Papeete Airport

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 !

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.

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.

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 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.