Air Tahiti Nui Launches Seattle To Paris Flight

Air Tahiti Nui Launches Seattle To Paris Flight

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In October 2022, Air Tahiti Nui launched a new route from Papeete to Seattle. Today the airline is extending this service, with a link between Seattle and Paris.

Air Tahiti Nui’s new Seattle to Paris route

Air Tahiti Nui has just launched a new 2x weekly year-round flight between Seattle (SEA) and Paris (CDG), which is an add-on to the existing Papeete (PPT) to Seattle route.

For the summer season (until October 28, 2023), this route will operate with the following schedule:

TN58 Papeete to Seattle departing 11:35PM arriving 12:00PM (+1 day) [Mon, Fri]
TN58 Seattle to Paris departing 2:30PM arriving 9:00AM (+1 day) [Tue, Sat]

TN57 Paris to Seattle departing 12:05PM arriving 1:20PM [Wed, Sun]
TN57 Seattle to Papeete departing 3:20PM arriving 9:50PM [Wed, Sun]

Then for the winter season (as of October 28, 2023), this route will operate with the following schedule:

TN58 Papeete to Seattle departing 11:35PM arriving 11:00AM (+1 day) [Tue, Fri]
TN58 Seattle to Paris departing 1:00PM arriving 7:30AM (+1 day) [Wed, Sat]

TN57 Paris to Seattle departing 11:35AM arriving 12:50PM [Thu, Sun]
TN57 Seattle to Papeete departing 2:50PM arriving 10:20PM [Thu, Sun]

This service is being operated using a Boeing 787-9. The airline has just four of these aircraft, and they each feature 294 seats, including 30 business class seats, 32 premium economy seats, and 232 economy seats.

Air Tahiti Nui is expanding Seattle service

What’s the logic for Air Tahiti Nui’s Seattle to Paris flight?

French Polynesia is obviously popular with visitors from Metropolitan France, though it’s more or less on the other side of the globe, nearly 10,000 miles away. As a result, Air Tahiti Nui exclusively operates one stop service between Papeete and Paris.

Historically Air Tahiti Nui’s service to Paris has operated via Los Angeles, with the following schedule:

TN8 Papeete to Los Angeles departing 11:45PM arriving 10:35AM (+1 day)
TN8 Los Angeles to Paris departing 1:30PM arriving 9:05AM (+1 day)

TN7 Paris to Los Angeles departing 12:05PM arriving 2:15PM
TN7 Los Angeles to Papeete departing 4:30PM arriving 10:05PM

Essentially what Air Tahiti Nui is doing is rerouting some service to Paris via Seattle rather than Los Angeles:

  • Air Tahiti Nui is reducing Papeete to Paris via Los Angeles service from 7x weekly to 5x weekly, with the addition of 2x weekly Papeete to Paris via Seattle service
  • I would assume that this reflects that Air Tahiti Nui is seeing strong demand for its new Seattle flight; obviously a significant number of passengers on these US flights are simply connecting enroute to Paris, so the question is how the airline can most profitably fill the other seats between the United States and either Papeete or Paris
  • The two routes (via Los Angeles or Seattle) are roughly the same length, as they’re within 35 miles of one another
  • Air Tahiti Nui has a partnership with Alaska Airlines, so perhaps the airline is seeing strong connecting demand for this service
Air Tahiti Nui is mixing up Paris service

While Air Tahiti Nui’s business class hard product leaves a bit to be desired, this sure is a fun, exotic way to travel between Seattle and Paris, if you ask me!

Air Tahiti Nui’s Boeing 787-9 business class

Bottom line

Air Tahiti Nui is this week launching a new year-round flight between Seattle and Paris. The flight operates twice weekly, as a continuing of the existing Papeete to Seattle route. Air Tahiti Nui is reducing its Papeete to Los Angeles to Paris service to make this new route possible, given how few planes the airline has.

What do you make of Air Tahiti Nui’s new Seattle to Paris route?

Conversations (20)
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  1. Azamaraal Diamond

    Flew to Tahiti last fall with wife and the seats were just fine. 787 is my preferred plane so a direct flight from SEA-CDG will be very attractive if the price is right and AS miles awards are available.

    Only hassle was they wanted checkin 3 hours ahead of flight in PPT but only opened the desk and immigration two hours ahead.

  2. Jeff Guest

    If any airline should have a 2-2-2 business configuration I’d say Air Tahiti Nui would make the top of the list as does Hawaiian Airlines. These aren’t necessarily solo destinations, I mean, in most cases anyway.

  3. Tim Dunn Diamond

    it is more likely that Air Tahiti Nui's SEA flight is not doing as well as they hoped so they are tacking on Paris flights in order to help those segments. Their justification is boosted by the fact that Delta started Tahiti on its own metal so the two are basically getting more and more into each other's core markets.

  4. iamhere Guest

    You did not include some useful information for comparison.
    Air France currently operates a similar flight via Los Angeles.
    Air Tahiti does have some code share and/or redemption partners but are not part of Sky Team.

  5. glenn t Diamond

    Yikes! Those business seats are so outdated!

  6. tom Guest

    Air Tahiti's hard product in Business is inferior to AF/DL. Some of their flight attendants have become surly over years of flying the PPT/LAX run filled with American tourists. With only 2 weekly SEA/CDG flights, they need to price lower than the competition. I suspect this route will be eliminated after a while.

    1. John Guest

      Tom, their surly flight attendants are nothing new. They were already surly back in 2013 when I last flew them to Sydney. AirCalin is also like that. I've had lovely service on practically every single South Pacific airline since the 80s (there aren't that many, actually), except on these two. None of their flight attendants ever smiled. Not ever.

  7. Sam Guest

    How does this flight work mechanically for passengers traveling between France and Tahiti? Do they need to clear immigration in SEA or LAX during their transit? And then they all need to get visas or ESTAs for the USA? Must be very annoying for them.

    1. Jerry Wheen Gold

      Yes, you need to enter the US, so immigrations (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) followed by security (TSA).

      Your checked luggage can remain on board.

  8. Mike Guest

    Air Tahiti Nui needs to add more award availability on the SEA-PPT route using Alaska or AS miles

  9. Tom Guest

    Interesting they did this instead of YVR. During the pandemic, they routed their flights PPT-YVR-CDG because many travelers would not be allowed into the US and they had to clear immigration at LAX, even if just connecting. Seems like there would be some benefit to continuing that arrangement for the PPT-CDG passengers who don't want to deal with the US.

    But them picking SEA must mean the Alaska feeds generate quite a bit of...

    Interesting they did this instead of YVR. During the pandemic, they routed their flights PPT-YVR-CDG because many travelers would not be allowed into the US and they had to clear immigration at LAX, even if just connecting. Seems like there would be some benefit to continuing that arrangement for the PPT-CDG passengers who don't want to deal with the US.

    But them picking SEA must mean the Alaska feeds generate quite a bit of business and most people are not going all the way CDG-PPT, but instead taking one of the other shorter segments.

  10. jcil Guest

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with their business class seats, that is if you enjoy sharing a flight with your spouse. Are you still a solo traveler, Ben, even to Tahiti?

    1. BenjaminKohl Diamond

      It's more likely passangers would be traveling solo on the Paris segment.

    2. ConcordeBoy Diamond

      that is if you enjoy sharing a flight with your spouse.

      ...then, as with just about any other carrier, that'd be what the dual middle seats are for.

      This still leaves window pax having to climb over someone else, especially when in full recline, to have to reach an aisle: great in 2005, quite outdated in 2023.

      Not that a primarily V.F.R. airline would be hobbled by such, but still.

  11. DTS Guest

    Don't all passengers that transfer in the US have to clear immigration? Is two hours enough for that? The new arrivals hall at SeaTac is a zoo.

    1. Icarus Guest

      Yes. At LAX it’s quite straightforward on Air France when I did so. Bags were checked through from Paris and documents were checked in the west gates concourse. I didn’t need to trek the the main terminal and back. Staff were there to guide passengers.

    2. Robert Fahr Guest

      Those are some early afternoon departures to Paris. I would experience little sleep and a ton of jet lag.

  12. Steen Grosen Andersen Guest

    Hi
    Air France also offer a one stop service from CDG via LAX to PPT

  13. Willem Guest

    My one data point is the business cabin was full flying from Tahiti to Seattle last month, before the continuation to Paris started. They've also been a lot more generous with award space to/from Seattle than I ever saw to/from LAX

    1. Leo Guest

      I think the award availability and the addition of the extension to Paris is a bit of a concern for the long-term viability of SEA. Hopefully it sticks around, but it is clearly not being sufficiently sustained by SEA origin traffic if they are adding Paris. Back in the day when TN flew to JFK, they added CDG too after originally starting the route as NYC being the only destination, before canning the route.

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Jerry Wheen Gold

Yes, you need to enter the US, so immigrations (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) followed by security (TSA). Your checked luggage can remain on board.

1
John Guest

Tom, their surly flight attendants are nothing new. They were already surly back in 2013 when I last flew them to Sydney. AirCalin is also like that. I've had lovely service on practically every single South Pacific airline since the 80s (there aren't that many, actually), except on these two. None of their flight attendants ever smiled. Not ever.

1
Tom Guest

Interesting they did this instead of YVR. During the pandemic, they routed their flights PPT-YVR-CDG because many travelers would not be allowed into the US and they had to clear immigration at LAX, even if just connecting. Seems like there would be some benefit to continuing that arrangement for the PPT-CDG passengers who don't want to deal with the US. But them picking SEA must mean the Alaska feeds generate quite a bit of business and most people are not going all the way CDG-PPT, but instead taking one of the other shorter segments.

1
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