Air Tahiti Nui Drops Seattle – What Went Wrong, What’s Next
ID 357186390 | Air Tahiti Nui © Robin Guess | Dreamstime.com
Air Tahiti Nui will end Papeete (PPT)–Seattle (SEA) on January 28, 2026, retiring its younger U.S. gateway after lackluster performance. The carrier’s flagship PPT–Los Angeles (LAX) route remains.
The route at a glance
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Last day of service: Jan 28, 2026
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Current frequency: 2x weekly
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Typical schedule:
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TN52 PPT 7:00 a.m. → SEA 6:15 p.m. (9h15m)
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TN51 SEA 8:30 p.m. → PPT 4:00 a.m.+1 (9h30m)
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Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 (all TN long-haul)
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Launched: Oct 2022 (with Alaska Airlines connectivity)
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Experimented tag-on: SEA–Paris (CDG) from Jun 2023; ended Jan 2025
Why Seattle didn’t work
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Structural demand shortfall: Reported consistently sub-50% load factors; limited VFR/corporate base versus SoCal.
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Geography penalty: SEA is ideal for North Pacific arcs, but Polynesia sits far south—out of the way for most North America–Tahiti flows.
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Thin Paris feed: The SEA–CDG tag was designed to capture France↔Polynesia traffic away from LAX, but it underperformed and was pulled first.
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Network economics: Internal figures show SEA was the most unprofitable route, outweighing losses on other underperformers—while LAX is the lone profitable market.
What changes for travelers
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U.S. access to Tahiti:
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Remains via Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui (and other carriers via their hubs).
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Alaska Mileage Plan / oneworld connections that once funneled over SEA will need to retime via LAX instead.
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Booked on SEA after Jan 28, 2026? Expect reaccommodation via LAX, date changes, or refunds per TN irregular-ops policy. If you used partner miles, contact the issuing program to rebook.
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Award/upgrade angles: With capacity consolidated at LAX, premium award space could get tighter in peak months; shoulder-season hunting (Mar–May, Sep–Nov excluding holidays) usually works best.
Where that airplane might go
Consultants have flagged three front-runners if TN reallocates capacity:
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Honolulu (HNL): Shorter stage, strong Oceania/US feed and leisure mix; easy interline to North America and Japan.
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San Francisco (SFO): Large West Coast market with broad domestic connectivity; geographically cleaner than SEA for PPT.
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Sydney (SYD): Deep O&D and tourism flows; pairs well with PPT’s France-bound traffic via LAX/CDG.
(Final decisions pending—TN is state-owned and balances tourism goals with finances.)
How we got here: a quick timeline
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Oct 2022: PPT–SEA launches to complement PPT–LAX; heavy Alaska Airlines feed.
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Jun 2023: Route extended to SEA–CDG, tapping Polynesia↔France demand.
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Jan 2025: SEA–CDG tag cancelled amid weak results.
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Jan 2026: PPT–SEA ends entirely; LAX remains the profitable anchor.
Strategic takeaway
Air Tahiti Nui’s pivot is pure network hygiene: cut the outlier that loses the most and concentrate around proven flows (LAX) while evaluating shorter, higher-utility or higher-yield additions. For travelers, Los Angeles becomes even more central to seamless Tahiti trips—at least until TN picks its next North Pacific move.
Bottom line
Seattle was a bold swing that never connected. PPT–SEA ends Jan 28, 2026, with Air Tahiti Nui consolidating around LAX and weighing HNL/SFO/SYD as smarter redeployments. If you had SEA plans, shift your routing via LAX and keep an eye out for a cleaner replacement route announcement.
