By Air

To French Polynesia

French Polynesia is located roughly halfway between California and Australia, which makes it a popular stop-off point for people traveling to and from Australia and New Zealand. Many airlines offer great package deals for island-hopping, not just within French Polynesia, but including Fiji and Hawaii as well. Ask your travel agent or the airline to see if there are any deals.

A variety of airlines fly into Tahiti's Faa'a International Airport. If you are flying from the U.S., you can fly direct from Los Angeles and San Francisco, or you travel via Hawaii for roughly the same price. There are no direct flights from Canada.

Within French Polynesia

Given the vast expanse of French Polynesia, most of the travel to and from the islands is by plane. You can either charter a flight (be prepared to pay), or hop on the interisland flights offered by Air Tahiti and Air Moorea, which fly to 38 islands in the five archipelagos. Flight frequencies tend to change like the tides, so make certain you check before purchasing a ticket: some areas, like the Gambier archipelago, only have flights going in and out once a week. There is no main air travel service in French Polynesia, but Air Tahiti is the kingpin. If you have any questions about interisland travel, ask them or your travel agent.

Based at Faa'a, Air Tahiti and Air Archipels—a private air charter service that's been operating since 1996—can arrange charter flights to many of the islands.

Airline Contacts

Air France. 47–47–47. www.airfrance.com.

Air Moorea. 86–41–41. www.airmoorea.com.

Air New Zealand. 800/262–1234 in U.S. www.airnz.com.

Air Tahiti. 45–55–55. www.airtahiti.com.

Hawaiian Airlines. 800/367–5320 in U.S. www.hawaiianair.com.

Qantas. 800/227–4500 in U.S. www.qantas.com.au.

United Airlines. 800/538–2929 in U.S. www.united.com.

Airline and Airport Links.com. www.airlineandairportlinks.com.

Transportation Security Administration. www.tsa.gov.

Charter Companies

Air Tahiti. 86–40–23. www.airtahiti.com.

Air Archipels. 81–30–30. www.airarchipels.com.

Air Passes

There are several air passes available for hopping between islands: the Discovery Pass (Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea; $330), the Bora Bora Pass (Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, Maupiti; $475), the Lagoon Pass (Moorea, Rangiroa, Fakarava, Manihi, Tikehu, Ahe; $530), and the Bora Bora–Tuamotu Pass (Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, Maupiti, Rangiroa, Fakarava, Manihi, Tikehu, Ahe; $940). These passes allow for a cost-effective and convenient way to travel, but they come laden with terms and conditions, some of which include having to start in Tahiti, but not being able to return to it; all islands of the same archipelago must be visited at one time; only one stopover is allowed per island; the pass is only valid for 28 days after the first departure. Check out the Air Tahiti Web site for a more thorough discussion of terms and conditions, as they often change.

Air Passes

Air Tahiti. 86–42–42. www.airtahiti.com.

ETahiti Travel. 83–51–60. www.etahititravel.com.

Airports

Tahiti's Faa'a International Airport is the only international airport in French Polynesia. The airport is located about 5 km (3 mi) from the capital city of Pape'ete on the northwest side of Tahiti Nui, Tahiti's large island. The airport offers basic amenities, such as snack bars, souvenir shops, public phones, public restrooms, a post office, bank counters, ATM machines, and a restaurant. The main terminal is for Air Tahiti. The Air Moorea counter is in another building 656 feet (200 meters) away. There are bus and taxi services to take you to and from the airport—buses are the cheaper option, but they don't always run on time.

Most of the runways on the 38 other islands that receive air traffic are paved and of good quality. Some of the more remote islands, however, have unpaved landing strips. The term "airport" can vary from island to island, but the majority of them feature shelter, public restrooms, public phones, souvenirs, and a snack bar.

Airport Information

Faa'a International Airport. 86–60–61. www.tahiti-aeroport.pf.