Air Tahiti Nui/Upgrades to Business??

[Michael@ssrp]

We are going on the 10 day in August, got the free airfare deal which made the trip even more attractive...:D Checked with our TA in Toronto re; upgrades to Biz class and was quoted $3300 pp to do so in advance:eek: out of LAX. Remember hearing/reading somewhere about folks who bought an upgrade at the airport day of for some more reasonable sum...Is that still an option on AT?? Easier to do on the outbound or return? Inquiring minds newly afflicted with the FP flu seek the wisdom of prior patients...

[Lera]

we just returned from PG cruise (March 13). Upgrade to Biz was available at LAX for $800 each way. didn't ask if it was available on the return. We passed and didn't regret it. the seat are old-style (not lie-flat) and only give you a little more room. The service was great in coach - two decent meals, non-stop drinks (including sparkling wine) and personal video screens with choice of channels (although not on-demand, but they run cycles). to each his own, but we were happy in coach. the seat pitch was a little bigger than normal US airlines - i'm 6' tall and my knees weren't touching the seat in front.

[Michael@ssrp]

Thank you for the speedy and informative reply. Biz for the nightime return might be more comfortable to sleep if available...Still pricy but better than the advanced/reserved cost. Thanks again.:)

[FlightMedic555]

Here is a picture of their business class seats. I would also consider for the return. They do not look anything like long haul business class seats that you will find on the major airlines but obviously better than coach.

 

 

http://www.airtahitinui-usa.com/inflight/business.asp

[pacheco18]

If we want to upgrade, do we have to wait until we get to the airport? Can you call ahead of time?

[south seas sue]

I would think you should call ahead just to see if there are any 1st class seats available. There are not that many, and they may be all gone. When I went with my daughter a few years ago, we made sure we were first in line at the counter, and were able to purchase the upgrade for $800. The price may have gone up, their overall airfare certainly has. Also, we paid more on the way back - about $150 more. In our case, the extra cost was well worth it for the extra leg room.

[pacheco18]

1600 apiece - 3200 total - I could get some nice Tahitian pearl earrings for that.

 

We are very spoiled flyers because I have so many miles but maybe I will tough it out in coach and spend the money on something special.

 

Thanks for the response. It's a decision for later on

[Cruisedreamer1]

If there are business class seats available it is well worth the extra cost. The seats are wider and the food is much better than coach. It was the seating that made it worthwhile. The first time we did this, we walked off the airplane ready to board the ship and enjoy the first night!!!

 

We got to the airport early to ensure that we were first or second in line to obtain an upgrade. The first class seats we thought were not worth it(we looked through the curtain) but business class seats were great.

 

We never have been able to get an upgrade on the return portion of the flight. There were too many people who had booked the seats prior to the start of the cruise.

 

The food on the return was horrible and I thought that the service was just barely passable in coach.

 

The return upgrade cost was $100 less than the outgoing cost(this may have changed since we did this).

 

I am not certain which cruise itinerary you are on, but if you are flying out of Fiji or to Fiji (Air Pacific also has an upgrade option at the airport-we could not upgrade since the flight was full).

 

You might go on Kayak and see if you can make a business reservation for the date of your flight and prior to clicking for payment you can bail out. This will let you know of your chances for an upgrade. If you upgrade, you have rights to the business class lounge which is nice and offers a quiet place to wait and snacks.

 

Good luck!

[FlightMedic555]

If you have tons of American Airline miles you can book with them on the Air Tahiti flight.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Too bad PG cruises is charging so much for upgrading--Regent used to offer some reasonable prices.

 

The space is definitely worth it. Food is always awful coming back from FP, presumably because provisioning in Papeete is difficult.

 

But overall coach is not bad on ATN.

 

The airport on your way out is always chaos--getting an upgrade going home is tough. Even when you have a Biz ticket already, they make you wait in line intolerably long in Papeete--when we did it they had one biz check-in, awful.

[DrmnOfMaui]

Too bad PG cruises is charging so much for upgrading--Regent used to offer some reasonable prices.

 

The space is definitely worth it. Food is always awful coming back from FP, presumably because provisioning in Papeete is difficult.

 

But overall coach is not bad on ATN.

 

The airport on your way out is always chaos--getting an upgrade going home is tough. Even when you have a Biz ticket already, they make you wait in line intolerably long in Papeete--when we did it they had one biz check-in, awful.

 

I have only done the trip once, but Wendy, you hit the nail on the head about the food. I was so impressed with the food on the way over - SO much better than the "pig in a blanket" I was offered on Continental last year! On the return however, the food was just plain yucky... I think I ate a little yogurt and a little fruit. The rest was not worth the calories. We left at 11:30PM and I was ready to try to sleep, but the food service was very noisy. By the time everything was cleaned up it was after 2. Then around 4:45 they started all over again. Admittedly I was fairly grumpy about leaving the ship and then so much noise while I was trying to sleep...

 

Our lines weren't too bad at Papeete, but the "real world" is definitely a shock to the system after the PG! :D

[cmstraf]

We cannot manage an upgrade to business this trip, but we have NEVER traveled business and regretted the miles or money spent! You get not only a much more pleasant 8+ hour trip and the feeling that you have actually started or are still on vacation, but you are saved possibly days of fatigue in both directions. I recently suggested to a couple going on PG for their honeymoon that they consider flying business instead of adding on an extra day at the end of their cruise (they already have a precruise stay planned).