Review of Air Tahiti Nui flight from Auckland to Papeete in Economy

Hello !
We live in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and we fly to France 1 or 2 times a year, with Air France via LAX. I’m tired to always fly with the same companie, the same plane, always transiting in LAX.
Here are the Flight Reports of my first round-the-world trip, with my family (2 adults and 1 child 3 years old), in Economy class.
Routing is PPT – LAX – CDG – TLS – FRA – SIN – AKL – PPT
Companies will be Air France, Lufthansa Cityline, Singapore Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui

1ST PART : From Tahiti to France : I did it my way Papeete [PPT] - Los Angeles [LAX], Air France AF77, B772, Economy, January 26, 2014 CLICK HERE Los Angeles [LAX] - Paris [CDG], Air France AF77, B772, Economy, January 26, 2014 CLICK HERE Paris [CDG] - Toulouse [TLS], Air France AF7788, A320, Economy, January 27, 2014 CLICK HERE 2ND PART : Going East : New Horizons Toulouse [TLS] - Frankfurt [FRA], Lufthansa Cityline LH1099, CR7, Economy, February 17, 2014 CLICK HERE Frankfurt [FRA] - Singapore [SIN], Singapore Airlines SQ325, B77W, Economy, February 17, 2014 CLICK HERE 3RD PART : Back to Tahiti : Full Circle Singapore [SIN] - Auckland [AKL], Singapore Airlines SQ285, B77W, Economy, February 22, 2014 CLICK HERE Auckland [AKL] - Papeete [PPT], Air Tahiti Nui TN102, A343, Economy, February 23, 2014
YOU ARE HERE

For this last flight, and fly back to PPT from AKL, there is not so much choice. Only 2 airlines operate this route, Air Tahiti Nui (3 per week) and Air New Zealand (2 per week), with a code share on some flights between these 2 companies, and Qantas has a code share with Air Tahiti Nui.
We arrive from Singapore Sunday at noon, so the connection will be with a flight operated by Air Tahiti Nui and also marketed by Air New Zealand and Qantas.
To buy this one way ticket, I choose Air New Zealand for several reasons :
- This is the cheapest : NZ sells one way ticket half the price of return flights, and it would have cost 3.5 times more to buy the same ticket with TN !
- We have a *A Gold status (status match with Turkish Airlines) which should provide us some advantages
- I arrive with a Staralliance companie (Singapore) which should help for transit procedures (I thought… )
So here we are with a NZ ticket (NZ314) for this flight operated by TN (TN102) on a separate ticket of the TLS -FRA -SIN -AKL booked with SQ, because there is currently no possibility of such a routing in a single ticket.
At check-in of the previous flight in Singapore, the hostess confirmed what I feared : she can’t check in for the next flight (what about cooperation between Staralliance companies ?) but could label our luggage to PPT.
You can tell me that I could use online check in. But no! No OLCI with ATN, unlike ANZ, and ANZ do not provide OLCI for this flight because of the code share with ATN (crappy code share, act 1)
That’s why we were forced to make the whole process of entry in the NZ territory at the end of the previous flight, and we'll make all the check in and boarding procedure for this last flight .
We are landside 30 minutes after landing

The departure table shows flights of the day, our next flight is on time

A bit tired after a red eye flight, we headed to the Business check-in counter, proudly wearing my *A Gold card

The agent tells us that we have no right to this privilege because of the share code with ATN (crappy code share, act 2), but since we are here and no one is waiting behind us, she cares for us.
A new concern ahead, that I identified before the flight in the conditions of this particular share code, but I was hoping to get through the cracks. We have 4 checked-in bags (23 kg each) from SIN, well below our franchise of 130kg with SQ for this trip. For this last flight (ticket with ANZ), piece concept applies. We should be entitled to one bag per person (we are 3) plus 1 piece bonus for the 2 of us *A Gold. But no! Despite ANZ ticket, it is the conditions of the carrier ATN that apply to the letter ( crappy code share, act 3). We have one excess bag in these conditions, the check in hostess asks us to pay the fixed price in this situation : 70 NZD

But this is not done at the check in counter, I have to go to Air New Zealand’s sales counter a little further

I’m not alone here and it does not move quickly before me. I pay and I get my receipt .

Back to the check in counter where I must wait 5 minutes in front of the hostess over the phone, and finally get my boarding pass in exchange of payment receipt

Finally, we can redirect airside. Behind this door, passport control will be long before security checks

That's it, we are finally airside more than an hour after finishing the landing and entry procedures ! It took us over one hour and 30 minutes from the arrival of the last flight to make this transit procedure in tiring conditions, I thought I was in LAX ! The international transit procedure by the dedicated path takes 5 minutes in AKL normally (see the FR of my travels from Tahiti to Australia, for example, only in french at this time)
Note nonetheless that SQ and NZ just finalized a cooperation agreement on SIN AKL which should enter into force in late 2014, which should avoid this difficult transit in the future (even with a code share ATN ? I don’t know)
Now let’s go for a more enjoyable part of this report. The terminal of AKL is very pleasant with a large duty free area

Bright area

And multiple views on the tarmac for a varied planespotting :
B772 Thai

A little further, my future bird, A343 ATN

This is Rangiroa, F-OSEA , that will allow me to present the new cabins of ATN (3 planes out of 5 refurbished)

A332 Fiji Airways (formerly Air Pacific ) : currently one of the finest livery in my opinion

B77W Singapore who brought me here and now returning home

Finally A343 Cathay and A320 Air Calin

I am surprised to see no Emirates aircraft during our visit, at a time when three A380 should arrive within 1 hour
We now want to have rest in Air New Zealand’s Lounge.

Will we be expelled because of this code share with ATN (crappy code share, act 4 ) ? I put my boarding pass under the scanner and a red light turns on. Ouch! I give my *A Gold card to the hostess, and we can go in . Phew!

I don’t think we had access to the lounge but our goalie did not care. Good for us
Here are some general views

TV corner with a rugby match