#84303 - 02/11/10 04:19 PM
Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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I flew Air France to Tahiti this year, after many years of flying Air Tahiti Nui. Based on my experiences, here is my comparison of the 2 airlines. Strictly my opinion....this is not a scientific study! LOL!
Schedules...
I think Air Tahiti Nui is currently flying 6 days a week, has 7 or 8 flights a week with 1 being a red eye. Most flights leave LAX early afternoon or late afternoon, arrive in Tahiti in the evening or late night.....the red eye arrives the next morning.
Air France has 3 flights....all red eyes...Thu-Fri-Sat (returning Fri-Sat-Sun)....all leave at night and arrive in Tahiti the next morning
ATN pretty much requires you to spend the first night on Tahiti, unless you fly their red eye. AF requires you to spend your last night on Tahiti.
Pretty much a toss up depending on which days you need to fly.
The ATN flights home are all red eyes and land at LAX in the morning, making it easy to catch a connecting flight to points around the country.The AF flights land at 6:30pm and make it more difficult to catch connections around the country...you may have to stay a night at LAX and get your connection the next day. Advantage ATN...unless you live in Southern California....then it's a toss up.
In the coach cabin...
The seating on ATN is 2-4-2, on AF it's 3-3-3. The rows of 4 are nice on ATN if no one is in them with you, so you can stretch out and sleep. If the flight is packed, it can be very tight. The row of 2 is nice for a couple to have their own space with no one in your row, but it's tight, and you have no chance of elbow room. The 3-3-3 on AF is nice if you have just the 2 of you in the row. Gives you some extra elbow room. If the plane is full, it'd be tight and there would be a stranger with you in your row. But if the plane is not very full the 3 seats is not quite enough to fully stretch out and sleep like you can in ATN's rows of 4. Slight advantage to ATN.
The padding on the seats seemed to be slightly thicker on AF. Seat width and leg room seemed the same. The AF seats had foot rests on all seats on this plane. ATN has them on most...but I've been on a few flights that didn't have them. The ATN seats have wrap around head rests, AF are out at a bit of an angle, but not adjustable like on ATN. Toss up.
Coloring on the airplane interior is much nicer on ATN. Bright blues and aquas, and turquoises...really bright and inviting...gets you in the mood for Tahiti. AF is a more drab navy. Advantage ATN.
Pillows on AF had a nicer fabric cover...sort of a rust orange color.. But the actual pillows themselves were equal. Blankets...I liked then beige AF fabric better...but it's hard to beat that beautiful bright blue blanket on ATN. Toss up.
Temperature control. ATN always seems to be to hot or too cold. AF seemed to have a more consistent temp. Cool, but not quite as cold as ATN gets sometimes. Advantage AF.
Both hand out little in-flight travel packs. Both had ear plugs, an eye mask, a hand wipe, and ear phones. ATN also includes a pair of socks (nice for your feet if they get cold). Slight advantage ATN.
Food....
Both serve 2 meals. The food on AF was better. ATN is hit or miss. I've had some fairly good dishes on ATN and some pretty yucky ones. Everything I tasted on AF was fairly good. Paul and I always choose different dishes just to sample the different meals. The fresh mini baguettes on AF were better than the bread on ATN. Overall, when all is said and done, it's STILL airline food...it's NOT 5 star dining! Both serve free alcohol. AF has little individual bottles of wine with the meals. AF serves Heineken, ATN serves Hinano. AF serves an aperitif....mini bottles of cognac or pear liquor, I don't recall ATN doing that...although they might. Advantage AF...now if they could only serve Hinano. :-)
Entertainment systems...
AF wins this hands down. They both have individual entertainment systems at each seat. ATN has about 7-8 movies to choose from. They are not on-demand. They all start at the same time (after the first meal) and when one finishes, you have to wait for all of them to finish before they re-start the cycle again. On AF, they are on-demand. You can start and stop them any time you want. You can pause them and go back to them later. There are MANY more movies to choose from. Probably closer to 30-40 choices. There are TV series and news programs on AF to choose from too. Both have games to play and travel programs. AF travel programs are mostly about France and Europe, ATN's travel programs are about French Polynesia (advantage to ATN, considering the destination). They both have music...but on AF they have whole albums to listen too and you can choose up to 20 songs to make your own individual play-list. AF entertainment are touch screen (ATN's are not). Much easier than using the remote (although they do have a remote to use if you prefer). Overall we thought the AF entertainment system was far superior. BUT...ATN's was still very nice.
Noticed a little bit of turbulence, but nothing serious, usually occurs when crossing the equator, on both airlines. Toss up.
Rear cabin restrooms had more room on AF. You actually have space to move around a bit in them. Did not check the mid cabin restrooms. ATN has the little bottles of Tiare scented spray to take away the odors in their restrooms...AF does not. Toss up.
Air staff....both seemed very nice, friendly, and helpful. We had no issues at all. AF were all French. ATN are mostly Tahitian. The ladies on AF change to the Tahitian style dresses for the flight as do the the ATN ladies. The ATN dresses are much more colorful though, as are their regular uniforms. Slight advantage to ATN considering the destination.
Other passengers...
There are many more French (and Europeans) on AF...tend to be more Americans on ATN. Not really an issue. Just less chance of the person sitting near you speaking English on AF. Toss up.
Seemed to be fewer children (I only saw 3) on the AF flight than on past ATN flights (or maybe just quieter children). But that may change considerably depending on what season it is and the school vacation schedules. Probably a toss up.
This next point is a very touchy one. I will address it as carefully as I can. Several people have commented in the past that many passengers on AF tend to have body odor. So I purposely paid attention to any body odors I encountered. I did not notice anyone being particularly odoriferous on our flight from LAX. But on our return flight I encountered 2 young men who did smelled like they had not showered in a couple days. One was sitting right across the aisle from me, and I could absolutely smell him. He did move to another seat further back after take off, so it was not an issue for us for the duration of the flight. If he has been seated right with us in our row of 3 seats, it would have made an impact on my flight. I have never encountered a body odor issues on an ATN flight....(although I have on other flights around the US). Sooo....personally.....I think it just depends on the particular person who happens to sit next to you...it's luck of the draw. Obviously the same situation could happen on ATN, but if you were in a group of 2 seats, there would be less chance you'd be directly impacted by it. Overall, I did NOT find the AF flights full of smelly people...but I did encounter a couple of young men in need of a shower. Take that for what it's worth. I suppose advantage ATN.
At LAX...
ATN leaves from Bradley International Terminal at LAX, AF leaves from Terminal 2. Although the Bradley Terminal tends to be very crowded and utterly chaotic...the actual checking in process was about equal, as was security. Shopping and eating at the Bradley Terminal has many more choices before security....and very few choices after security. AF has NO choices before security (save a Starbucks down in the arrivals area), but does have more choices after security than at the Bradley Terminal does after security. Gate area and bathrooms were nicer at Terminal 2 than at the Bradley terminal. A toss up, depending on where you prefer to shop or eat prior to your flight.
Getting through passport control was quicker on AF because most of the passengers had EU passports. This was especially true on the return trip because there were very few Americans and many more US passport windows than non-US windows....and there are very few international arrivals at terminal 2 (we were the ONLY one) as compared to the Bradley terminal...which can have several arrivals being processed at the same time. Our luggage seemed to arrive much quicker on AF....possibly because so many bags were being checked through all the way to Paris. Advantage AF.
Overall.....mostly a toss up. AF came out ahead in food and entertainment system, but not enough to make it significantly ahead. I'd say, given a choice between the two...pick which ever has the best price and best schedule for your needs. In the future I wouldn't hesitate to fly either one. They both have their advantages and their issues. Biggest issues to me being the length of the flight and the general lack of comfort and room in the seats. It's just hard to be comfortable in those seats for 8 hours. Nothing is going to help that, except moving up to business class.
Edited by Patti. (02/11/10 04:47 PM)
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#84305 - 02/11/10 05:11 PM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: Patti.]
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DenverJoe
Expert Advisor
Registered: 09/10/02
Posts: 1849
Loc: Denver, Co.
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Patti, thanks for this. Very detailed. Somehow I still prefer ATN over AF. Although the difference in ticket prices may sway my vote this year.
Good job.
_________________________
Nothing better than a Hinano in hand and toes in the sand.
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#84306 - 02/11/10 05:28 PM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: DenverJoe]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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Honestly...when it gets right down to it....unless you're made of money....price should be the deciding factor when choosing. If one has a good sale and the other doesn't, take the sale!
Overall, ATN has a much more Tahitian feel to it. But the food and entertainment systems on Air France are better. And everything else is pretty much a toss up.
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#84307 - 02/11/10 06:20 PM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: Patti.]
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Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2302
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
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Thanks so much for the report, Patti! In the past, we didn't consider Air France because of some negative comments here, but now I will.
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#84311 - 02/11/10 08:53 PM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: Old Wife]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 890
Loc: ELA US of A
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We miss AOM always fly Hawaiian bonus stop over return to OAHU LAX-HNL-PPT-HNL-LAX a lil long but great%%%%%%%FP4LIFE%%%%%%
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#84314 - 02/12/10 06:49 AM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: Suki (689)]
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2296
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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I miss UTA, Cosair, AOM, Air Lib, Air New Zealand. I have never been on a ATN fight as we go Hawaiian these days.
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#84317 - 02/12/10 08:07 AM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: hamara]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6042
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Thanks, Patti, for the detailed comparison -- it's very helpful!
I just wanted to comment about two things. First, IF Air Moorea reinstitutes its evening flights for the high season (I had at least one email from them suggesting they may do so, depending on the economy), then the 1 p.m. departure on ATN from LAX remains our favorite way to get there, because we arrive in PPT at 6:30 p.m. (or 7:30 p.m., depending on daylight savings in CA), and can get over to Moorea the same evening without an overnight in Papeete. Right now, unfortunately, there are no more of those evening flights timed to connect with the arriving ATN afternoon flight. I also prefer ATN's evening departure back to LAX over AF's early morning departure, which requires the last night in PPT -- as you mentioned, it's much more convenient for those of us who make domestic connections in LAX.
The second point is minor. ATN's flight attendants recently got new uniform styles -- they will be sort of drab, a navy blue resembling the AF ones. Bleah!
Another point that might be worth mentioning is the frequent flier programs. We are members of ATN's Club Tiare, and it takes FOREVER to attain enough miles for a free ticket! (In 15 years of flying several times a year, we've only been able to snag ONE award ticket, but about to get a second one.) They used to offer a "family" membership, where all miles were credited to one account, to be used by any family member, but within the last year they have eliminated that program, so now each flyer gets credits in only his/her account. This is a definite downgrade in the FF program! Also ATN miles used to be able to be credited to Aadvantage miles on American Airlines, but this ended in November 2009 (though AA awards can still be [stingily]redeemed on ATN.)
Credits on Air France's "Flying Blue" program can be applied to other airline partner programs, like Delta Skymiles. I am not completely educated in the extent of "partners" for both airlines, but I think AF wins in the category of FF point accumulation, and at 4000+ miles each way from LAX, this might be an important point to some people.
Great report -- thanks!
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#84322 - 02/12/10 02:38 PM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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Barbi~ Yes, the schedule part could change for the high season. I did it based on the current schedule. Hopefully they do bring back the evening Moorea departures. I really like that flight best. Right now it looks like ATN only has the 1pm flight twice a week. Did they really change their uniforms? From that pretty teal blue? Wow, that sucks.
Suki~ the Hawaiian option is very good IF you live in a city on the west coast that has a direct flight to Hawaii. If not, then changing 3 or more times for the flight is too much. And because it only flies once a week, it has severe limitations for most travelers.
Again, when you get right down to it, it's only 8 hours out of your life each way. That's not so much that the differences between airlines should make THAT much of a difference. Price and schedule should ultimately be the main deciding factors.
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#84342 - 02/13/10 07:20 AM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: Patti.]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6042
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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We've flown Hawaiian several times when the airfare has been signifantly better (usually, on longer stays in FP). The problem for us is the long layover time in HNL between our domestic flight and the PPT flights (e.g., 9 hour layover on the way home!), and we usually wind up spending a transit night in HNL because of that (and thus defeat the cheaper fare!).
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#84343 - 02/13/10 10:18 AM
Re: Comparison of Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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That was the issue I found with Hawaiian when I investigated it. I don't not want to have to deal with that long of a layover. And like you said, if you end up spending the night, you're wiping out the cost of the cheaper fair.
You really have to look at the ENTIRE picture before deciding which airline is better. There are all kinds of silly little things you have to take into consideration. One thing I did not put into the equation when making the plans for our recent trip was the baggage charges on United. Because of the AF schedules, I had to take United to LAX instead of Southwest. Ended up costing us $60 (in baggage fees) more than I had counted on. Should have been $80...but on the way home we made sure all our liquids were in one bag, so we could carry one on. But that is something you have to look at too. BUT...one thing I did like about United is we were able to check our bags all the way through to Papeete. We didn't have to pick them up at LAX like we do with Southwest. That was a treat.
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