Air Tahiti boosts flights out of Auckland

Air Tahiti Nui will soon offer five flights to Papeete and three to Los Angeles.

Air Tahiti Nui will boost its Auckland to Tahiti and Los Angeles flights as part of a global overhaul.

From December, the airline will add a Tuesday afternoon Auckland to Papeete service, in addition to Thursday and Sunday flights, bringing the total weekly Tahiti services to five, including two codeshare flights with Air NZ.

New Zealanders will also have improved access to Los Angeles via Papeete with weekly flights increasing to three in both directions.

The additional services on a 296-seat Airbus A340-300 will start on December 10.

Additional flights have previously been added during peak season but the airline's general manager for New Zealand Australia, Mark Hutchinson, said this increase in frequency was locked in year round.

Air Tahiti Nui codeshares with Qantas across the Tasman and the extra service was driven by an upsurge in demand from Australians and New Zealand leisure travellers heading for Tahiti and taking advantage of affordable US holidays.

"We've experienced year-on-year growth in passengers travelling to Tahiti, which has enabled us to launch this additional service with confidence. With better and more frequent connections, our guests will be spoiled for choice and have more flexibility when it comes to planning their holiday," he said.

The airline is also enhancing its fleet with a complete cabin reconfiguration including more comfortable seats and a new inflight entertainment system.