Tahiti-How to Get There Tahiti and her islands cover over two million square miles in the South Pacific Ocean and are comprised of five archipelagos with 118 islands. Only 7.5 hours from Los Angeles, Tahiti and her islands are spread over an area as large as Western Europe. The total land mass adds up to an area only slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island. The rest is ocean and lagoons, both teeming with a multitude of fish and coral reefs.

Papeete, the capital of Tahiti houses the only international airport in all of French Polynesia, the Tahiti-Faa'a International Airport. Although the airport is a modern facility, it is small in comparison to most major U.S. international airports and can be considered crowded if more than two international flights arrive within minutes of one another. However, there are shops and facilities including a post office, gift shop, local goods displays and a car rental area.

If you wish to travel among islands while in Tahiti there are a number of charter flights and small crafts to carry you from island to island and they can be arranged at the airport.

For more information on travel to Tahiti and her islands, visit away.com, tahitinow.com or papeete.com.

For fares and schedules, contact the airlines directly, or try the discount airfare websites like travelocity.com, kayak.com, priceline.com and expedia.com. The following international airlines schedule regular flights to Papeete:

• Quantas Airways Limited www.qantas.com
• Air New Zealand www.airnewzealand.com
• Lan Chile www.lan.com
• Aviation Civile www.seac.pf
• Hawaiian Airlines www.hawaiianair.com
• Air France www.airfrance.com
• Air Caledonie International www.air-caledonie.nc
• Aircalin www.aircalin.nc
• Air Tahiti Nui www.airtahitinui-usa.com