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On October 4, 2022, Air Tahiti Nui launched flights to a second destination in the U.S.: Seattle. This new route comes as part of a new mileage partnership between Air Tahiti Nui and Alaska Airlines announced in late March 2022. This partnership provides extra flights between Tahiti in the U.S., plus connections to domestic flights.
Additionally, Alaska Airlines MileagePlan members can benefit by earning and redeeming miles on Air Tahiti Nui. Here's what this new partnership means for you.
Air Tahiti Nui Adds Seattle to Tahiti Flights
Before adding flights to Seattle, Air Tahiti Nui had only one destination in the U.S. The Papeete-based airline operates daily flights to Los Angeles (LAX). From there, the airline also operates a fifth-freedom flight to Paris (CDG).
As of October 4, 2022, Air Tahiti Nui operates two weekly flights from Papeete (PPT) to Seattle (SEA):
- TN52: PPT to SEA – departing at 10:00 p.m. and arriving at 10:25 a.m. (the next morning)
- Departures on Tuesdays and Saturdays
- 9:25 flight time
- TN51: SEA to PPT – departing at 12:40 p.m. and arriving at 7:30 p.m. (the same day)
- Departures on Wednesdays and Sundays
- 9:30 flight time
Air Tahiti Nui operates these flights using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The Air Tahiti Nui website provides the following pictures of travel cabins:
This new route is a big deal for the airline, as it's just the fourth destination that the airline operates from Papeete (PPT). Along with Los Angeles (LAX), Air Tahiti Nui operates nonstop flights from Papeete to Tokyo (NRT) and Auckland (AKL).
Air Tahiti Nui and Alaska Airlines Partnership
Alaska Airlines announced its new partnership with Air Tahiti Nui in late March 2022. Given that Alaska's two main hubs are Los Angeles and Seattle, it makes sense that Air Tahiti Nui will fly to these two destinations. The partnership enables passengers to make a connecting flight with Alaska Airlines as part of one ticket.
Starting April 1, 2022, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members earn miles on paid flights with Air Tahiti Nui. Mileage earning rates are published here and are shown below:
| Cabin | Fare class | Base miles | Bonus miles | Total miles earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poerava Business | C, J | 100% | 50% | 150% |
| Poerava Business | D, Z | 100% | 25% | 125% |
| Moana Premium Economy | W | 100% | 15% | 115% |
| Moana Premium Economy | E, A, P | 100% | 5% | 105% |
| Moana Economy | Y, M, K, H | 100% | 0% | 100% |
| Moana Economy | T, L, N | 75% | 0% | 75% |
| Moana Economy | B, Q, G, V | 50% | 0% | 50% |
| Moana Economy | S | 25% | 0% | 25% |
Alaska MileagePlan Awards on Air Tahiti Nui Flights
In June 2022, Alaska added award redemptions on Air Tahiti Nui. You can book award flights starting at:
- Economy: 30,000 miles.
- Premium: 45,000 miles.
- Business class: 60,000 miles.
Those are pretty good redemption rates — especially for a high-demand leisure destination. The catch here is “starting at”. As with several other new Alaska partnerships, Air Tahiti Nui awards aren't just priced at a set amount. Instead, Alaska may use variable pricing. The good news: we aren't currently seeing any higher-than-base-level award rates.
Other Option for Air Tahiti Nui Award Flights
For reference on how good these rates are, you can also redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles for flights on Air Tahiti Nui. You'll pay the following for a one-way award flight from the Continental U.S. to the South Pacific:
- Economy: 40,000 miles (vs. 30,000 Alaska miles)
- Premium economy: 65,000 miles (vs. 45,000 Alaska miles)
- Business class: 80,000 miles (vs. 60,000 Alaska miles)
For cheaper rates, use AAdvantage miles to fly Air Tahiti Nui between Papeete and Tokyo:
- Economy: 30,000 miles
- Premium Economy: 35,000 miles
- Business Class: 40,000 miles
AAdvantage awards on the flight between Papeete and Auckland are even cheaper:
- Economy: 15,000 miles
- Premium Economy: 25,000 miles
- Business Class: 30,000 miles
Bottom Line
Air Tahiti Nui just launched its second destination in the U.S., just a few months after launching a partnership with Alaska Airlines. It's probably not a coincidence that these announcements come together, since Air Tahiti Nui will now fly to Alaska's main hub in Seattle. This is in addition to existing, daily Air Tahiti Nui flights to another Alaska Airlines hub at Los Angeles.
Alaska Mileage Plan flyers now have the ability to earn and redeem miles on Air Tahiti Nui — and the rates are pretty appealing. Given that some of Alaska Airlines' recent partner award chart additions leave a lot to be desired, we are happy to see Alaska set reasonable redemption rates.
Are you excited about this new partnership? What are your thoughts?
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