport the Tahitian princess had just dropped off all of their buses so the airport was a madhouse.

Take a cab and get there early. I hear how lucky people have been at the airport....but if the Tahitian princess is docked when you dock and you are leaving on disembarcation day.....there will be crowds of people.

[Spikesgirl]

Jenny, we had a room at Le Meridien and flew out at about 11:30 p.m. We arrived at the airport (the hotel will book a shuttle for you at a flat fee) and arrived there at about 8 p.m. The line was out the door and snaked around several times. Thankfully it was for a different flight than ours, but it was still really crowded there. And this was a non-cruise arrival day. Can't imagine what it's like to fly on the day you disembark...

 

Meherio is right about the upgrade though. Waiting in the private lounge is much more relaxing than being the rest of the crowd. This is one flight that I urge folks to upgrade to business or first. It's worth every penny you spend for it.

 

Charlie

[gwade]

Has anyone taken HA to HNL? What was their checkin like? Did they have a shorter line for their First (really 2 class business) Class?

[AliceJ]

Just flew back (sadly) yesterday from Tahiti via Air Tahiti Nui. First and Business class travelers have access to a nice air conditioned lounge - worth it for the 2 hours we waited!! We flew to and from Bora Bora and waited in the main area for flights - never figured out how they fit a large jets worth of people in that area!!

 

We arrived early for the flight, but the waiting area seemed to fill up early.

 

Found business class with Tahiti Nui to far exceed any first class experience on any American airline. Also far surpassed British Air.

[fishman620]

For those of you who cannot afford the upgrade, after check-in (we arrived 3 hours early for our 10 pm flight) go upstairs. You can sit comfortably upstairs under one of the giant fans and not that many people are around. There is a small food stand that serves beverages too. Their seating upstairs is comfortable. One more word of advise DONOT take the transfer from the cruiseline, you will be stuck with all the other hoards of people waiting in line. Take a cab, its less expensive and you will be there ahead of the crowd. :cool:

[laurieb]

We flew HA, just got back Sunday. yes, they did have a separate, short line for check-in. I must say, I loved customs at HNL compared to LAX, very fast!!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm curious about the 7:30-8 timeframe for departure to LAX. What airline was it?

 

Be aware that the cheap biz class upgrades are tough to get, and if you do want to try you have to get there very early and be prepared to be disappointed. Just getting *any* kind of business class seat on ATN is tough apparently, I'm trying for a couple next December, and it's in the lap of the gods whether I get one.

[Seal]

I'm curious about the 7:30-8 timeframe for departure to LAX. What airline was it?

 

Be aware that the cheap biz class upgrades are tough to get, and if you do want to try you have to get there very early and be prepared to be disappointed. Just getting *any* kind of business class seat on ATN is tough apparently, I'm trying for a couple next December, and it's in the lap of the gods whether I get one.

 

7/8 am Papette to LAX---Air France

 

ATN--we had Princess hair a year or two ago--you need to be first in line and upgrade 500/600 for business--also--once you arrive in Papette--you would think that you could upgrade for the return flight--got the same situation--just get in line early--we got upgraded going back to LAX--we had no choice that one time but to take Princess Air--but it worked--currently we're using Air France

 

Nancy:D

[spate]

We have a 7:30pm 3/10 on ATN but had to pay $100pp extra to get it.