Papeete Airport

Customer Reviews

No Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 25 reviews
3/10
No Skytrax Rating
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2/10

"airport is pretty basic inside"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | Arrive at the airport for check-in/bag drop to discover all passengers waiting in lines outside the building as this is where check-in is located. A bit like a shop in a rough inner city area, steel shutters cover all the desk area and these are only raised when it is time for your flight to check-in. This was only two hours before the flight rather than the recommended three for long-haul destinations. Consequently an hour in hot, humid temperatures with the occasional rainfall. There is a canopy over the wait area which offers shelter from rain but nothing else. The airport is pretty basic inside with nothing very much to recommend it. The business class lounge had plenty of seats, a very basic buffet area, reasonable drinks, and self-service. Access to all aircraft is steps because there are no air jetties here. Consequently, passengers are refried on the way to the aircraft.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"amateurish functioning of PPT2

(United States)

Trip Verified | The Papeete airport (PPT) has to be experienced to appreciate how fortunate we are to have competent, well-run, modern airports throughout the world. It’s not third world. Worse. It is an astounding perfect storm of incredibly slow TSA, total indifference, indecipherable in so far as where to go, how to get there. The one happy experience we had was the people, the airport service employees (I’m in a wheelchair), they were friendly, helpful and made up a little for the amateurish functioning of PPT. Our larger issue was United Airlines. They cancelled our return flight at 3:00 am-5 hours after departure time-and immediately a wheel chair attendant showed up to deliver us to two of a few hundred cots—no blanket, pillow, water—in a warehouse near the airport. I looked at a picture of a prison cell and the bed was superior to what United provided for us. We never saw a United person in the multi-hour process. Never again will we fly United OR go through through the Papeete airport (PPT)
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitNovember 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

“never been to a more disorganized airport”

(United States)

Trip Verified | This airport is THE worst! I’ve traveled to many places globally and I’ve never been to a more disorganized airport. If you get there earlier than 3 hours before your flight you will find everything is closed so there is a line full of people waiting for the ticketing agents. That line was well over 2 hours. Thankfully the 1 of 10 ppl who asked to see my passport allowed my partner and I to move over to the priority line which meant we stood in line for an 1 hour. Note the whole time there is no AC so your standing in sweltering heat while you wait. I had asked one of the airport workers where customs and was because we needed to have our receipts stamped in order to get a tax credit for a pearl necklace I bought. They told me I had to do that once I went through security. In security I got asked about 2-3 more times to see my passport and boarding pass. Then I go to the information desk to ask where customs is. Oh it’s on the outside before you go into security and I was told the wrong information. Too bad so sad I can’t take care of my tax stuff anymore and will now need to mail in all this info to get my $80 credit. Now I we wait to start boarding. They had like 4 international flights all leaving within 15 min of each other and it was utter and total chaos! It’s frightening to think the people running this airport are in charge of your safety because they are so disorganized and nothing they do makes any sense. They never told us our flight would be boarding late and it wasn’t until 10 min before our flight was supposed to take off that they finally told us they changed our gate. They had 2 different LAX flights going out which caused confusion since we were at gates right next to each other. People were standing in a very long line and waiting to board because Air Tahiti doesn’t have the common sense to have boarding groups. Then they eventually call rows but they aren’t in order so that creates more chaos. Everyone is blocking everyone because they were all standing in line in front of the gate. So we’re standing in another long line waiting. They obviously can’t handle all these flights going out at once so no clue as to why they wouldn’t even do that instead of staggering them by 30 min or an hour. They also ask you for your passport again 2-3 more times. No exaggeration I had to show my passport 8 times. I will never fly to this airport or on Air Tahiti ever again.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"it has become a complete nightmare"

(United States)

Not Verified | I have been using this airport for close to 20 years and can honestly say it has become a complete nightmare. The day we departed the had 4 International Flights set for Departure at the same time and the airport was a complete disaster. They are in no way equipped or handling 4 flights simultaneously. They seem to have missed the fact they are the size of a municipal airport and trying to have the appearance of an international airport. We arrived at the airport 3 hrs. early as directed and they entire time was spent in the security line. There were 3 passport control employees as the line was wrapped around the building and down the sidewalk to the rental car lot. The workers, while friendly didn't have a care in the world that they were holding up a thousand people from boarding their flight in a timely manner. Their TSA was also the slowest on the planet, taking their sweet time to look at everything and ask the same questions over and over again. We walked on our flight at final boarding and our plane was delayed 20 mins due to more people stuck in the line. They also had a side door at passport control that they allow people to continuously cut in line because their flight was in final boarding, or they seem to know the people working at the airport. We must have had 100 people jump the line in front of us during our 2 hr. 45 min wait time. This airport needs to re-evaluate their procedures and limit the flights departing at the same time as they are in no way up to the standard of being able to work in this manner.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitOctober 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"Departure is a real nightmare"

(Belgium)

Not Verified | Definitely will not be returning via Papeete airport Tahiti. Departure is a real nightmare. Flight left around midnight and it was there 28 degrees outside and inside. No AC, but fans that skew corridors on the ceiling. When the VAT line opened there was only 1 employee for a flight of almost 300 people. However, security left something to be desired. From check in to after the rx check it took almost 2 hours and a half. Security just laughed and asked those stupid questions, like where do you fly on arrival in LA or did you leave your hand luggage alone, no right. Don't think it's possible in 2023! Toilets without AC. After a very nice holiday in Tahiti, employees, airport security and the airport itself tried to ruin the holiday.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitMarch 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Departure is a real nightmare"

(Belgium)

Trip Verified | Definitely will not be returning via Papeete airport Tahiti. Departure is a real nightmare. Flight left around midnight and it was there 28 degrees outside and inside. No AC, but fans that skew corridors on the ceiling. When the VAT line opened there was only 1 employee for a flight of almost 300 people. However, security left something to be desired. From check in to after the rx check it took almost 2 hours and a half. Security just laughed and asked those stupid questions, like where do you fly on arrival LA or did you leave your hand luggage alone, no right. Don't think possible in 2023! Toilets without AC. After a very nice holiday in Tahiti, employees, airport security and airport itself tried to ruin holiday. I was very happy in the morning when we land in LA.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitMarch 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
no
1/10

"airport does not have air conditioning or modern amenities"

(United States)

Not Verified | This airport, like much of French Polynesia, does not have air conditioning or modern amenities. 75% of the restaurants and shops you encounter before security at the airport are always closed for some reason, and the places that are open are very expensive. If you are flying domestic or international there will be one restaurant selection past security. When we had a domestic flight, there were long lines at the “Snack Shack”, I can’t comment on the food quality because there was no power. When I flew international, the one shop selling food was not making iced beverages but was selling hot coffee and sandwiches of rancid meat and cheese. They are probably rancid due to the lack of roper refrigeration in this hot and humid climate. The two upsides are that staff are very friendly and the airport was very clean considering it is all an open space.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitApril 2022
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
4/10

"needs to be updated to meet modern international standards"

(United States)

Not Verified | The airport is located just west of downtown Papeete and is on the sea front. On arrival at the terminal you note that the front of the building totally open. This means that the waiting/check-in area is hot and humid as there is no air conditioning. It also means that the waiting/check-in area is not as clean as some would like. The ticket counters are located a few inches behind doors that roll up and down. The airlines only have their check-in counters open (the rolling doors in the up position) about 3 hours before the flights depart. Food service and shopping are both limited in the departure area before the security check point. After passing thru the security check point there is additional, and better, shopping but even less food service options. All food, both before and after the security check point, is expensive. Seating in the international departure lounge after the security check point is also limited. There are no bridges from the terminal to the planes. Passengers need to walk on the tarmac from the terminal building to the plane and then climb a set of rolling steps to enter the plane. The terminal, while workable, needs to be updated to meet modern international standards.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitMarch 2020
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
1/10

"extremely hot and humid"

(United States)

Not Verified | Papeete airport is dreadful! It has no air conditioning and no fans either in the check in area or the international main departure area. It was extremely hot and humid so I was dripping sweat as were others who stank from the heat. It was very crowded, body to body as all the international flights to the US (and to Europe) go out in the late evening. The good thing about so many bodies is I only got a few mosquito bites while waiting to check in (I had none before getting to Papeete airport). It was a very long wait to check in and they didn't have the counters clearly marked as to what flights each counter person was working. Because of the heat and the long wait and the confusion about which counter did which flight many people were in the wrong lines. The only place with air conditioning on the lower level was the stinky bathrooms which I stayed in for a while despite the stink because I felt like I was going to faint from the heat in the main checkin area. Almost no chairs were available either in the check in area despite many, many people having to wait hours to checkin for all the international flights leaving between the hours of 9-11:55 pm. The main departure lounge was little better. No air conditioning except in the duty free shop. Not enough seats for the many people waiting for their flights. The islands of French Polynesia / Tahiti are beautiful but I would likely go to other South Pacific island countries just because the Papeete airport is so awful.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitApril 2018
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"worst airport I have been to"

(United States)

Not Verified | Will not return to Tahiti unless this airport changes. The absolute worst airport I have been to. Departure was a nightmare. Flight departed at 10.50pm, arrived at the airport at 5.30pm. 88 degrees. No fans turned on, of course no AC, not enough seating for people already there. When the VAT line opened, there was only one employee, 15 people in line. One lady fainted from the heat. It was so hot that the back of my shirt was dripping. McDonald's was just closing and get this! They came out and collected all of the trash cans and stacked up all the chairs and took them away, making even less seating in the terminal. We have a lounge pass which let us in to the Air Tahiti Nui lounge. Still, we could not get to the lounge until they opened the gates at 8.15pm. There was only one employee to be found, and that was a lady at the information desk. Felt sorry for her having to take the wrath of mad customers. Also the bathrooms had AC. Go figure. This experience pretty much ruined the end of our vacation. Which ever country runs this airport-shame on you!
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitMarch 2018
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
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