After travelling from Los Angeles to Papeete aboard Air Tahiti Nui enterprise class, we proceeded to the subsequent leg of our journey from Papeete to Bora Bora with Air Tahiti.

By advantage of being the first home service in French Polynesia, Air Tahiti represents one of many one of many solely choices for reaching Bora Bora by way of airplane. Word that Air Tahiti is a completely separate airline from Air Tahiti Nui, the first worldwide service of the French abroad collectivity, and operates an all-economy fleet of ATR-72 plane.

Air Tahiti – Reserving

We booked our tickets for the intra-island flights immediately on the Air Tahiti web site. Given the remoteness of the territory, flight costs are usually fairly excessive, and you’ll usually count on costs to begin at round 20,000 XPF ($180 USD) one-way for the one-hour journey between Papeete and Bora Bora.

It’s price noting that smaller startup airways like Air Moorea and constitution airways like Tahiti Air Constitution additionally ply their companies on this route, although on a lot much less frequent schedules.

Moreover, there’s additionally a ferry service referred to as Apetahi Specific that operates from Papeete’s foremost harbour to Bora Bora, which takes roughly eight hours, so taking a flight with Air Tahiti is essentially the most time-efficient possibility.

Air Tahiti – Floor Expertise

Faa’a Worldwide Airport is the first worldwide airport in French Polynesia, working each worldwide flights and home flights that connect with different locations inside French Polynesia.

Air Tahiti operates out of a separate home part at Papeete Airport, which is separate from the worldwide part you arrive in.

The home terminal is slightly simplistic, consisting of a single safety checkpoint. When you arrive and clear immigration, stroll to your proper to search out the home check-in counters.

For the reason that ATR-72 has tiny overhead bins, any belongings other than private gadgets wanted to be checked in, so we needed to check-in our carry-on baggage. 

After finishing the check-in course of, we waited within the home departures terminal for about an hour and a half. Regardless of the sweltering warmth, the bogs inside the terminal supplied some type of reduction with air-con.

What’s extra, there are only a few eating and seating areas to select from, and when you cross the safety checkpoint, there’s just one café out there.

Earlier than lengthy, boarding was known as, and we walked from the terminal to the plane since there aren’t any jet bridges on the airport.

Air Tahiti follows an open-seating coverage, that means that seats aren’t assigned throughout check-in. Quite, passengers have the liberty to pick out their very own seats onboard.

It’s advisable to affix the boarding queue as early as doable to safe fascinating views throughout the flight, that are sometimes on the left aspect of the airplane when flying from Tahiti to Bora Bora.

Air Tahiti – Cabin

Our flight to Bora Bora was operated by an ATR-72 plane, particularly the F-ORVS. The ATR-72 are small twin-engine turboprop planes, broadly used for his or her effectivity in regional flights.

The cabin of the ATR-72 options 68 economic system class seats, organized in a 2-2 format. Every seat within the economic system cabin gives the same expertise, with the one notable distinction being the higher views from the left-hand aspect of the airplane.

Air Tahiti – Seat

These Air Tahiti economic system seats supply a reasonably fundamental stage of consolation with a no-nonsense setup. Seat options include a literature pocket on the seat again, in addition to a desk tray which flips down into place.

The tray desk is giant sufficient for a drink or a cellphone, with out a lot house for an excessive amount of else.

General, when you don’t have as a lot legroom, space for storing, or lie-flat functionality, it isn’t an excessive amount of of a priority on a fast one-hour flight with dazzling Pacific Ocean views to occupy your consideration. 

Air Tahiti – Snack Service

After takeoff, a member of the flight crew got here to carry out in-flight service, which consisted of simply juice and water.

Moreover, there was a snack menu with extra gadgets out there for a cost, together with gadgets like cookies, chips, and delicate drinks, which value 220–700 XPF ($2–6 USD).

I spent a lot of this quick flight perusing Air Tahiti’s distinctive in-flight journal. Specifically, I used to be fascinated by the route map, with all of French Polynesia’s islands and atolls unfold out throughout the Pacific Ocean and overlaid on an overview of the European continent for scale. 

Unbeknownst to me, the time handed rapidly, and immediately we have been gracefully descending in direction of the breathtaking paradise of Bora Bora.

Conclusion

Whereas Air Tahiti’s flight from Papeete to Bora Bora could also be thought-about pretty no-frills, particularly contemplating the value level, it finally serves as essentially the most sensible possibility for travellers trying to attain Bora Bora.

Upon touchdown in Bora Bora, we have been greeted with breathtaking views of Mount Otemanu. Shortly after, the Conrad Bora Bora’s consultant awaited our arrival, marking the start of the subsequent part of our journey en path to the resort.