Tahiti: January 2021
In addition to the free shuttle, if you accepted, they had free breakfast. Wasn't much--an $18 credit got four items (breakfast sandwich, milk, yogurt, banana), but sure beat airport food? Although to be fair, Tomokazu inside SFO's International Terminal G is still open, and this morning, they had some of the best hamachi I'd ever seen inside an airport.
Got to geek out over a rare Antonov An-124 on the tarmac before the plane took off, then it was a relatively boring flight to Tahiti. United meals have been best described as average most of the time, and this one did exactly that. Seared turbot was quite decent, the salad was super sad. Add in the expected bumps crossing the equator and some cloudy weather over Tahiti, and it was an entirely ordinary flight.
Arrival at Faa'a International Airport was right after sunset, and once you descended the stairs you had a nice view of the tarmac. Show proof of negative COVID-19 test and your electronic travel authorization, receive your COVID-19 testing kit, clear immigration, and you're in Tahiti! Well, that is, for normal people.
As a same day turn, after a few minutes, it was time to check in, through immigration again, through security, and back inside Faa'a International Airport's international terminal. A quick stop by the Air Tahiti Nui club revealed a brightly light space compared to the rest of the terminal, and two sights, one surprising, one not. The surprise a buffet! Not much of one to be sure, but that sight is basically extinct in the USA due to COVID-19. The unsurprising sight was the heaps of American tourists not wearing masks. UUUGGGGHHHH.
After a local beer, it was time to head back downstairs and onto the plane. Boarding was rather pleasant, a smooth takeoff, and surprisingly, a tastier dinner than on the previous flight. The salad actually looked like a salad instead of being dumped from a supermarket bag, and the beef was actually fairly edible for airplane food. The rice was best forgotten, but two out of three isn't bad.