Paradise deal alert: Fly nonstop to Tahiti from the West Coast starting at $526
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Despite the sky-high airfare prices we’re seeing lately, there are bargains to be had if you plan early and can be a little flexible. Right now there’s a good opportunity for West Coast travelers to score a nice price on flights to Tahiti.
Various airlines, including Delta, Hawaiian Air and United have slashed fares on fall and winter flights to the South Pacific dream destination. One discount carrier, French Bee, has nonstop flights for just $526.
This fare sale involves mostly economy tickets, so you’ll often have to pay for checked luggage (though as you’ll see below there are a few exceptions to this). The vast majority of availability is for travel between September and April 2023.
As we always say, being flexible with your travel plans will help you score the best possible deal. That’s even more true these days with airfare being so expensive.
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A gracious thank you to Scott’s Cheap Flights for tipping us about this deal. Its Premium membership is available for $49 per year. The Elite tier option is available for $199 per year and it offers access to deals on premium economy, business- and first-class tickets. The more flexible you can be with your travel plans, the better price you’ll find.
Deal basics
Airlines: Air France, Delta, French Bee, Hawaiian Airlines, United.
Routes: Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and Seattle to Papeete, French Polynesia.
How to book: Search Google Flights and book directly through the airline.
Travel dates: From September through April 2023.
Sample flights
We came across some stellar prices out of San Francisco for winter travel. You can fly from the “City by the Bay” (SFO) to Papeete (PPT) nonstop in November and December for as low as $526. That’s a great price for this route. The fare is from budget carrier French Bee. That means you get a free carry-on bag but checked luggage will cost extra. Still, if flying to Tahiti nonstop for less than $300 each way is appealing to you, then this is a hard deal to pass up.
You can fly from Oakland (OAK) to Tahiti in early January on a Delta ticket for $775 round-trip. A nice perk to this itinerary is that it’s a main cabin ticket and it costs the same as a basic economy fare. This means you get a free checked bag. We found lots of availability out of Oakland, but many flights, especially those operated by Hawaiian Airlines, involved two stops. So make sure to use the “stops” drop-down menu on Google Flights to filter out those multi-stop options.
You can fly from Seattle (SEA) to Tahiti in early 2023 for under $900 round-trip on Hawaiian Air, an excellent price for this route. It does have a layover each way, but you get a free carry-on and a checked bag.
Let’s not forget the bargains to be had out of Los Angeles with this deal. We found nonstop fares out of LAX to Papeete in September and October for only $660 on Air France. That’s a tremendous discount from what you can expect to pay for this route. One thing to note: Checking a bag will cost you $60 each way. Still, the savings on this ticket are substantial enough to make that worth it.
Related: What it’s like to travel to Tahiti right now
Maximize your purchase
Pay with: The Platinum Card® from American Express for 5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), the Citi Prestige® Card for 5 points per dollar on airfare, the Citi Premier® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve for 3 points per dollar on air travel, the American Express® Gold Card for 3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for 2 points per dollar on travel.
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