Our fifth year anniversary trip-Tahiti, New Zealand and (No Japan)-From PVG-BOB, a 24 hours journey
I live quite far away from PVG airport, so left home 5:40 in the morning in order to catch 8:40 Delta flight to NRT. This one thing I don’t like Shanghai airports, both airports are big enough to fit any aircraft, but nearly all international(except to GMP, HND and very few HKG) leaves from PVG.From my home to PVG is exactly 1 hour without any traffic, that’s only happen in the morning or late evening, most time, It will take longer than that.
Arrived PVG at 6:40, Delta check in counter was empty, It’s a non busy season and non busy day. The agent was knowledgeable enough to check our bag all the way to PPT without any problem. After passing immigration, we head to lounge. Delta used a contracted lounge shared with many other airlines, most time, these kind of lounge would be small, so did this one, but at least it had hot food.
I went to the gate before boarding process started and waited in the SKYPRIORTY line. As always, there was an employee check everyone boarding pass to see if they were in the right lane. After showing her my boarding pass, she told me” Sir, please go to another lane” I kindly asked her to look again, then she asked whether I had membership card with me. My BP showed “Sky Priority/Platinum/Elite Plus with seat 9K”People in china had tradition of cutting lanes, ignore signs and announcements, so airline employees in China like to pay some “extra attention” to Asian faces holding a dark red passport, especially on western carriers. It happened to me many many many times. This time, I was not first one in lane, but first Asian face in lane, did not see she asked people in front of me to move.
Delta has a hardest to use frequent flyer program on earth, but I still need to say they really care China Market. At least, they know to hire many China based FA who speaks proper Chinese, so does UA and CO. American Airline is a different story, it’s been several years since they started China market, but I still couldn’t understand those FA’s Chinese most time. Most time, I am the only Asian in C cabin for PEK-ORD. Back to the topic, the flight from PVG-NRT was short, we quickly fell in sleep after breakfast consider we only had 4 hours sleep yesterday.
Air Tahiti is located in diff terminal than Delta, we had to pass security, then waited for the bus for 30 minutes, then took the train, finally arrived transfer desk to get our boarding pass. I checked TN website the night before, it showed they uses AF lounge in NRT airport, so I asked information desk where the AF lounge was, they told me it’s in another terminal and had no idea where the TN lounge was. This TN flight have codeshare with Japan Airline, I then went to Sakura lounge, wrong again!!! It was Qantas lounge.
Boarding started on time, our seat was 2A and 2B. I read review earlier about TN business class, it was old, small, you can get out if seat in front of you fully reclines. 2A,B was bulkhead, so at least no one in front of us. According to many reviews I read, Air Tahiti Nui was no longer the TN few years ago. I can only say service was ok and food was below ok! IFE system is like United old 777 system, one program per channel.I really missed the day when people could still redeem AA miles for their First class seat, at least you get a recliner that can recline nearly flat. French never had decent premium cabin product, Air France didn’t, so I won’t expect TN to get decent product anytime sooner.
Our flight landed in PPT early in the morning, so we can connect to BOB in the same day. Air Tahiti inter-island flight check in was next to arrival and their baggage policy was counted by weight rather than pieces. We had two bags 25.6 and 13.8, they used calculator to make sure we did not exceed 40kg(2 people). There was ATM and money change machine available at airport, but I suggest everyone use debit card because the lane for money change machine were very very long+you won’t get good rate at machine unless you use Euro.
Air Tahiti check in area
lane for cash change machine
waiting area for inter island flight, don’t even have restroom
Our flight from PPT-BOB still have 2 stops at Moorea and Huahine, after another 1:45 mins flying, we finally landed in BOB airport. From early spring Shanghai to winter Japan to sunny Tahiti exactly 24 hours.
Ed said,
Very cool! I enjoyed reading your trip….did not realize that the flight to BOB from PPT would require 2 stops!! Hope you had a nice time and it was worth it.
I myself just got back from Kona/Hilo (6 hours flight) and it was great. Not Bora Bora great but the cost/benefit ratio was probably even better than Tahiti.
Troy said,
@ed, most time, only 2 non stop from PPT-BOB, rest are 1 or 2 stops. Tahiti is not that expensive, I ‘d say in par with Hawaii
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