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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I live in Alaska. The Southeast archipelago and the Aleutian islands are best. The train is also cool if you want to make a lap through the Interior.

Really check the safety records of any flightseeing operations. And I'm not saying this for DCUM drama. There are a lot of fatal crashes in Southeast Alaska. Find a multi-decade owner/operator with a spotless (and I mean SPOTLESS) safety record. They exist.

I have to fly for work sometimes, both fixed-wing and helicopter. And we will not fly with most operators.[/quote]

I can’t emphasize this enough - be careful with the flight seeing operators! We went in 2018 (no cruise, did a two week road trip). I had a Denali NP glacier landing flight booked out of Talkeetna. We were very disappointed when the tour operator cancelled our flight, as well as all flights that day due to fog.

The next day, the same tour company had a fatal crash - same itinerary we had. This still haunts me to this day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K2_Aviation_de_Havilland_Beaver_(DHC-2)_crash[/quote]

That Wikipedia link didn’t post right. Here’s another

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2019/10/31/weve-run-into-the-side-of-a-mountain-report-lists-final-messages-from-2018-denali-crash-that-killed-five/[/quote]

I know many Alaskans and K2 Aviation is the most well-regarded operator in Talkeetna/Denali (or at least it was — it’s been a few years since I’ve asked). The lesson here is that flying in a small plane is dangerous, and even more so in Alaska. [b]Everyone in Alaska knows someone (or multiple someone’s) who has died in a plane crash[/b], often with a well-regarded pilot at the helm. On the other hand, I’d rather fly in Alaska with a well-regarded pilot than the vast majority of “flight-seeing” operations that operate in places like the Grand Canyon or Hawaii. [/quote]

I'm the PP from Anchorage and this is unnervingly true. 
I also know multiple people who were eaten by bears.
That being said, many planes go up and down just fine without issue. It's just not my preferred way to see the state; I'd rather walk. Especially with just 6 days, you can see a lot of cool things without going into the sky. Even just driving from Anchorage to Homer or Seward is absolutely gorgeous. 
And, responding to the person about Denali -- I agree. It can be a mixed bag. I feel bad for the tourists who head up that way and can't even see the mountain. But, when you do get good weather, it's pretty astonishing. I wouldn't bother with the tour, I'd just go to Talkeetna and spend a night there if the weather was good. [/quote]

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