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You Can Now Book Air Tahiti Nui Flights Through Flying Blue

Sept. 19, 2018
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6 min read
Air Tahiti Nui Flight
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Don't look now, but getting to French Polynesia via points just got a little easier. Fa'a'ā International Airport (PPT), the main gateway into the 100+ islands that make up French Polynesia, has historically been a real bear to access via points. With limited flights on only a handful of carriers, it took some serious hoop-jumping (and a bit of luck) to score low-level availability.

But thanks to a new agreement between Air France and Air Tahiti Nui, a new booking avenue has emerged: Flying Blue, which is now showing award availability on Air Tahiti Nui via its website. Air Tahiti Nui recently inked a new agreement with Air France "to develop a joint codeshare agreement to better service the popular Paris to Los Angeles route." On paper, this enables the two airlines to coordinate services between Europe and the US. For points and miles aficionados, however, having another option for booking award flights on the international airline of Tahiti is a hugely appreciated byproduct.

Flying Blue Award Availability

In our searches using the Flying Blue website for trips over the next several months, the cheapest Business fare we found for an Air Tahiti Nui flight was 73,500 miles + $94.10 in taxes, departing on Dec. 10, 2018, and arriving the following morning. That's for a one-way redeye from Los Angeles (LAX) to Papeete (PPT) on an Airbus A340-300.

Flying Blue now displays dynamic award pricing, but this is the lowest we found for an Air Tahiti Nui business class ticket

It's worth noting that cash rates for this one-way flight hover around $3,000, so if you jump on the lowest award we've seen, you'd effectively get nearly 4 cents per point in value, more than three times as much as the 1.2 cents per point that TPG considers Flying Blue points worth.. However, most dates demanded a much higher 176,000 miles + $94.10, which reduces the redemption value considerably. Earlier this year, Flying Blue shifted its pricing engine to a dynamic one, so it's impossible to know how "low" (or high, for that matter) this particular route will go.

If you're looking to fly in Economy, availability at more reasonable rates is widespread. A great number of dates well into early 2019 displayed availability at 25,500 miles + $63.10 in taxes.

One-way coach fares on Air Tahiti Nui are pretty reasonable, and Flying Blue miles are easy to earn

Cash rates for this one-way flight hover between $600 and $800, whereas 25,500 Flying Blue miles are valued at $306 per TPG's point valuations. In other words, booking this flight using Flying Blue miles is a veritable bargain.

Dreamliner Dreams

Air Tahiti Nui's Dreamliner (Photo courtesy of Air Tahiti Nui)

Naturally, we first sought to book an award seat on one of Air Tahiti Nui's upcoming Dreamliner flights. Starting in November 2018, the carrier will begin phasing in Boeing 787 aircraft while phasing out its dated fleet of Airbus A340-300s. Unfortunately, it appears that award availability at any price is reserved for the Airbus A340-300. We also checked with American and Delta, as both of those carriers will allow you to redeem AAdvantage miles and SkyMiles (respectively) for award bookings on Air Tahiti Nui flights. But based on our requests, it appeared that neither program saw any Air Tahiti Nui Dreamliner space either. So if you want a seat aboard the airline's sparkling new 787, you’ll likely need to pay cash.

However, for the flights that do have award space, Flying Blue is one of the easiest programs to rack up miles with. In fact, it is one of only three programs that allow transfers from American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards (Singapore KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club being the other two). Moreover, each program routinely runs bonuses for transfers to Flying Blue.

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Bottom Line

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa
A free flight could get you closer to here: the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa (Photo by the author)

If you've been searching for another avenue to score award flights to one of the most picturesque nations on the planet, the addition of Air Tahiti Nui through Flying Blue's award portal is a major score. Signing up for and achieving welcome bonuses for cards like the Citi Premier® Card (60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months), The Platinum Card® from American Express (60,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months via the standard offer, or up to 100,000 points via the CardMatch tool; targeted offer subject to change at anytime), Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months) and the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card (80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months) can catapult your Flying Blue account without ever flying or spending a single night away from home.

To learn more on how to transfer points to Flying Blue, how to book flights via their award portal and understanding the program as a whole, we've included a few handy links below.

H/T: Point Me to the Plane

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Rewards

1 - 4X points

Intro offer

As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

Annual Fee

$325

Recommended Credit

Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.
Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
3XEarn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
2XEarn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
1XEarn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.