Ia Orana! To Tahiti Part II: PPT-AKL (New Moana Economy w/ pics)
Jun 14, 2013 | 2:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: JFK, EWR, LGA
Programs: UA Premier Silver, Star Alliance Silver, jetBlue TrueBlue, CX Asia Miles, & Delta SkyMiles
Posts: 68
Ia Orana! To Tahiti Part II: PPT-AKL (New Moana Economy w/ pics)
This report will focus on TNs new economy product, Moana Economy. The new economy product includes a larger and higher resolution screen, new blankets and pillows. It is a continuation of my first report:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ax-ppt-tn.html
Air Tahiti Nui flight TN 101, June 1st, 2013
Papeete/Faaa International Airport (PPT) to Auckland International Airport (AKL)
Gate 60
Seat 17G
Departure (Scheduled/Actual): 7:30am/7:30am
Arrival (Scheduled/Actual): 11:25am (+1 Day)/11:10am (+1 Day)
Aircraft Airbus A340-300 (Mangereva)
I arrived at PPT to check-in around 3 hours before. There were not many passengers at the airport considering it was 4 in the morning and there were no lines. Check-in took fairly long and the agent was a bit rude. She asked for my itinerary, which was no problem. I only gave her the first page of the itinerary thinking she only wanted the booking reference/number. However, she wanted all the pages and made a comment saying, Do you live in New Zealand? Then were is your return ticket? I clearly gave her my American passport and I had no intentions to illegally stay in New Zealand so the condensing comment was unnecessary. Even though there were very few passengers, it took about 20 minutes to check-in. When I was done with check-in, a huge bus full of people rushed the check-in desks. I wanted to mention to them to have their full itinerary out so you wont be considered an illegal immigrant to New Zealand.
After check-in, it was time to proceeded to immigration and the gates. However, the immigration and gate area did not open just yet so I had to wait outside by the shops. Once the immigration opened (around 15 minutes later), I proceeded to immigration, security, and the gate area.
For those who have not been to the international terminal of PPT, it is all out in the open, making the gate area very hot, even though there are ceiling fans. In the gate area, there is a duty free and one caf. I spent some time in the duty free and the caf, both of which were very expensive. I liked the gate area because it had a modern feel to it and was spacious. The only complaint I had is that since the area is in the open, the smoking area makes the whole gate smoky.
After some time, boarding started on time. However, there was a rush of people to board. Gate agents enforced boarding by seat and turned away those who tried to board early.
Once onboard, I was greeted with an Ia Orana and a Bonjour. Today, I was on Mangereva, which has the new onboard product (Poerava Business and Moana Economy, no more first class). On the ground, I played with my PTV system. It is similar to using an iPad or tablet. It is very quick and responsive. I liked how you can fast-forward just like an iPad and there is no delay. Boarding completed early and we left early. Unlike my flight to PPT, the plane was full and I had to stick with my seat.
Once in the air, flight attendants handed out an amenity kit, which had headphones, earplugs, and an eye mask. However, they did not hand out a tiare flower (it must be against NZ law to transport flowers unless declared). I continued to play with the system. However, there were limited choices to entertainment even though it was upgraded. There was only one recent movie (Oz: The Great and Powerful) choice and a couple of classic films. I appreciated the TV choices but again, they were not recent. The music selection was okay and did not have many choices. I liked the section of the system, which introduced Tahiti and what to do while in Tahiti. There was also a first sight for me, the digital magazine store. There were a few selection of magazines which was easy to read and navigate. I also liked the menu feature, which showed what meal choices there were. What was poor was that the map feature was disabled and did not function at all. Therefore, I had no clue where we were at a given point.
After a while, meal service began, breakfast. The choices were eggs with turkey ham, broccoli, ratatouille and potatoes or peach French toast with apple compote and passion fruit coulis. Both were served with fruit, yogurt, and a roll. I chose the egg option and it was okay, a bit watery. My travel mate chose the French toast, which was surprisingly good.
I watched some movies and TV after meal service. However, I was surprised that FAs did not come around for a pre-arrival snack or beverage. They did come around the cabin with water. The flight was quick and we landed soon after.
The service was better on this flight compared to my LAX-PPT flight. I noticed that some of the male FAs had visible tattoos (it didnt bother me but that would be a no-no anywhere else). I thought it gave TN a Polynesian flare. FA always had a smile and was eager to help.
Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for the last installment.
Immigration is closed so please wait
Only a few flights today at the international terminal of PPT
Time to board!
Boarding by staircases is so rare today
Today's plane, Mangereva
Cabin shot
Cabin shot II
New Moana Economy seats!
The new PTV is works just like an iPad
Ia Orana on the PTV!
The PTV shows a slideshow of images of Tahiti
Colorful headrests
New floral pillow and blanket
Digital magazines!
Amenity kit - It was a different design from my first flight but contained the same items
What are we eating today?
Meal service starts!
Egg choice
French toast
Landed in Auckland in a quick five hours but lost a whole day
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ax-ppt-tn.html
Air Tahiti Nui flight TN 101, June 1st, 2013
Papeete/Faaa International Airport (PPT) to Auckland International Airport (AKL)
Gate 60
Seat 17G
Departure (Scheduled/Actual): 7:30am/7:30am
Arrival (Scheduled/Actual): 11:25am (+1 Day)/11:10am (+1 Day)
Aircraft Airbus A340-300 (Mangereva)
I arrived at PPT to check-in around 3 hours before. There were not many passengers at the airport considering it was 4 in the morning and there were no lines. Check-in took fairly long and the agent was a bit rude. She asked for my itinerary, which was no problem. I only gave her the first page of the itinerary thinking she only wanted the booking reference/number. However, she wanted all the pages and made a comment saying, Do you live in New Zealand? Then were is your return ticket? I clearly gave her my American passport and I had no intentions to illegally stay in New Zealand so the condensing comment was unnecessary. Even though there were very few passengers, it took about 20 minutes to check-in. When I was done with check-in, a huge bus full of people rushed the check-in desks. I wanted to mention to them to have their full itinerary out so you wont be considered an illegal immigrant to New Zealand.
After check-in, it was time to proceeded to immigration and the gates. However, the immigration and gate area did not open just yet so I had to wait outside by the shops. Once the immigration opened (around 15 minutes later), I proceeded to immigration, security, and the gate area.
For those who have not been to the international terminal of PPT, it is all out in the open, making the gate area very hot, even though there are ceiling fans. In the gate area, there is a duty free and one caf. I spent some time in the duty free and the caf, both of which were very expensive. I liked the gate area because it had a modern feel to it and was spacious. The only complaint I had is that since the area is in the open, the smoking area makes the whole gate smoky.
After some time, boarding started on time. However, there was a rush of people to board. Gate agents enforced boarding by seat and turned away those who tried to board early.
Once onboard, I was greeted with an Ia Orana and a Bonjour. Today, I was on Mangereva, which has the new onboard product (Poerava Business and Moana Economy, no more first class). On the ground, I played with my PTV system. It is similar to using an iPad or tablet. It is very quick and responsive. I liked how you can fast-forward just like an iPad and there is no delay. Boarding completed early and we left early. Unlike my flight to PPT, the plane was full and I had to stick with my seat.
Once in the air, flight attendants handed out an amenity kit, which had headphones, earplugs, and an eye mask. However, they did not hand out a tiare flower (it must be against NZ law to transport flowers unless declared). I continued to play with the system. However, there were limited choices to entertainment even though it was upgraded. There was only one recent movie (Oz: The Great and Powerful) choice and a couple of classic films. I appreciated the TV choices but again, they were not recent. The music selection was okay and did not have many choices. I liked the section of the system, which introduced Tahiti and what to do while in Tahiti. There was also a first sight for me, the digital magazine store. There were a few selection of magazines which was easy to read and navigate. I also liked the menu feature, which showed what meal choices there were. What was poor was that the map feature was disabled and did not function at all. Therefore, I had no clue where we were at a given point.
After a while, meal service began, breakfast. The choices were eggs with turkey ham, broccoli, ratatouille and potatoes or peach French toast with apple compote and passion fruit coulis. Both were served with fruit, yogurt, and a roll. I chose the egg option and it was okay, a bit watery. My travel mate chose the French toast, which was surprisingly good.
I watched some movies and TV after meal service. However, I was surprised that FAs did not come around for a pre-arrival snack or beverage. They did come around the cabin with water. The flight was quick and we landed soon after.
The service was better on this flight compared to my LAX-PPT flight. I noticed that some of the male FAs had visible tattoos (it didnt bother me but that would be a no-no anywhere else). I thought it gave TN a Polynesian flare. FA always had a smile and was eager to help.
Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for the last installment.
Immigration is closed so please wait
Only a few flights today at the international terminal of PPT
Time to board!
Boarding by staircases is so rare today
Today's plane, Mangereva
Cabin shot
Cabin shot II
New Moana Economy seats!
The new PTV is works just like an iPad
Ia Orana on the PTV!
The PTV shows a slideshow of images of Tahiti
Colorful headrests
New floral pillow and blanket
Digital magazines!
Amenity kit - It was a different design from my first flight but contained the same items
What are we eating today?
Meal service starts!
Egg choice
French toast
Landed in Auckland in a quick five hours but lost a whole day
Jun 16, 2013 | 9:46 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: PHX & PPT
Programs: DL PM, IHG Plat, Hilton Gold, AmExPlat
Posts: 833
Nice report, great photos!
She asked for my itinerary, which was no problem. I only gave her the first page of the itinerary thinking she only wanted the booking reference/number. However, she wanted all the pages and made a comment saying, “Do you live in New Zealand? Then were is your return ticket?” I clearly gave her my American passport and I had no intentions to illegally stay in New Zealand so the condensing comment was unnecessary.
The gate agent is required to determine that you have a round-trip or onward reservation out of New Zealand, which has strict immigration policies. If you had only a one-way ticket from PPT-AUK, you would have been denied entry in AUK, and TN would have been responsible for the cost of returning you to PPT on the next flight. That is why she needed your full itinerary.
Can't wait for Part III!
She asked for my itinerary, which was no problem. I only gave her the first page of the itinerary thinking she only wanted the booking reference/number. However, she wanted all the pages and made a comment saying, “Do you live in New Zealand? Then were is your return ticket?” I clearly gave her my American passport and I had no intentions to illegally stay in New Zealand so the condensing comment was unnecessary.
The gate agent is required to determine that you have a round-trip or onward reservation out of New Zealand, which has strict immigration policies. If you had only a one-way ticket from PPT-AUK, you would have been denied entry in AUK, and TN would have been responsible for the cost of returning you to PPT on the next flight. That is why she needed your full itinerary.
Can't wait for Part III!
Jun 17, 2013 | 4:12 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: JFK, EWR, LGA
Programs: UA Premier Silver, Star Alliance Silver, jetBlue TrueBlue, CX Asia Miles, & Delta SkyMiles
Posts: 68
Nice report, great photos!
The gate agent is required to determine that you have a round-trip or onward reservation out of New Zealand, which has strict immigration policies. If you had only a one-way ticket from PPT-AUK, you would have been denied entry in AUK, and TN would have been responsible for the cost of returning you to PPT on the next flight. That is why she needed your full itinerary.
Can't wait for Part III!
The gate agent is required to determine that you have a round-trip or onward reservation out of New Zealand, which has strict immigration policies. If you had only a one-way ticket from PPT-AUK, you would have been denied entry in AUK, and TN would have been responsible for the cost of returning you to PPT on the next flight. That is why she needed your full itinerary.
Can't wait for Part III!
Plus, I've flown SFO-AKL a few years ago and there was no need to see my itinerary. However, I shouldn't assume all policies are the same throughout the world.
True about the check-in agent, not very professional. Thank god it did not appear with the cabin crew.