A favorite destination for Southern California honeymooners, Tahiti and its neighboring islands are among the few places in the world where couples can sleep in over-the-water bungalows and wake up to the sounds of the lapping ocean right below their feet.
But to get there, most visitors have to fly a tiny airline with a fleet of just five jets that despite its size has exceeded industry and passenger expectations by acting big.
Last month the obscure airline, Air Tahiti Nui, celebrated its 10th anniversary, having survived several industry upheavals that have claimed dozens of much larger airlines.
Along the way, the flagship carrier for Tahiti became known as the "little airline that could" and for the last several years has been ranked among the world's best airlines, joining an elite crowd whose typical fleet is 50 times larger. The "Nui" in its name means "big" in Tahitian.
"It's a success story," said Joe Brancatelli, who runs the business travel website JoeSentMe.com. "Simply surviving is a victory for them. Ten years as an airline that is respected, safe and liked puts it in a category all by itself."
But now the airline is facing perhaps its toughest test yet in the global economic downturn that is pummeling even the biggest airlines.
Last week, the International Air Transport Assn. said that although declining fuel prices have provided a "welcome relief" for airlines, the "gloom continues and the situation of the industry remains critical."
And the fallout could be dramatic for Tahiti and the surrounding islands in French Polynesia that have served as tropical havens for honeymooners and upscale vacationers. The airline is responsible for 70% of the visitors to the Pacific islands. Los Angeles International Airport serves as its main hub for American and European travelers.
"It has been a tough year for us," said Nicholas Panza, Air Tahiti Nui's vice president for the Americas. "We're all having to sharpen our pencils."
But the slump could make travel to Tahiti and the surrounding islands such as Bora Bora and Moorea more affordable.
To keep its planes full, the carrier has begun offering "short stay" airfares to get more travelers from Southern California and the West Coast to spend a "long weekend" in Tahiti. The island is about an eight-hour flight from Los Angeles and is in the same time zone as Hawaii.
