Later this year, Air Tahiti Nui will be refreshing their fleet. The airline currently has five Airbus A340s, and later this year they’ll take delivery of their first of four Boeing 787-9s, which will replace the A340 fleet by 2019. Air Tahiti Nui’s average fleet age will go from 16 years to just a few months by some point next year.
In March Air Tahiti Nui announced their first 787 routes, as they’ll begin flying the plane to Auckland and Los Angeles as of November 2018, and to Tokyo as of February 2019.
While we had a general sense of what the cabins would look like, up until now Air Tahiti Nui hasn’t released any renderings of the new cabins. They’ve now done that, and there’s even a further pleasant surprise.
First of all, Air Tahiti Nui will be introducing a new livery on their Boeing 787s, which is breathtaking, in my opinion.
Wow, wow, wow. This has to be one of the most beautiful livery redesigns we’ve seen in a long time. Most airlines updating liveries seem to feel like they need to completely reinvent themselves, while I think Air Tahiti Nui’s livery is a nice update to the current livery.
So, what will the 294 seats on Air Tahiti Nui’s 787-9s look like?
Business class will consist of 30 B/E Aerospace Diamond seats, in a 2-2-2 configuration.
Premium economy will have 32 seats, in a 2-3-2 configuration.
Economy will be in the typically snug 3-3-3 configuration, which is tight. For economy passengers I’d say this is a downgrade compared to the 2-4-2 configuration on the A340.
Air Tahiti Nui’s cabins aren’t exactly industry leading, but they don’t have to be. They don’t have many competitors in the markets they operate in, and they’re also mostly going after a leisure crowd. While on one hand it’s sad to see an airline introduce a new business class that doesn’t feature direct aisle access from every seat, given that many people traveling to/from Tahiti are couples, I guess that’s not unreasonable.
But I think the real stunner here is Air Tahiti Nui’s new livery.
What do you make of Air Tahiti Nui’s new livery and cabins?
(Tip of the hat to @sggolfer17 & @AVgeeksTahiti)
@David no lonley travelers on the way to Tahiti.
@David it's perfectly acceptable for couples who like sleeping next to each other and being able to talk during a half-day flight.
2-2-2 configuration in Business Class is not longer an acceptable option for long-distance flying.
Beautiful!
WOW, this has to be one of the best new liveries introduced in recent memory.
Looks good to me! Can't say I've taken Air Tahiti though. If what ^ Kevin mentioned about the lounge is the case, then they should definitely invest in making their lounge more comfortable. A stuffy lounge is not the best way to start a vacation even if they walk into such this upgraded plane.
Economy cabin colors are beautiful.
Instead of upgrading airplane seats, I wish they would upgrade their business class lounge at PPT. During the “winter month” of July, it was hot and stuffy in the lounge not to mention insanely crowded. If they would just put in air condition for the business lounge, it would be fantastic. I don’t even care if they have sadly looking food in the lounge.... I just want cool air and a seat!
Weren’t the old business seats angled flat? If so this is an upgrade
If not... never mind!
@ JRMW -- Yes, they were angled, so the new seats are definitely an upgrade.
Thanks Lucky! We will be flying to Tahiti from LAX or SFO in August of 2019. My wife and I want to avoid middle seats, so Business or Premium Economy seem best. Do you think the new plane will be flying from LAX-PPT then? Also, do you think United will be flying SFO-PPT still? And, what do you think about Premium Economy on Air France?
I’m assuming we’ll pay cash or pay with points as I expect award travel will be scarce. Comments? Thanks.
@ Jeepie -- Yes, the new Air Tahiti Nui planes will be flying to LAX as of this year, so next year they should still be flying to LAX. Premium economy or business should both be nice. We'll have to see if United maintains service to Tahiti, as we don't know yet beyond their first seasonal service. Air France premium economy is alright -- it's generally not regarded as the best premium economy out there, but it's definitely better than economy.
Beautiful livery.
Unfortunately, our experiences with Air Tahiti Nui and PPT airport have been among the worst.
They seem to have a deplorable blend of lackadaisical Polynesian adherence to schedules and the charm of French bureaucracy. Reasonable requests (water) are often answered with a shrug or "no."
The options to go to Tahiti have been very limited, and it finally wore us down, so we will probably not be back.
LOVE. IT.
Love the livery! The only thing I’m not sure about is the font; I’m not sure it fits in with the rest of the plane. Apart from that, it looks fabulous!
This business class seats are so last decade. If they want to go 2-2-2, why not choose the Jamco ones that are currently in Latam A350. Or better yet, the ones that Latam have in their 789? They have so much space and so much legroom.
@Lucky any chance we get some fresh reviews this upcoming week? :)
Beautiful pastel shades enhanced by the pillows