Remember Air Tahiti Nui at JFK?

[Speedbird1]

Viewing CBS' "Amazing Race" last night included a sequence showing the Air Tahiti Nui A343 flight from LAX to Papeete. I recall not too long ago, they had a service to JFK. I only saw the aircraft once near T4. Suddenly, the service ended. Does anybody recall the dates the service commenced and ended? I guess there wasn't too many passengers flying to Tahiti on a regular basis. Now, LAX is the only US destination. I wish it would return but they only fly 5 aircraft in total.

[kc2aqg]

Can't speak to the dates that they served JFK, but can relate to only seeing them a couple of times at JFK. One time I was driving down Rockaway Tpke with my family and watched the A340 start its climb departing 4L. It climbed like a pig, slower than any other plane I saw departing that day, but what a beautiful pig nonetheless!

[Speedbird1]

On the Rockaway Tpk there was a viewing spot where spotters could park right by the fence near Rwy 22L. I am certain that they closed-off that great area and it's probably fenced-off now. I miss the "golden" days of spotting when I could stand all-day next to a runway and usually never got bothered. That all changed after the terrorist attack on PanAm 103 over Lockerbie. I often think about the great times myself and my friends had there by the runways. I planned to go spotting often after retirement, but now go maybe 4X/year as most of my spotting places are closed-off. My consolation is that the gorgeous Concordes are retired as are most 747s. Sometimes I get an MD-11 Cargo from DLH.

[mirrodie]

Totally remembered them. We flew them in...summer of 2006.

JFK-PPT-SYD and back the same route.

[Delta777LR]

I miss seeing Air Tahiti Nui at JFK. Nice looking scheme.

I got a shot of it at JFK
http://www.jetphotos.net/img/2/3/3/6/60151_1289938633_tb.jpg (http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6988544)


Thumbnails created by the JetPhotos.net BBCode Generator (http://caryliao.com/jetphotos.php)

[wunaladreamin]

IIRC they were Mon-Weds-Fri-Sun. Beautiful beautiful birds they are and I miss seeing them here.

[Zee71]

Here are two shots I took in 2007

Taken Aug 15, 2007 from the backyard, departing off 31L
http://mbsphotography.smugmug.com/Aviation/Airplanes-and-Spotting/Kennedy-JFK/i-hrX4R7Q/0/L/AirTahitiNui_01_JFK_15Aug2007-L.jpg

Taken May 4, 2007 from the backyard at Air Tahiti departs off 31L
http://mbsphotography.smugmug.com/Aviation/Airplanes-and-Spotting/Kennedy-JFK/i-2dvm9wK/0/L/AirTahitiNui_01_JFK_04May07-L.jpg

[727C47]

On the Rockaway Tpk there was a viewing spot where spotters could park right by the fence near Rwy 22L. I am certain that they closed-off that great area and it's probably fenced-off now. I miss the "golden" days of spotting when I could stand all-day next to a runway and usually never got bothered. That all changed after the terrorist attack on PanAm 103 over Lockerbie. I often think about the great times myself and my friends had there by the runways. I planned to go spotting often after retirement, but now go maybe 4X/year as most of my spotting places are closed-off. My consolation is that the gorgeous Concordes are retired as are most 747s. Sometimes I get an MD-11 Cargo from DLH.

i remember hitting that spot late night in the 70's with my cousin and friends and watching Pan Am Cargo 747s blast off to points unknown in the wee hours, i still love that beehive hummmm of a JT9D at take off power, JFK was always ,and is still my field of dreams.

[mirrodie]

Now that I can exlaborate upon my brief remark above, we flew it during the 2006 World Cup.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/90241/