Review of Air Tahiti Nui flight from Los Angeles to Papeete in Business

Here I go for a short business trip in France.
Short because family (my wife and my 3 years old kid) did not want to come with me and stay in France for holidays. But a lonely trip brings a lot of benefits ;)
As this is a business trip, I don’t pay myself the ticket, and as the stay is short, I would like to travel in more comfortable conditions than coach class. I asked for a flexible ticket in Economy or Premium Economy, so a paid upgrade would not be too expensive for me.

1ST PART : From Tahiti to France Papeete [PPT] - Los Angeles [LAX], Air France AF77, B772, Premium Eco, May 16, 2014 CLICK HERE Los Angeles [LAX] - Paris [CDG], Air France AF77, B772, Premium Eco, May 16, 2014 CLICK HERE 2ND PART : Back from France to Tahiti : Flying with style Paris [CDG] - Los Angeles [LAX], Air France AF66, A380, Premiere, May 25, 2014 CLICK HERE Los Angeles [LAX] - Papeete [PPT] Air Tahiti Nui TN1, A343, Business, May 25, 2014
YOU ARE HERE

Thanks to AF/TN code share, this flight is an opportunity to change my usual AF flights on this route and introduce the new ATN Business cabin.
For the new Economy cabin, you can see my previous report on AKL PPT : CLICK HERE
Ticket purchased from Air France, flight number AF676.
My CDG LAX flight in La Première just landed with a consequent delay that jeopardizes my correspondence. Fortunately I am accompanied by a ground staff of the airport, and express connection coupon.

After a very long wait for my bags, I follow my guide for this transit

Luggages quickly deposited on the connecting baggage drop-off

Then a quick stroll outside and again in the TBIT, departure hall

Departures list, I can catch my next plane but no time to lose

Passing security filters is simply hallucinating : there’s a lot of people, my guide opens the way for me in the queue, spreads all waiting pax, until we get to the scanner, stops the pax depositing their hand luggage to allow me to proceed immediately, under dumbfounded look of other pax! I spend less than 5 minutes for security checks that would have taken me 30 minutes under normal conditions I think. Very effective!
Just after I follow my guide through a shortcut which is normally forbidden

And here I am at the gate, on time, while boarding is coming to the end

Mission accomplished. I take leave of my escort who I warmly thank.
Gate’s hostess gives me a new boarding pass for this last flight

I go fast in the jetbridge

To arrive at my blue bird (F-OSUN)

As on all ATN flights and in all classes of travel, a Tiare flower is offered to each passenger

I enjoy the new Business cabin on this flight (3 of 5 aircrafts retrofitted)

Here is the seat

A cushion and a pouch containing the cover are arranged on the seat

I take place in the seat

Cabin view

Seat inspection from every angle :
Before me, besides the IFE are arranged in-flight magazines, safety card, and individual water bottle

Small lockers under the water bottles contain a little extra cushion

Above the IFE on the seat in front, a small tablet which I did not catch the utility because it is available only when you are standing

Pilot light

Under the central armrest is willing the headphone

It is much less efficient than the Bose in AF First class of the previous flight, but better than the current one in AF Business

In the center armrest, besides the headphone, a USB port and a power outlet

At the side armrest, seat control and remote controller of the IFE

The seat control is very simple

The remote controller offers not a lot of features, as the screen is a touch screen

Different magazines available in the pocket

Safety Card

Welcome drink : Champagne

The Tiare flower, symbol of the company can be found everywhere

An amusing anecdote after that : an instructor crew comes next to me and thanks me for the box of chocolates. Seeing my surprise, she understands that she is with the wrong person. A pax offering chocolates to the crew, this is not anybody ;)
The amenity kit is then distributed

I don’t like the presentation cardboard box, a kit is more elegant (and reusable for another use later)

But content with L'Occitane products are of good quality

Different home screens scroll on the IFE

Push back 10 minutes late

Taxiing takes about ten minutes more

The opportunity to meet some beautiful birds
Virgin Atlantic B744

Which masks the B777 All Black Air New Zealand

Take-off
Century City, Beverly Hills

We quickly reach the Pacific at Marina del Rey

Santa Monica

And finally Malibu

Let’s fly over a big blue ocean

The menu is distributed

Aperitifs choice

Meals menu

Wine list

IFE also shows several different menus, difficult to navigate, no indication which one of them is for our flight

I go to the toilets where L'Occitane products are also available

Distribution of oshibori (I present it like a mop, sorry)

I am now interested in the IFE with a nice touch screen

The screen size is correct

Here is the full choice of films : 26 movies, it’s few (although it is better than 14 in economy)

I benefit from the low filling the cabin (maximum 50%) and the absence of neighbor to take my ease, with Geovision to my left and a movie in front of me

I selected a french movie Chinese puzzle for the beginning of this flight

I take out the tablet from the center armrest

Reminder of aperitif choice, which I find quite varied

The hostess tells me that my choice of a Pina Collada is not available, so I take a Margarita

I do not know why I imagine that I would see a good Margarita prepared at request in the galley, here I am with an infamous ready-to-serve preparation that I did not get to finish. The assortment of various nuts and dried fruits is good.

The table is set, tablecloth with his embroidered Tiare

Reminder of the menu

The plate is served, the bread is hot

Focus on a few elements of service:
Embroidered towel with her Tiare

Salt and pepper

Metal cutlery

The glass is also marked with Tiare flower

Starter Parma prosciutto, pheasant-pork terrine, and sauteed scallops with mango salsa, lime pesto, sauteed mushrooms
The combination of meat and scallops is confusing, it's pretty average

The trolley appears for the service of the main course

I choose the seared shrimps and scallops in Cajun-style sauce offerd with saffron rice

It's very spicy, I love it

Cheese is disappointing

The dessert is good

Various sweets are nice: Mini strawberry cheesecake, mini pistachio nougat, raspberry chocolate verrine

Mango sherbet refreshing

Fresh fruits

I finish with a strong coffee (there’s no espresso)
This first meal is appreciated despite some shortcomings
I keep on my movie session with Ocean's Thirteen

Then I work on the pictures of the previous report, Air France La Première (SEE HERE) while another oshibori is distributed

The cold light meal comes when it’s 7:00 pm in Tahiti and there is less than 2 hours of flight
Reminder of the menu

Everything is brought on a single meal tray

I take some wine (St Emilion) which is served in a stemmed glass and is good

Tiare is everywhere

The grilled chicken with Vietnamese salad and dressing is not bad

Cheeses are as disappointing as for the main meal

Fresh fruits are good

I won’t touch the Chocolate espresso Creme Brulee

This is my 5th meal in less than 24 hours, I surrender
I struggled against sleep not to sleep the entire flight, to better fight against the jet lag, but at the end, I collapse. I test the seat into bed position, which I think is his biggest weakness : it is angled bed, 160 °, which is far from new full flat standards of many companies

It’s a good surprise for me to sleep well there and not feel any toboggan effect
The coverage

The cabin is quiet

We are approaching PPT

We land 20 minutes early, 5 minutes taxiing before stopping at our parking stand

I leave this new Business cabin with nice visual

Disembarking and some views of the bird (F-OSUN, nicknamed Moorea)

Welcome to Tahiti-Faaa

Local welcome as for each international arrival

My luggages comes the first

But I stop here to declare to the customs my new laptop purchased in France during this trip.

It takes a long time, there are only 2 or 3 people before me, and it takes 40 minutes before I left the carousel hall. There’s nobody here except a few other pax also waiting at customs. It disgusts you to be honest !
End of this beautiful journey that made me discover both AF First and TN Business. A good memory
Bonus All Black
To finish, some bonus pictures with Air New Zealand in PPT
ANZ flies to PPT 2 times per week (soon 3 times) with a B763. For the longest vacations in Tahiti, to increase capacity, some flights are operated with a B77W. Air New Zealand announced in early July they will send us the All Black plane or the Hobbit plane, with a tour of the plane for the press during the stopover. Of course I asked ANZ to participate for the purpose of a photo essay on Flight Report. They refuse as you can imagine.
I go to the airport on sunday, July 6 for the arrival of ZK-OKQ, the All Black plane, the most beautiful aircraft in the world for me.
I can attend his arrival behind gates that spoil some fun and photos

Fortunately, an airport staff send me his own pictures, far more successful than mine, thank you Arsene;)
Landing

Taxiing on the runway

Arrival hailed as required by firefighters

Thanks to all who took the trip to the end.