We stopped by the Air Tahiti Nui Lounge at Papeete Airport (PPT) before our flight out of Tahiti. It’s a simple lounge but we found it too crowded.

View other posts in this series:

• Trip Introduction: Summer in a Bora Bora Paradise
• United Polaris SFO Lounge: Is It The Best?
• Quick Hit: Pocket That Airline Meal Voucher for Later
• Review: United Airlines 787-9 Polaris Business Class SFO-PPT
• Review: Boutique Kon Tiki Tahiti
• Air Moana: An Enjoyable But Brief Experience
• St. Regis Bora Bora Review: A Beautiful Hard Product
• St. Regis Bora Bora Review: Paradise with Service Flaws
• Delicious Breakfast and Lunch at St. Regis Bora Bora
• St. Regis Bora Bora: Unforgettable Gourmet Dinners in Paradise
• La Villa Mahana: A Special Treat in Bora Bora
• Saint James Bora Bora Review – Great Food, Slow Service
• Fabulous Activities and Amenities at the St. Regis Bora Bora
• Kids at St. Regis Bora Bora: A Good Idea?
• Bora Bora Snorkeling: Loving the Big 5 on the Loveboat
• Perfect for Younger Kids: Underwater Scooter in Bora Bora
• Tupuna Safari Bora Bora: An Awesome Off-Roading Adventure
• Air Tahiti: The Popular Way to Explore French Polynesia
• Intercontinental Tahiti Review: One of the Best Resorts on the Island
• Delightful Dining at the Intercontinental Tahiti
• Fabulous Dinners Await at the Intercontinental Tahiti
• Activities and Relaxation at the Intercontinental Tahiti
• Tahiti with Kids: Basking in Island Love
• Air Tahiti Nui Lounge Review: Can Be Too Crowded (this post)
• Comfort in the Sky: Air France A350-900 Business Class PPT-LAX

Location of the Air Tahiti Nui Lounge (PPT)

The Air Tahiti Nui Lounge at PPT airport is the island’s only airport lounge. You’ll find it in the international terminal after security up on the second floor. To make things easy, there are only two things on the second floor: this lounge and a small play area for children.

Having a small play area for kids to enjoy before a long flight is better than nothing. And you don’t need to be using the lounge to have access to it.

Access rules

The lounge is open during the following times:

• Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday: 6AM to midday and 1:30PM to 10PM
• Thursday: 6AM to midday and 1:30PM to 11PM
• Sunday: 6AM to midday and 1:30PM to 6PM

For the most part, the lounge will be open when international flights with premium cabins are present.

The following passengers have access to this lounge:

• Flying in Poerava Business class on Air Tahiti Nui
• Flying in business class on other airlines (like Air France and United)
• Club Tiare GOLD members
• Air Tahiti Nui Moana Economy or Mānava Premium class passengers who spend 6,000 XPF (~$58 US) on a lounge pass

While this lounge accepted Priority Pass in the past, it no longer does. Additionally, lounge access is only available prior to departure and not on arrival in PPT.

We gained admission from flying in Air France business class.

Seating at the Air Tahiti Nui Lounge

There is plenty of seating within the lounge, but it can get very crowded in here. That’s especially true before Air Tahiti Nui flights that might have more eligible passengers with access. In our case, our Air France flight and the Air Tahiti Nui flight departed near each other, causing some difficulty in finding enough seats.

Frankly, I don’t think the lounge opens early enough for the morning flights. A 6AM opening time at the lounge means a rather brief visit if you’re on that 7AM Air Tahiti Nui flight. And, if you’re on the 7:40AM Air France flight, it means at best an hour in the lounge, but it’ll be crowded half the time because of other flight.

In any event, I had to take photos of the seating arrangement after the passengers from the Air Tahiti Nui flight left or you would find every seat taken.

With just the Air France business class passengers in here, it’s rather peaceful.

The lounge does also have views of the apron where we could see our Air France flight (and ensure it wasn’t boarding without us there).

We could also see the Air Tahiti Nui flight.

The buffet

There isn’t too much of a spread here at the Air Tahiti Nui lounge, with most items spread across a single long table. I’ll let the pictures mostly speak for themselves.

In our case, it’s nice to have breakfast available to the kids before our flight since we left the hotel before breakfast service started. That enabled the kids to last a bit longer before meal service began on the Air France flight. It’s probably better to think of the food options as simply a light snack before you get onto the plane. This isn’t intended to be a meal replacement.

Drinks

How about the drinks? Well, if you want alcohol, it is available even on a Sunday morning. But you’ll need to mix and pour your own drinks. There isn’t a wide range of drink options, but it works for the size of the lounge.

Next to the hard liquor and wine is the fridge where you’ll find juice, soda, and beer. Beer before 7AM is a little too early for my tastes.

There also is a coffee machine if you need it, which was a popular option so early in the morning.

Showering at the Air Tahiti Nui Lounge

The lounge does have showers available though we didn’t get a chance to use them on this visit. You’ll find them inside each of the restrooms.

There is a dedicated stall in each restroom that houses the shower room. If the door is open, anyone can go inside to take a look at it, but it is missing towels so you’ll need to talk to staff to get them.

Longtime readers would know I like to make a comparison of nearly every airport shower to the industrial look of British Airways showers. Despite how basic this shower is, I would still prefer this shower to what British Airways offers.

Odds and Ends

For those interested, there is a smoking room inside the lounge, just to the side of the entrance. We didn’t go in there (we don’t smoke) but thankfully no odors crept into the rest of the lounge.

Recommendation: It’s fine, but crowds make it unpleasant

It’s a good thing this lounge no longer accepts Priority Pass. It’s terribly crowded already as it is, especially if it’s before two flights depart. Once the lounge drops down to one flight, it can be pleasant inside. The offerings are rather basic. They’re better than the average Priority Pass lounge in the United States, but not necessarily up to international standards. And that’s fine by us. We just needed a small bite before our flight and this lounge gave us exactly what we needed.

Have you been to the Air Tahiti Nui lounge?

Suggested reading:

• Why You Need to Collect Air France Miles
• The Best Options for Airport Lounges for Families
• Is Priority Pass Still Worth The Effort?