Hot on the heels of our updated review of the Alaska Airlines card yesterday the airline comes out with some great news today! They have announced a new partnership with Air Tahiti Nui as the French Polynesian carrier revealed they will be launched Seattle to Tahiti flights this fall! Yes, Seattle is not in Canada but this presents a potentially great opportunity for Mileage Plan members in Western Canada as now you’ll be able to reach the South Pacific paradise with just one stop flying on Alaska Airlines out of Alberta or B.C. via Seattle.
Mileage Plan members will be able to earn and redeem miles on eligible Air Tahiti Nui flights including the long running Los Angeles to Papeete route. Members will be able to earn miles starting on April 1st while mileage redemption is expected to come later this spring. We are keeping our fingers crossed Mileage Plan makes those redemption amounts reasonable (like they have for Fiji Airways) and not excessively high like we have seen for some of the new oneworld partners they have added.
Here are the earn rates that will start as of April 1:
| Cabin | Purchased fare class | Base miles | Bonus miles | Total miles earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poerava Business | C, J | 100% | 50% | 150% |
| D, Z | 100% | 25% | 125% | |
| Moana Premium | W | 100% | 15% | 115% |
| E, A, P | 100% | 5% | 105% | |
| Moana Economy | Y, M, K, H | 100% | 0% | 100% |
| T, L, N | 75% | 0% | 75% | |
| B, Q, G, V | 50% | 0% | 50% | |
| S | 25% | 0% | 25% |
Here are the details of the new Air Tahiti Nui Seattle flight:
| Starts | City Pair | Departs | Arrives | Frequency | Aircraft |
| Oct. 4, 2022 | Papeete (Tahiti) – Seattle | 10:00 p.m. | 10:25 a.m. +1 day | Tues, Sat | 787-9 |
| Oct. 5, 2022 | Seattle – Papeete (Tahiti) | 12:40 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | Wed, Sun | 787-9 |
Wrapping it up
I know I said this is a great opportunity for Mileage Plan members in Western Canada but in fact I think this is great development for all members regardless of where you are in Canada. If Mileage Plan makes the redemption rates reasonable (Fiji Airways is 55,000 miles one way business class to the South Pacific) and there is availability to redeem for flights in a premium class then I can see members from all over Canada taking advantage of this.
Click here to learn more about this new partnership!