Delta is ending flights to Tahiti in French Polynesia

There will be one less flight to paradise later this year.

Delta Air Lines has officially filed plans to stop flying to Faa’a International Airport (PPT) in Papeete, French Polynesia, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by an airline spokesperson.

Delta’s existing service to French Polynesia — which includes the island of Tahiti — currently operates from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on a three times weekly basis.

The airline’s sole route to PPT was originally supposed to resume for another season in October. The airline had been selling seats throughout the winter season as of this weekend, but now the airline is abruptly pulling service, making its final date in the market on June 7.

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Papeete is the main international gateway to French Polynesia. From there, passengers can travel to nearby destinations, including Moorea and Bora Bora, both just a few miles from PPT.

Asked about why Delta is making the change, a carrier spokesperson shared the following statement that largely attributes the pullout to weak demand. “Delta will discontinue nonstop service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Tahiti (PPT) as we adjust our schedule to best meet customer demand. The final flight will operate on June 7, 2025,” the statement reads.

The good news is that, thanks to Delta’s joint venture partner Air France, existing ticketed travelers will still be able to travel to Tahiti.

Air France also flies from Los Angeles to French Polynesia and Delta says it will automatically rebook any affected passengers onto those flights.

Air France has been operating this route for decades as part of a one-stop journey from Paris. The plane flies from Paris to Los Angeles and then continues on to Tahiti — passengers can book either the first, second or entire journey on one ticket.

Delta first entered the LAX to PPT market in December 2022. At the time, the airline was adding new creative long-haul routes to boost its portfolio of international service to appeal to premium leisure traffic.

Seemingly, there wasn’t enough demand to sustain this route, and now Delta is throwing in the towel.

It’ll cede its share of the U.S.-to-Tahiti market to the incumbents, which not only include Air France, but also include flag carrier Air Tahiti Nui, French discounter French Bee and Big 3 rival United Airlines. (Hawaiian Airlines also flies from Honolulu to French Polynesia on a once-weekly basis.)

As for Delta, the airline will be freeing up a Boeing 767-300ER that used to be deployed on this route. It remains to be seen if Delta will add a different long-haul route from its LAX hub with that aircraft, but the airline did recently announce a splashy new international destination for the winter: Marrakech, Morocco. (This flight, however, will operate from Atlanta.)

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