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Papeete Airport Passenger Reviews and Papeete Airport Traveller Reports
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PAPEETE AIRPORT customer review : 22 March 2013 by R Schack (USA) |
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Rating : 4/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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It took an hour and 20 minutes of standing in line to go through Passport Control. The staff were pleasant,
but consumer satisfaction is not a high priority.
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PAPEETE AIRPORT review : 15 February 2010 : by K Brown
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
Our recent trip to Tahiti getting through customs was very slow as the computer scanners used
by customs to record the passport details of each traveler were not working and each passport
had to be manually photocopied. Manual copying was disconcerting in this modern age of
heightened personal security and safety in travel. Should you be heading for Papeete airport
as a visitor from anywhere other than Europe take some snacks and water for your wait in a
lengthy queue in a very warm hall.
PAPEETE AIRPORT review : 20 March 2009 : by Bill Atkins
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
I have used the Business lounge in Papeete for 20 something years and have survived. It is not
perfect, but I consider it part of the travel experience and it has a certain charm which is
unique to this part of the world. Just enjoy the difference! I will be there again in 3 weeks
and it is an essential part of the trip.
PAPEETE AIRPORT review : 17 March 2009 : by L Kirk
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
Papeete Business Lounge is definitely substandard! If they are going to have late night /
early morning departures then they need to ensure facilities are stocked. When you do find
the lounge (poor signage) what awaits you is only two shared toilets for the whole lounge!!!!
The food is inadequate and clean up of cups etc just not to par. The icing on the cake was
the 3week old english speaking paper.
Papeete Airport by Kurt Zing
12 October 2006 Customer Rating : n/a
We were booked to fly from PPT to Sydney on Air Tahiti Nui, checking in
at midnight. Having paid for Business class, we were looking forward to
relaxing in the Business lounge. After check-in we were told that the
flight was 2 1/2 hours late, and that we could not enter the airport
proper until 1 hour before actual departure. So over 100 passengers had
to share a few uncomfortable plastic seats in the check-in area (non
airconditioned), waiting for the airport to be opened. Not a very good
advert for Tahiti !
Papeete Airport by Roy Sedgwick
24 April 2006
Our evening arrival in March 2006 was efficently dealt with and we were impressed how quickly our
plane load from LA were processed. Our departure was scheduled for 2315 two weeks later and was a totally different story. Our Air
Tahiti fight to LA was delayed until after 0100 and initially we welcomed the luxurious comfort of
the long seats in the departure lounges. We soon discovered however, that although the buildings
appearance gave an impression of being newly built it had no air conditioning, relying on any
breezes keeping the building cool. As any visitor to Papeetee will say, this, even around midnight,
is nonsense. With the hot and humid atmosphere, passengers were soon sweating and buying
ridiculously priced liquid refreshments from the only small, and inadequete refreshment bar on the
upper floor. With nearly two hours to wait for our scheduled 2315 flight plus a further two, Papeete
airport must be one of the last places we would choose to depart from considering the emphasis in
Tahiti appears to be one of attracting tourism. The quite extortionate prices of refreshments
perhaps can be answered by our guide on the island explaining residents didn't pay income tax, the
government applies a higher sales tax, hence the expensive prices on the island. However, why
visitors and departing tourists at the airport have to be charged such extortionate prices does not
welcome return visits. Yes, we were welcomed at Papeete airport with efficiency and courtesy, but our departure could have been far better in air
conditioned lounges with good retaurant facilities at sales free prices.
Papeete Airport by Harun Rathore
1 April 2005
Arrived at and departed from PPT on a two-week Easter holiday. Some of the older comments are indeed
true. Some need explanation. It is true that the immigration for non-FP and non-EU-nationals takes a
while, but it is nothing compared to the ordeals you sometimes have to go through when arriving in
the USA. (I know what I am talking about. I had to cahnge in LAX before going to PPT.)
The staff at PPT is overall very friendly – even at night – there is a little band to welcome you
with traditional Tahitian music. The airport employees do not usually grunt, the problem simply is
the following: If you arrive at Tahiti and you do not understand French, you are as lost as a person
coming to the UK or the USA with little or no knowledge of English would be.
However, when you leave PPT to return back home , you have to pass ONE security control (screening of all your
luggage and your body) before you can check in your luggage, then you have to leave the security
area for some reason no one was able to explain. You pass through a door and are once again in the
airport’s main hall. You then have to go through passport control and have to go through ANOTHER
security control where they screen your carry-on luggage and your body again. After that, you arrive
in the departure lounge. The latter can be crowded if two planes depart at the same time, but there
is one more public waiting room on the second floor, and that was surprisingly empty. Very few
passengers seemed to go there because the signs only read Airport Lounge.
When it comes to boarding, before you leave the terminal to walk out to your plane, there is a THIRD
security check. Security staff pick out some passengers to check them and their carry-on luggage by
hand.
Papeete Airport by Mike Swinburne
6 October 2004
Passed through PPT twice last week as a transit passenger between LAX and AKL.
Being in transit, obviously I didn't see much, but we could have been treated better.
I'm not in the mood for grunts and gestures at 4:30 in the morning and the having to wait in a queue
not knowing what's going on only to find we were waiting for staff to arrive at work to perform
security checks. Also, an earlier posting of our departure time would've been nice. None of us
actually knew what time we were departing again for our onward flight to AKL. Turned out to be a
three and a half hour wait. Knowing this earlier would've ensured a decent nap while waiting rather
than staying awake for fear of missing the flight.
And $2.60 US for a cup of coffee (and a half full cup at that)?
Come on Tahiti. We may not be visiting your island as such (this time anyway!), but we are supporting
your national carrier (Flew in on Air Tahiti Nui).
Better treatment than cattle would be nice.
Papeete Airport by C Meyers
9 March 2004
Papeete airport is a small airport and fairly straight forward. Arrival and immigration can be
frustrating for anyone holding a passport other than a FP, France, or other EU country. The
immigration line is divided into two lines: one for FP nationals, France, and EU countries. The
other for USA, Canada, and others. We disembarked off an Air France 747 that was full (over 300
pax). My wife and I were the only Canadians on board with about 50 US citizens. Although there
were over 250 pax in the FP, France line they were processed much faster than the 52 pax in the
other line. It was frustrating to watch a line 5 times larger go through faster. But, that is the
way they do things so we must respect the rules.
Once through immigration it is to the baggage carousel. There is only one carousel and is fairly
large so there is enough room for everyone to find a place to stand and wait for their bags. After
collecting your bags there is a customs check. Agents have drug dogs sniffing and will randomly
check bags. The process here was much shorter than at immigration.
After you pass through customs you will be met by your tour operator. These people operate very
efficiently and will get you on your way without much hassle. I had a connecting flight to Moorea.
The Air Moorea terminal is housed in the building next to the main terminal. I could have walked
there faster than waiting for the tour operator to drive us there. Oh well!
The Check in area is small. Passports are checked when you first enter the terminal. Your baggage
is screened through x-ray then you must get into line to check your bags with the airline. This
process is not very efficient especially if there is more than one flight checking in.
Security screening is efficient and the departure area has duty-free shops. The furniture is very
comfortable and the gate areas do not seem that crowded.
Overall not a bad airport. My biggest complaint is the immigration procedures for Non- EU pax and
the procedure for check-in.
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