French Polynesia Trip Report Part 2 – Los Angeles To French Polynesia In Air France Business Class

by The Weekly Flyer

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In this post I’ll detail the flight from LAX to PPT in Air France  Affairs (business class) and the beginning of our journey within French Polynesia with the Aremiti ferry ride from Papeete to Moorea.

French Polynesia Trip Report:

  1. ATL > LAX in DL Business Class and an over night at the Andaz West Hollywood
  2. LAX > PPT in Air France Business Class and ferry to Moorea
  3. Hilton Moorea
  4. Moorea Activities
  5. InterContinental Bora Bora
  6. Villa Mahana Restaurant Bora Bora
  7. Le Meridien Tahiti
  8. Ritz Carlton LAX and LAX > ATL in DL Business Class
This flight was part of an itinerary where I used 150,000 Delta SkyMiles for each business class ticket.  After our brief stop over at the Andaz West Hollywood and day at the W Bliss Spa, we headed to the airport for early check in for our ~9 hour flight to French Polynesia.  Air France (AF) check in was efficient and we were allowed two personal bags and two carry on suitcases for our two week trip.  It is worth noting that the AF terminal is across the parking lot from the Delta terminal.  We met an unfortunate couple that was connecting from a DTW Delta flight and they said they had to run across the parking lot within 20 minutes to catch the flight.  They ended up making it covered in sweat for the long flight but their checked luggage didn’t.  So I would say either don’t check baggage if you have a tight connection or give yourself a long layover in LAX.
After check in we headed to the business class lounge.  The lounge was very underwhelming with not much in way of food, just small snack packs.  We were fine with the selection because we had just finished a wonderful meal at the Delphine Brasserie at the W hotel in Hollywood.  Check in was announced and we headed to the gate to experience the  typical chaotic AF boarding process.
a building with an elevator
The seats are the typical lie flat angled seats.  While they are nice, they certainly aren’t current generation 100% lie flat seats.  On this flight I preferred to keep the seat slightly in a cradle position to prevent the sliding down effect.
a row of seats in an airplane
a seat belt on a seat
a small screen on a plane
I’m indifferent to the service on AF.  On the two times I’ve flown their business class, the flight attendants provide the main service, then disappear never to been seen until landing.  For the main course I ordered the beef and it was just ok.
Dinner
a glass of wine and a box of food
a tray with food and drinks on it
a plate of food on a table
Breakfast
a tray with food on it

Here is a picture of first class

a close-up of a plane

Upon arriving in Papeete we deplaned down stairs and headed to the terminal.  We still had a 3.5 hour wait until the first flight or ferry headed over to Moorea so we grabbed a coffee and hung out in the airport terminal.  There are a few ATM’s in the terminal and we used one to get some local currency for the first week.  At sun rise around 7 AM we headed to the Aremiti ferry terminal and purchased our tickets on the spot with no issues.  The ferry ride was less than half the price of one airline ticket from Papeete to Moorea.  It was very efficient at about 35 – 40 minutes total.  I usually get sea sick and had no issues on the large high speed craft.
a row of brown chairs in a room
a row of brown leather chairs
a sign on top of a building
Paradise View of Papeete from Moorea
a beach with palm trees and blue water
Next I’ll share pictures and thoughts on the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa.

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About The Weekly Flyer

The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.

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Comments

  1. Great trip report!! Bora Bora is my dream destination and I can”t wait to read the rest of your report. Thanks for including a lot of details! 🙂

  5. Why don’t the these (perhaps old?) posts have a date? Top, bottom, comments – I cannot find a DATE! Yes, it odes make a difference.

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