Any experience with Taquanair in Ketchikan?

[worldtraveller99]

We had booked our bear flightseeing excursion for July 2020 with Alaska Seaplane Tours - luckily only paying $116 as 20% deposit. Their email and website are both no longer in existence - I am sure they have gone out of business. I emailed to Ketchikan Tourist Board to see if she could call them. She cannot reach them either, so we will now be disputing this with our credit card. Not sure if they will help as we paid under £100 GBP?

 

We will want to book another similar excursion for July 2021, which we have rebooked our cruise for. I do hope this one will happen???

 

The Ketchikan Tourist Board kindly recommended Taquanair  and their website shows up ok (but then so did AST last year). Have you any experience with Taquanair - are they good? Thank you for your help.

 

 

[1025cruise]

In all honesty, I would wait. The issue right now is that most of the vendors are hurting due to the cancelled season. No way of knowing if Taquanair will be in business next year at this point.

[cat shepard]

Ditto.

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you - we are not intending to book anything more until the New Year, I was just looking for recommendations or not. At the moment we have transferred most of our already made payments to a 2021 booking if the companies are giving us that option.  If the travel and tourism - and entertainment and hospitality - industries have not fully recovered by then we will all be grubbing up our gardens to plant vegetable to live on! I hope that never happens!

[mapleleaves]

I don't know if it makes a difference to you but Taquan had 2 fatal crashes last summer.   Google if you want additional info.

 

I have no personal experience with them, but Island Wings has been well reviewed on this forum.

 

There are a number of flightseeing vendors in Ketchikan.  Download the Ketchikan Visitors Guide and go to page 41 for a listing of those vendors.

https://www.visit-ketchikan.com/en/About-Ketchikan/Free-Guide

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by mapleleaves
typo

[Budget Queen]

Are you looking for an Anan tour?    When in July is your trip?    BIG difference.

 

I also would not book until later.   Taquan is a long established vendor,  so, no issue there.    There are also other long time, well established vendors to also consider.   I am very picky who I fly with and have a long history flying there.     

 

If you haven't take a close look at the peaks and trends,   giving priority to being most successful in possible sightings.      I've enjoyed the window-  into wild Alaska many times-   something that will magnificent.  

[AKStafford]

Taquan does a lot of air taxi work outside of the tourist season. The company I used to work for used them for when we had field techs in the area.

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you all, especially mapleleaves - I shall look through the whole guide, and probably try Island Wings. So sad that cruising in 2020 for people to use that guide didn't happen.  And also that the world is going into recession of course!

[Italy52]

We went with Island Wings twice for bear watching tours to Anan Creek --- wonderful experiences both times.

[Crew News]

I have flown Taquan Air a number of times for flightseeing and flights to the crab feast at the George Inlet Lodge.  It is a first-class operation and a very nice storefront.  They have lots of aircraft.

 

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you both - will contact both companies.

[Budget Queen]

12 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

Thank you both - will contact both companies.

I'd also suggest you consider others.    Several long time vendors- that simply are superb.   🙂     Be advised that Taquan does use seasonal pilots,   where some of the smaller vendors do not.    Taquan is a significantly larger operation.     

 

You don't disclose dates-   but July-  is very specific for peak varied areas.     Important to know the details and choose for a peak location.     

 

I fly Alaska multiple times every year.  probably over 100 "tourist" times flying.    It's simply magnificent-  nothing shows the beauty and vastness better.    🙂