Seattle to Papeete (SEA–PPT) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections
No flights match your filters.
No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.
Most recently operated nonstop flights — the month shown is when each was last scheduled. Most destinations remain reachable with a connection.
No discontinued nonstop flights on record for this route.
While no nonstop service exists between SEA and PPT, 1-stop connecting options are available.
Connection Landscape
On-Time Performance
Travel Essentials
SEA: PDT · PPT: -10
When it's 6:00 PM in Seattle, it's 3:00 PM in Papeete.
US passport holders enter French Polynesia visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of France, and US citizens benefit from the same visa-free access that applies to metropolitan France. Passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure. French Polynesia is not part of the Schengen area, so time spent here does not count against your Schengen 90-day limit. At Tahiti Faa'a International Airport (PPT) in Papeete, immigration stamps your passport.
French Polynesia spans 118 islands across 5 archipelagos spread over 2,000km of the South Pacific. Tahiti is the gateway. Bora Bora, 50 minutes by plane from Tahiti, has the overwater bungalows. Moorea, just 30 minutes by ferry from Papeete, offers the same mountain scenery at lower prices. The Tuamotu atolls (Rangiroa, Fakarava) are diving destinations with drift dives through passes teeming with sharks and manta rays. Air Tahiti inter-island flights connect the archipelagos, with multi-island passes starting at XPF 39,000 ($350).
Direct flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Papeete run about 8 hours 30 minutes on Air Tahiti Nui, French Bee, and Air France. San Francisco and Seattle also have seasonal or connecting service through LAX. French Polynesia uses the CFP franc (XPF), pegged to the euro at 119.33 XPF per EUR 1, trading at roughly 110 XPF per $1. Card payments work at hotels and restaurants on Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Moorea. ATMs exist on the main islands. Cash is needed on outer islands. Prices reflect extreme remoteness: a restaurant meal runs XPF 2,000 to XPF 4,000 ($18 to $36). Overwater bungalows on Bora Bora start at XPF 80,000 ($730) per night at the major resorts. Pensions (guesthouses) on less-touristed islands cost XPF 8,000 to XPF 15,000 ($73 to $137) per night including meals.
Link Light Rail runs from downtown Seattle (Westlake station) to the airport in 38 minutes ($3.50 peak). Trains run every 6–12 minutes during peak hours from 5am to 1am. Ride-shares run $30–50 from downtown; SR-99 and I-5 can be heavily congested southbound during afternoon rush (3–7pm).
Sound Transit 574 express bus serves Tacoma ($2.50–4). Sounder commuter rail connects Tacoma to the airport area via a shuttle.
SEA–PPT Quick Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Connecting Options and Alternatives
1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via San Francisco, Los Angeles and Daniel K. Inouye. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.