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Great idea, Bob -- I'll send my letters to you this weekend!

Definitely mention the fact that they are advertising a $589 LAX-CDG special (half the airfare to Tahiti), and that their current $1082 LAX-PPT special has a FIVE DAY MAXIMUM STAY (how foolish is that)?

Meanwhile, more dismal news today in Tahiti Presse:
..................
Feb. one of Tahiti's worst ever int'l airline passenger months

(Tahitipresse) - There were 23% fewer airline passengers traveling in and out of Tahiti last month, making February one of the worst months ever, according to statistics from the French Civil Aviation Office.


Air Tahiti Nui, with the most flights of the seven airlines serving Tahiti internationally, carried 30.9% fewer passengers than a year ago. Besides much less visitors in general so far this year, another contributing factor was the airline's loss of charter flights for the 670-passenger Tahitian Princess cruise ship. The vessel pulled out of its Papeete base in December after seven years of cruising Tahiti and Her Islands on a regular basis.

Tahiti's 10-year-old carrier began 2009 with 15.8% fewer passengers in January compared with a year ago. After two months, Air Tahiti Nui had carried 22.8% fewer passengers from the same period last year, the Civil Aviation statistics show.

As for Tahiti's overall international traffic, the 9.1% drop in passengers for regularly scheduled flights in January combined with the 23.1% drop in February gave Tahiti 15.7% fewer passengers for the first two months compared with a year ago. Overall seating capacity shrunk 11.7% in January and 25.5% in February, mainly due to canceled flights. That resulted in a two-month capacity that was 18.3% smaller than a year ago.

Air Tahiti Nui had operated as many as eight weekly charter flights for Tahitian Princess passengers and crew during the high season. February was the second straight month that the airline operated no charter, or non-regular flights. The Civil Aviation Office counts statistics for regularly scheduled flights separately from charter flights.

For its regularly scheduled February flights from Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Sydney and Auckland, Air Tahiti Nui carried 30.9% fewer passengers for a seating capacity that was 34.8% smaller. But it filled an average of 71.6% of those seats, which was a better passenger load factor than the 69.9% a year ago.

For the other airlines, only Air New Zealand and Air Caledonie International carried more passengers during the first two months of this year over a year ago. Air New Zealand's passenger volume rose 5.4% with a 2.9% greater seating capacity, while AirCalin carried 12.8% more passengers with an 18% increase in seating capacity.

But in February, only AirCalin carried more passengers--+1% with 3.1% greater capacity.

Air New Zealand carried 2.6% fewer passengers in February with an 11% smaller capacity than a year ago. Air France carried 10.8% fewer passengers with a 9.7% smaller capacity. LAN Airlines carried 5.3% fewer passengers with about the same seating capacity. Hawaiian Airlines carried 18.2% fewer passengers with a 1.2% bigger capacity. And Air Tahiti, which flies to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, carried 16.5% fewer passengers with the same seating capacity.

For the January-February period, Air France carried almost the same number of passengers as a year ago with a 4.8% smaller capacity. LAN carried 11.8% fewer passengers with almost the same capacity. Hawaiian Airlines carried 13.3% fewer passengers with only a fractionally smaller capacity. And Air Tahiti carried 15.6% fewer passengers with the same capacity.


ATP

Too bad the special is for a maximum stay of ten days... Micmurr, if you call ATN and ask for available dates, it might be easier to book. Their online booking engines hardly ever work for the special promotions.

And here's another ATN special, starting today (and including high season airfares), but with a 5 day maximum stay!

http://www.airtahitinui-usa.com/atnspecial/atnspecial.asp?id=2229&partner_code=&special_type=3