Talkeetna Air Taxi or K2 Aviation?

[stired]

I heard from a tour operator that the summit flights are longer and the distance up can be troubling if you have ear pressure problems because the planes aren't pressurized. Please comment. Hubby will take medication' date=' but I don't want the experience to be bad.

 

Also, isn't Talkeetna a good place to fly from because you can get to Denali cheaper?

 

Also, if you book with Talkeetna Air Taxi, Talkeetna Aero runs [u']only[/u] the summit flight? (That's the only substitution?)

 

I can't comment on the ear pressure problems, because we didn't take the summit flight (took the grand denali tour w/glacier landing instead). However, I do know that the summit flights require the passengers to wear oxygen masks at the higher elevation. I know that is why one of the people I was traveling with did not want to do it (for some reason the idea of an oxygen mask bothered her).

 

Yes, Talkeetna does offer cheaper flights to the mountain that from other locations.

 

And, yes, Talkeetna Aero runs only the summit flight substitution for Talkeetna Air Taxi because TAT does not have the planes necessary for the over-the-summit flight.

[Hitchens97]

It's 10 years on.... Any thoughts on which one to go with or the pros/cons of each?

[AKStafford]

12 hours ago, Hitchens97 said:

It's 10 years on.... Any thoughts on which one to go with or the pros/cons of each?

I went with K2 a few years ago and had a great trip.

[cltcruzer]

12 hours ago, AKStafford said:

I went with K2 a few years ago and had a great trip.

 

I went with K2 this summer and it was an incredible experience 

[cruiseguy1016]

We chose Talkeetna Air Taxi when we were there last year. We did the Grand Denali Tour with Glacier Landing. The glacier our pilot chose to land on was base camp for climbers attempting to summit Denali. Standing at base camp, surrounded by the mountains was the most awe inspiring thing I have ever experienced in my life.

[MrBoccia]

Both companys offer 3 different flights (i tell them small, medium, large). Which one should we chose (probably the large one, i suppose)?

[Cruizn Mama]

The coolest experience I believe I've had in my travels to date was landing on a glacier way up in the air on a small plane on skis--that was Talkeetna Taxi.  Awesome.

[stired]

I haven’t used K2 so I can’t comment on them, but I have used Talkeetna Air.  We were supposed to go up for a glacier landing but the weather was not cooperative, so they told us to come back early the next morning. It was glorious soaring over the mountains and glaciers and then landing in the middle of it all and everyone was great.  I strongly recommend that no matter who you use, stay in Talkeetna overnight so you will have more than one crack at it as the weather is unpredictable. 

[MrBoccia]

3 hours ago, stired said:

I strongly recommend that no matter who you use, stay in Talkeetna overnight so you will have more than one crack at it as the weather is unpredictable. 

Thats the plan - overnight with glacier landing.

 

But is the "Southside Explorer" enough or should we do the "Mountain Voyager" or even the "Grand Denali"?

[stired]

I honestly don’t remember which we did. Perhaps someone else can chime in. But the glacier landing is a thrill and should be included IMHO.  You’re probably never going to do this again so go for it!!

[masterdrago]

We booked the Grand Denali w/glacier landing but have alternative info for K2Aviation, N2Alaska, and Sheldon Air Services on our spreadsheet. We've done this because you can never know when to expect some sort of mechanical issue to cause a flight to cancel. I would not want to go all the way to Alaska for a 16 day vacation (cruise & DIY land tour) without backup plans.

[stired]

Thank you for the memory hog. That’s what we took - the Grand Denali w/glacier landing. It was breathtaking.

[MrBoccia]

Thanks for all your input. Just one last question - we're going to Alaska this early June (before our Princess cruise), is it recommended/necessary to pre-book a flight?

[masterdrago]

3 hours ago, MrBoccia said:

Thanks for all your input. Just one last question - we're going to Alaska this early June (before our Princess cruise), is it recommended/necessary to pre-book a flight?

I've been planning our cruise since last summer and from all the things I've read, I would say that a flightseeing excursion is one of the most sought after (and booked). It also appears to be one of the most often cancelled (weather). I would recommend book early, have backup plans and hope for the best. I might half expect one of the regulars here on the board to drop in and say they got on a flightseeing tour last minute, but only half expect :+}

Edited January 18, 2019 by masterdrago

[stired]

Definitely book in advance.  You won’t be charged unless the flight actually happens.