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AIR
TAHITI is the principal domestic
scheduled airline in Polynesia.The network covers all of Polynesia.
Air Tahiti's customers consist of an international tourist clientele, and
a local clientele who travel for tourism, business, and
"welfare" reasons. The latter includes passengers from remote
and isolated islands, but also more generally all the exchanges of an
administrative nature between Tahiti and the islands ; education, health
care, etc. ...
The AIR TAHITI fleet consists of 10
aircraft. They are "young" planes (average age 3.5 years)
and they are each in the air for an average of about 6 hours per day.
fleet includes three ATR42-500, five ATR72-500 ,
and two Dornier 228.The ATR are built by the ATR European Consortium. AIR
TAHITI has been using these aircraft for the last 10 years, and has
already resold 7 ATR planes so as to keep its fleet up to date with the
latest standards of comfort and performance..
The turboprop aircraft well adapted to inter-island
flights. Reliability, easy maintenance,
and low running costs are the reasons for the choice of aircraft. The
nature and the length of the runways, and the geographical dimension of
the network, provide conditions where this type of aircraft can be used to
the best technical and economic advantage.
AIR TAHITI's annual traffic is 621 000
passengers made up of 70% local clients and 30% international tourists. Since 1980 air traffic has been increasing at an annual rate of 10 to
15%.
The international clientele
mostly purchase their trip to Polynesia through a specialized
tour-operator.
The local clientele includes tourist trips as well as business and
welfare trips.
Connection
timesMinimum
connecting time between 2 Air Tahiti flights is 60 minutes. For
connections from Air Tahiti to an International flight the minimum
connecting time is 90 minutes. Due to the consequences of a
misconnection, we advise you not to choose the last Air Tahiti connecting
flight preceeding your international flight, especially in the event of
bad weather. Some especially short connections can be arranged under the
close monitoring of your tour-operator.
Air Moorea
is the operating carrier for most Tahiti-Moorea flights, and, in the
Tahiti-Faaa airport, the Air Moorea check-in counter is 200 meters away
from the Air Tahiti check-in counter. Connecting time is also 60
minutes.
Transfers
on Bora Bora
The
airport is located on an islet (Motu Mute). AIR TAHITI provides a
launch service, "Bora Bora Navettes", between the airport and
Vaitape, the principal village. The duration of the boat crossing is about
15 minutes. Each passenger is required to identify its baggage before
boarding the launch and again upon arrival in Vaitape.
To get to the airport aboard Bora Bora Navettes, departure from the quay
in Vaitape is 1h15mns before each flight departure.
Some hotels handle the direct transfers of their
clients and their baggage. Please note that in this case, AIR TAHITI's
responsibility for the baggage begins when bags are delivered at the
baggage claim area in the airport upon arrival and from the time they are
checked in with AIR TAHITI for the flight leaving Bora Bora upon
departure.
To/from remote islands
Communities residing on remote islands benefit
from a policy designed to reduce geographical isolation. These links
correspond more or less to the flights made with the Dornier aircraft.
There are about fifteen islands in this category. They are served by an
ATR for the first part of the flight from Tahiti to a "Hub" (Hao,
Makemo, Rangiroa, or Nuku-Hiva). From there passengers are transferred
by a Dornier to their final destination.
This solution permits the
Dornier to be used on shorter distances. The service is cross-subsidized
by a 5% share of the fares paid by passengers flying to other
destinations.
Airpasses There
are a few rules which have to be respected, like beginning and ending your
islands-hoping-trip in Tahiti, and making your circuit in no more than
28 days.
Out of 4 Passes make the choice that suits you
best:
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DISCOVERY
PASS: Discover our islands at a low price, each island has its own
particular charm... With the Discovery Pass, you can visit the islands of Moorea,
Huahine and Raiatea |
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BORA
BORA PASS: Visit the mythical, Bora Bora, the twin sister island of
Tahiti, Moorea, and take advantage of discovering other equally enticing
islands... With the Bora Bora Pass, you can visit the islands of Moorea,
Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Maupiti |
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LAGOON
PASS: Dive into the fascinating lagoons of the Tuamotu atolls and get
a different perspective by visiting Moorea a high island with unrivaled
multiple highlights...
With the Lagoon Pass, you can visit the island of Moorea and the
atolls of Rangiroa, Manihi and Tikehau |
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BORA-TUAMOTU
PASS: Get the big picture! Visit all of the Society Islands, from the
best known to the most typical, and discover the charm of life in the
Tuamotus...
You can visit the islands of Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea,
Bora Bora and Maupiti as well as the atolls of Rangiroa,
Manihi and Tikehau |
(To
each of these Passes, you can add the
Marquises Extension or the Australes Extension)
A - Marquesas Extension
(The Marquesas Extension has to be
purchased in combination with any of the basic Passes) : Discover French
Polynesia in a new dimension, walk in the footsteps of Jacques Brel, Paul
Gauguin and Stevenson... Get the feel of the Marquesas. You can visit Nuku
Hiva and Hiva Oa. The total fare is equal to the Pass Fare + the
Extension Fare
B - Australes Extension
(The Australes Extension has to be purchased in combination with any of
the basic Passes): To the South of the South Seas, discover the Australes
Islands.
You can visit Rurutu and Tubuai. The total fare is equal to the
Pass Fare + the Extension Fare
C Double Extension!
You can even add two Extensions to the same Pass : then Polynesia will
hold no more secrets for you! For example : Bora Bora Pass + Marquesas
Extension + Australes Extension.
General conditions for using the Pass fares These fares are valid through
December 31st of the current year and may be subject to change.
Pass fares apply
to adult and child. Point to point fare should be applied to infants (less
than 2 years old). Fares include the airport shuttle boat service in Bora
Bora, airport taxes and VAT taxes
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Trips with a Pass must
begin and end in Tahiti
- In principle a Pass consists of a closed circuit. However, you do have
the right to make one or more segments of your trip by surface or by
alternative means of transport.
- The islands of each
archipelago (or extension) must be visited collectively
- In each Pass, islands
can be visited in any order given that conditions are respected
- Not all the islands entitled by a Pass have to be visited
- Stopover on an island
(this paragraph does not apply to Tahiti):
Only one stopover is authorized per island. A transit where the flight
number changes is considered as a stopover
Exception : Bora Bora - Manihi or Manihi - Bora Bora with a transit of
less than one hour in Rangiroa
- Stopover and
transit in Tahiti :
A return to Tahiti during the Pass is not permitted
Exception : the Lagoons Pass when traveling from Moorea to the Tuamotu or
vice versa.
- The total duration of
the voyage should not exceed 28 days (including Passes with
extensions).
- All flights Tahiti
- Moorea or Moorea - Tahiti operated by AIR TAHITI or Air Moorea
are eligible for the Pass fares
- Tickets can be issued
only when all flights are booked and confirmed.
Exception : Open segment is permitted for Tahiti - Moorea or Moorea -
Tahiti only
- Once the travel has
started, reservation changes are not allowed, and the Pass becomes non
refundable..
Conditions above apply to extensions as well as the following:
- The Austral or Marquesas
extension has to be purchased in combination with one of the 4 Passes
- Extension must be used as
a whole before or after the Pass (not in the middle)
- The two extensions can be
bought for a single Pass.
- One stopover in Tahiti is
authorized between the Pass and extension or vice versa.
For
more general information
on French Polynesia, go to: |
