Originally Posted by gemac

The French are between a rock and a hard place. Tahiti must have tourism - without that it is a huge drain on the French government. The French used to prohibit tourism, had to give that up because it was too expensive. Since they need tourism, they need a way for tourists to get there. Governments have deep pockets. We may see some route restructuring (for example, they may drop NYC and Paris routes), but I don't think they are going away just yet.