United Airlines Resumes Flights To Tahiti

United Airlines is making a return to Tahiti from tomorrow, 3rd June. The carrier is restarting its San Francisco-Papatee route using the Boeing 787-9, which will operate thrice-weekly for now. The move comes after French Polynesia reopened its border to American travelers after over a year.

United will be the second airline to return to the SFO-PPT route this summer. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Returning

According to Air Journal, United is all set to fly its first service to Tahiti on Thursday, ending a suspension since February 2020. The flight will operate thrice-weekly (on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) for now, giving travelers flexible days for their visit.

For this long-haul journey into the south Pacific, United is deploying its premium-heavy Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The aircraft features 48 seats in Polaris business class, 21 in Premium Plus, 39 in Economy Plus, and 149 in standard economy.

United has chosen its premium-heavy 787 for the route, which includes a premium economy cabin. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The outbound leg from San Francisco will depart at 13:20 local time and arrive in Papatee at 18:50 on the same day. This journey will take 8 hours and 30 minutes and fly on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The return leg will depart Papatee at 21:15 local time and arrive in San Francisco the next morning at 08:20 AM. This flight is slightly shorter at 8 hours and 5 minutes.

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So who can enter?

French Polynesia officially reopened its border to Americans and those in the US for the last 30 days on 1st May. All travelers have to fill up French Polynesias’ Electronic Travel Information System (ETIS), and the following groups are exempt from quarantine:

• Fully vaccinated travelers (14 days after the last dose) with the Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J vaccines.
• Travelers who can prove previous COVID-19 infection with a serological test for antibodies.

Additionally, all travelers must also possess a negative RT-PCR test taken almost three days before travel. Upon arrival, travelers will undergo a rapid antigen test and another RT-PCR test on the fourth day of stay. All tests must be negative to continue the journey.

All travelers must read the policies before booking to avoid a 10-day quarantine on arrival. Photo: Air Tahiti Nui

Due to vaccines not being approved for those under 12 in the US, all children under 11 must quarantine for 10 days on arrival. Entry is not banned for adults who are not vaccinated either. Instead, all these travelers must quarantine for at least 10 days and undergo testing before entering the islands.

Airlines resuming flights

Despite the relatively strict entry conditions, airlines are confident that Americans will return to the island. Aside from United, Air Tahiti Nui resumed its LAX to PPT route in early May due to the easing restrictions. Air France plans to return to the LAX-PPT route in July, and Hawaiian will restart its Honolulu-PPT route sometime in August.

Air France plans to resume its US-Tahiti route in July to cater to the growing demand. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

As travel picks up quickly across the US, countries are hoping that passengers will look to resume international travel as well. The US has one of the highest vaccination rates globally, which has led to fewer cases and an easing of restrictions. For now, expect to see more countries slowly open their border to American travelers.

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