Toronto to Tahiti air

[ayrhead]

Hey Folks,

 

Booked for the April 7/13 cruise and was wondering if any of the cruisers going in January/February could advise on their flight schedule using O air out of Toronto to Tahiti. Hoping they would be the same and help me plan.

 

Thanks.

 

Bob

[JimandStan]

Hey Folks,

 

Booked for the April 7/13 cruise and was wondering if any of the cruisers going in January/February could advise on their flight schedule using O air out of Toronto to Tahiti. Hoping they would be the same and help me plan.

 

Thanks.

 

Bob

 

I believe that they are using mostly charter flights to and from the South Pacific.

[Hawaiidan]

To Jim and Stans info they Charters are on either Atlas air with a 767-300 ER seats are 18 inch wide on a 32 inch pitch and recline 2.5 inches 2-3-2 config

 

or Tahiti NUI on a A330 with 17.2 inch wide seats and 31 inch pitch

 

The Atlas aircraft will be more comfortable, and may offer a business class with 19 inch wide seats on 38 inch pitch . These only recline about 4 to 5 inches. They are not real international seats. UAL has them on their 767-200 and300 aircraft domesticaly.

 

The Tahiti NUI are not much better with only a slight recline and same seat width...

 

From my information most contental mainland passengers fly to LAX and have between a 6 to 18 hour layover. The longer the layover the better because from Toronto your looking at 7 hours of time zone change and 15 hours flying. Breaking it up is very very desireable

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You'll fly through LAX for sure, and you might want to pay the deviation fee to choose the Toronto-LAX leg, so that your layover is either overnight (it does help), or fairly short. I myself have come to prefer flying straight through, but then I always book at least one night in Papeete before a cruise there, preferably two. Of course, if you have time, do both!

[Tansy Mews]

We paid air deviation so we could get a direct fly from LAX to YYZ. Someone else in the Toronto area is flying LAX - Texas then to YYZ! We found that they limited the carriers depending on whom they have contracts with - Air Canada was allowable and we took it for the direct flight. In hindsight, we should have overnighted in LAX. That's a great suggestion from Hawaiidan. BTW, I think it is cheaper to overnight at LAX or vicinity than in Papeete. I haven't investigated fully but it certainly looks that way from the Tahiti prices.

[FlightMedic555]

Air Tahiti Nui is supposed to have refurbished cabins as of June 2013. All new seats, no more first class, expanded business class.

[spindrift]

We are on the Papeete to Auckland cruise and just got our flights today (I think they already had them but would not release them before 75 days out) even tho they advertise that when the cruise is paid for that they will release the flights. We are very unhappy about the delay of releasing flight information because the seats we wanted have already been booked.

 

O won't help us get the seats on the side--that was up to us.

 

More and more I am losing faith in O and their real care about plans for their passengers and even those of us who have multiple trips with them.

 

My flights are acceptable, and I appreciate that, but holding out so we can't get decent seats is so inconsiderate.

[DAllenTCY]

Lots of information available here:

 

http://www.seatguru.com/

[canuck.qc]

We paid air deviation so we could get a direct fly from LAX to YYZ. Someone else in the Toronto area is flying LAX - Texas then to YYZ! We found that they limited the carriers depending on whom they have contracts with - Air Canada was allowable and we took it for the direct flight. In hindsight, we should have overnighted in LAX. That's a great suggestion from Hawaiidan. BTW, I think it is cheaper to overnight at LAX or vicinity than in Papeete. I haven't investigated fully but it certainly looks that way from the Tahiti prices.

When choosing deviation,how far in advance are you able to make your flight arrangements, 330 days out as in regular bookings...I'm still trying to understand how it works....

[Paulchili]

To Jim and Stans info they Charters are on either Atlas air with a 767-300 ER seats are 18 inch wide on a 32 inch pitch and recline 2.5 inches 2-3-2 config

 

or Tahiti NUI on a A330 with 17.2 inch wide seats and 31 inch pitch

 

The Atlas aircraft will be more comfortable, and may offer a business class with 19 inch wide seats on 38 inch pitch . These only recline about 4 to 5 inches. They are not real international seats. UAL has them on their 767-200 and300 aircraft domesticaly.

 

The Tahiti NUI are not much better with only a slight recline and same seat width...

 

 

If you are referring to TN business class, they do appear to be better according to pictures on TN website:

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

While they are not the latest lie-flat seats, they appear to be adequate "inclined lie-flat seats". Certainly better than the UA "BarcaLounger business class seats.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm a bit taken aback that one would have to deviate to get a direct flight from YYZ (Toronto) to LAX. With so many direct flights this is ridiculous.

[rallydave]

When choosing deviation,how far in advance are you able to make your flight arrangements, 330 days out as in regular bookings...I'm still trying to understand how it works....

 

While you are correct that flight schedules normally are released 330 days out, cruise lines including Oceania generally accept and book deviations at about the 270 day mark. Remember, you are normally booking round trip and when the outbound flights are released, the return flights aren't there and can't make partial reservations. At times even 270 days is too early due to lack of definitized contracts with the carriers, etc. Your TA or Oceania should be able to confirm this.

 

The air desk is reachable to determine flight availabilities, when it's time to deviate, etc. but, your TA needs to confirm the bookings with you and Oceania.

[Hawaiidan]

I'm a bit taken aback that one would have to deviate to get a direct flight from YYZ (Toronto) to LAX. With so many direct flights this is ridiculous.

 

Today there are a variety of fares to choose. Non stops carry the highest price maybe 25% higher than if you do 1 stop and higher still than 2 stop.

 

As I understand it the airlines can sell business travelers the non stops as it is time sensitive to them. In this way the airline can route you on flights that are not that full inorder to increase their loads on less profitable routes.

 

You can play this to your advantage. For example I am flying to Hong Kong in a few months. There were no non stops and the shortest time had a 4 hour connection in Tokyo and got in at 11:30 at night 16 hours of flying/

However for much less, I booked a flight with the same 4 hour layover in Tokyo, then connection to Incheon with a 13 hour layover arriving at 8pm.. This offered a nice break in the worlds greatest airport and

break .

Then the next morning a short 3 hour flight to Hong Kong getting in at noon.. The fare was only slightly higher in Business class than it was in coach ! :D

 

This routing never has one on a airplane longer than 8 hours far better than 10 and 5 hours. With nice relaxing breaks to re hydrate and take a break from aluminum tube jet lag experience. So getting nice breaks, a business class seat rather than coach and arriving mid day rather than midnight. ( I hate checking into a hotel at 1 am and paying for the whole day)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Crazy about the non-stops. I guess I keep forgetting that we don't have quite the open market in Canada that you do in the States. Air Canada has plenty of direct flights to LAX, at least they did last time I looked.

[rallydave]

Crazy about the non-stops. I guess I keep forgetting that we don't have quite the open market in Canada that you do in the States. Air Canada has plenty of direct flights to LAX, at least they did last time I looked.

 

Wendy,

 

Are you taking direct flights or non-stops?? There is a difference. Non-stops are self explanatory while direct means that you stay on the flight number but, make at least one stop. Sometimes a direct flight will require a change of planes but, the flight number remains the same.

 

Know people use the terms as if a direct flight is non-stop but, they are not the same and that could cause trouble if you book a direct flight and then are surprised that it stops prior to your final destination and then even more surprised when you have to get off you plane at the stop and get on a different plane.

 

Use direct to mean non-stop at your own risk with travel professionals.

[Tansy Mews]

Wendy,

 

Are you taking direct flights or non-stops?? There is a difference. Non-stops are self explanatory while direct means that you stay on the flight number but, make at least one stop. Sometimes a direct flight will require a change of planes but, the flight number remains the same.

 

Know people use the terms as if a direct flight is non-stop but, they are not the same and that could cause trouble if you book a direct flight and then are surprised that it stops prior to your final destination and then even more surprised when you have to get off you plane at the stop and get on a different plane.

 

Use direct to mean non-stop at your own risk with travel professionals.

There are direct flights from LAX to YYZ but not many.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I was talking non-stop, sorry. I do know the difference, just wasn't thinking. Perhaps there aren't as many these days--there used to be lots.

[Tansy Mews]

There are direct flights from LAX to YYZ but not many.

Sorry, I got confused! There are non-stop flights from LAX to YYZ. Air Canada and codeshare United, and American.

[Hawaiidan]

There are lots of non stop flights. However, on a inclusive ticket you will likely not ever get one. These are premimum flights and not given to contract air fare.

 

I asked Oceania, directly, can I get, and upgrade? They replied, the fares we give are non upgradeable.

If you want to up grade, you need to request a devation and pay the difference from the base/contract fare, to one that is upgradeable

 

Then, after paying the difference between the coach fare and the OCEANIA contract fare, you can pay for the upgrade.

 

Sticking with the inclusive air ticket you are at the mercy of the contract airline as to how to get there.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

There are lots of non stop flights. However, on a inclusive ticket you will likely not ever get one. These are premimum flights and not given to contract air fare....

Sticking with the inclusive air ticket you are at the mercy of the contract airline as to how to get there.

 

That's not encouraging. Regent flew us non-stop YYZ-LAX 3 times in the past--not lately, but...would have thought that Regent and Oceania had very similar, or shared, air departments.

[Tansy Mews]

That's not encouraging. Regent flew us non-stop YYZ-LAX 3 times in the past--not lately, but...would have thought that Regent and Oceania had very similar, or shared, air departments.

I am flying non-stop LAX to YYZ in the middle of January with O. I paid a deviation fee but no other cost. Air Canada.

[spindrift]

Duh - DAllen, we well know about Seatguru. We requested our seats when we planned the trip, but O chose not to take care of it--not their responsibility so they say.

[Tansy Mews]

I am flying non-stop LAX to YYZ in the middle of January with O. I paid a deviation fee but no other cost. Air Canada.

BTW, we got air deviation primarily for our flight to Rio. We don't know what we would have been offered on our return from PPT via LAX.

[potterhill]

Duh - DAllen, we well know about Seatguru. We requested our seats when we planned the trip, but O chose not to take care of it--not their responsibility so they say.

 

 

Our TA books our seats for us when we get the flights from O. As far as I know, O has never booked the seats except on our first cruise when we knew nothing about nothing and took the standard air. Have always done a deviation since.

 

Mo

[JimandStan]

We requested our seats when we planned the trip,

 

:eek: requested them from whom?