United plans nonstop flights from SFO to Tahiti next year

Getting to a tropical paradise could be much easier next year.

United Airlines plans to offer nonstop service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Fa’a’ā International Airport (PPT) starting on Oct. 30, 2018, through March 28, 2019, the carrier announced in a news release Wednesday. Flights would land in Tahiti’s capital, Papeete, which United calls “the South Pacific’s gateway to more than 118 islands in French Polynesia.”

The flights would be offered three times weekly on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, according to United and TravelSkills.com. Flights would last about nine hours and cover about 4,200 miles.

The service is still subject to government approval.

“We are excited to announce Tahiti as our 13th international destination this year and we are even more thrilled about offering our customers a whole new world of vacation opportunities,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of international network. “We know our customers want more destinations to choose from to escape the winter weather and we look forward to being the airline that connects them to this corner of paradise.”

Tickets to Tahiti are already available, according to United; find them here.

A search of fares for an Oct. 30, 2018, trip from SFO to PPT showed economy seats starting at $713, economy (flexible) seats for $916 and business for $2,171.

This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 11:28 AM with the headline "United plans nonstop flights from SFO to Tahiti next year."