Tahiti Minister Of Tourism Speaks With A Representative Of United Airlines

Minister of Tourism Nicole Bouteau, accompanied by Pascal Bazer-Bachi, Director of Civil Aviation of French Polynesia, and his staff, spoke with Barbara Hepburn Rahrla, Director of International Regulations for the Asia-Pacific Region from United Airlines United Airlines.

This meeting was an opportunity for the Minister of Tourism to thank United Airlines for choosing Polynesia as a new destination from its San Francisco hub. After Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, the company continues to expand its air services to the Pacific.

Ms. Hepburn recalled that the merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines in 2010 reinforced their expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, including direct flights from San Francisco to Singapore, Taipei or Haneda in Japan.

Founded in 1926, United Airlines is the largest US airline in terms of destinations served: 335 destinations in 50 countries, as well as 216 domestic destinations. This represents approximately 4,500 departures per day, or approximately 143 million passengers carried each year for 1.6 million flights.

Its flights depart from 9 hubs: Chicago, Houston, Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Guam and Tokyo. The company operates 748 long and medium range aircraft as well as 475 domestic aircraft. The expansion of the company is notably characterized by the acquisition of Pan Amen 1985 for the rights on the Asian roads, then in 1991 for the English and Latin American routes. Pan Am and Continental are the only American airlines to have served Tahiti so far: the first from 1963 to 1979 and the second from 1986 to 1989.

United Airlines will fly to Polynesia 3 weekly flights using a 219-seat B787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in a three-class configuration on the San Francisco-Papeete-San Francisco relationship from October 30, 2018: 110 seats in economy, 70 in premium economy and 39 in business class. Ms. Hepburn emphasized the performance of their new aircraft, which absorb turbulence, consume less fuel and are quieter.

During this interview, the representative of United Airlines wished to express both the thanks and the enthusiasm of the company to serve Tahiti and its islands, which according to the company has a strong potential for tourism development.

Ticket sales San Francisco-Papeete, with the inaugural flight scheduled for October 30, is already launched. Several United Airlines executives as well as specialized media will be present on the maiden flight.

(Source: Tahiti Ministry of Tourism La Presidence Press Release 02 March 2018)

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