alaska west air

My husband and I were in Alaska in July to do a 2 week RV trip. We ended up seeing some photos at a visitor center of someone else's trip and googled Alaska West Air for phone #. We were able to book a trip for the next day. They also told us we could camp out in their parking lot if we wanted. I was totally against it until we located the place. The parking lot consists of an open meadow on one side and the lake where they have the float planes. What a view! The fishing/bear watching trip was everything we expected and more. flew in, boats picked us up on the other side of Cook's inlet and we went fishing, caught our limit, saw several bear and cubs. went to a waterfall for pictures then to an island to clean them after which we we were taken to a lodge for a cold beer. When we flew out the pilot took us to a glacier and flew low enough to see down in the crevices. Amazing! wonderful crew, wonderful business.

Our float plane trip with Alaska West Air was booked for us by Steve at Alaska Fishing Charters/Soldatna B & B Lodge. Our trip was a bear viewing and fishing trip. Our pilot was Brad and he was very nice. He took us to the remote Crescent Lake and River which is across Cook Inlet and inside Clark National Park. It was about a six hour trip with the plane ride being 45 minutes each way. It was very cool to take off from one lake and land on another. Our fishing guides were Badger and Tony who were both awesome guides. Tony took my husband and I plus two other men in a boat into Crescent River to catch silver salmon. I am a retired school teacher and I know great instruction when I experience it. Tony gave us the best directions ever for catching those beautiful silver salmon. He really made us pay attention and it was to our benefit as all four of us caught our limit of three salmon each. It was really fun and an adventure. After catching our limit we went bear viewing. When we visited Alaska we learned one thing----nothing is canceled due to rain. It rained a solid five hours at that remote lake and there is NO shelter. Our Alaska Fishing Charter/Soldatna B & B Lodge gave us green rubber rain gear which we wore over our Goretex rain gear. I had 4 thin layers under those two rain gear. I was warm and dry. In Alaska prepare for the weather and you will enjoy the outdoor activities. Because of the heavy rain we did not see many bear except when the guides were cleaning our fish. A couple bears were hangin' out to enjoy the fish heads. We loved our trip but considering the rain we were glad to see the float plane return. Since the clouds were low we were unable to fly over the volcanoes and glaciers. We had to fly low on the return trip and were able to get a great bird's eye view of the Alaskan landscapes. I do recommend Alaska West Air and especially our guide, Tony.

Alaska West Air was an awesome experience! We fished in late August when the weather can be tricky. The day of our trip they had to change our location due to weather conditions, but made the experience well worth the change! Everyone from the awesome office staff, to the pilots, to the guides were friendly, honest, and helpful. We will definitely be back to fish more with them!

Our pilot was a real ace. We flew into Big River Lake to pick up a guide, then on to Crescent Lake for fishing. Riding over glaciers and past snow covered craggy mountains was an incredible experience. The fishing guides, Sky and Josh, were fantastic. In all, this was the trip of a lifetime.

I booked a float plane trip to crescent lake 2 years ago. On that trip the company provided a rather short fishing experience, so when I contacted alaska west air I told them I wanted a full day of fishing. They assured me that we would be fishing for 8 hours at crescent lake. I booked a trip for 5 family members, so I was upset after they cut the trip short after 3.5 hours of fishing. They apparently care more about maximizing their flights and booking multiple trips per day then about keeping their word. I was confirmed via email for 8 hours of fishing and paid several thousands of dollars for a brief fishing trip. My advice, go with another float plane company.

This was the worst experience we have had during 5 trips to Alaska. We have taken Flightseeing tours and bush planes all over Alaska and this is the first time that we felt ripped off. We requested a modified trip to Proeneke's Cabin in Lake Clark National Park with a short half-hour stop in Port Alsworth. Marlie quoted a price of $1600 for the 2 of us and we agreed to it. She promised an adjustment down if they booked more people. We arrived at the office early. The plane arrived late and had to be gassed up. We left and flew to Port Alsworth. There were 2 docks there but the pilot, Doug, did not pull up to either one. He got close to the shore and carried us to the bank on his back (that's a first!). We walked to the Park Headquarters, talked to the Rangers, saw a short video and returned on time. The pilot had now backed his plane to the bank so that we could get on to the floats and get in. We flew to Proeneke's Cabin on Twin Lakes. This time he backed the plane up to the bank like normal. He seemed to be in a great hurry - did not get out but told us to get out. He did not stop the engine! (Another first!) We got out and made our way to the bank. The pilot stuck his head out the window and told me to come back and close the door! The plane had moved from the bank and I had to jump to get to the float. After I closed the door, and barely got off he immediately took off, said he would be back. The Park Interpreter started giving us a great tour, but in no more than 20 minutes the plane was back, Doug got off and said we needed to go. The Park Interpreter gives these tours all the time and said that the standard time was an hour. Doug was insistent that we had to go! We got back on the plane and discovered there was a guide and 3 other passengers on the plane. They had been on a guided fishing trip and wanted to get back. We flew back to the office. This time, Doug got out and opened the door and helped the much younger men out of the plane, but not me (I'm 69 or my wife!) We got off, walked to the office and complained. The girl got defensive so we left. Bottom line - I think that unless you are on a guided hunting or fishing trip, you will not get very good service from Alaska West Air. Like I say, we have had bush plane trips all over Alaska, and this was the first one where we were not assisted on and off the plane. This was the first one where the pilot did not use a dock where the was one. This was the first time a pilot left the engine running and asked the passengers to exit!

My husband and I went on a bear watching trip. I had broken my arm before vac. and it was hard for me to climb into the plane, on a ladder. But with the help of my husband and pilot I was able to get off and on the plane. The view was beautiful and the bears were good to watch catching fish. Very skill pilot and all the people working there were nice. Good experience.

Came with my family (a large, loud, curious group of 10) to go on a fishing trip. Our pilot was fantastic. He was informative, friendly, and answered all of our questions AND he played hendrix on our departing flight. Win. Fishing was a great experience- though I did luck out by getting Doug as a guide. He was so helpful, down to earth and just made sure that we had a good time. He even let me try (key word try) to filet my own salmon. We saw so many bears just a few feet from us! Lots of laughs, lots of fish, the most beautiful views and now an amazing memory. Only downside is that now, my regular everyday life seems sooooooo boring! Thank you Alaska West for such a great experience!

I was in Alaska May 2011 and wanted to go on this fishing trip. I found out I was a few weeks to early for the Sockeye Salmon trip. I took the Bear viewing trip and got to fly with Doug the owner. What an Amazing pilot! This year I made the fishing trip to Wolverine Creek. Another great experience with Alaska West Air! I highly recommend them!! What a great group of people. Thanks for the great memories!

I travel a lot and use TripAdvisor, so I wanted to help others and share about the positive experience I had with Alaska West Air. I had the morning trip out to Crescent Lake and the views alone from the plane were stunning (and we hadn't even started fishing yet). Thank you Doug for the great piloting skills and the scenic tour by the glacier on the way back. Nick and Tony were fantastic guides. They made sure we all reached our goals. For me, this was limiting out on "Reds." They were patient in their explanation and very attentive to everyone on the trip. The scheduling was made easy through my work with Keri. She worked with me on getting on the trip I wanted when it was previously unavailable due to not having the numbers. Keri - thank you for your help leading up to the trip and hope you had a successful Saturday fishing trip! Hope this lets others know that they can enjoy a good time with Alaska West Air, and I hope to see them again in the next couple years when I bring my father up to Alaska again for another fishing trip. -Ryan

We stayed over three weeks in Alaska and did not have this booked. One day, I woke up and said, "I'm in Alaska, damnit, I want to see some bears!" so we impulsed bought this for two. Ahhh, the price was ridiculous, but now, looking back, well worth it. We went fishing, caught our limit, and saw a momma bear with her three cubs. She swam right out to our boat, within ten feet of me. Best experience of our whole trip...would do it again in a heart beat if I could...regardless of the price. And they let me "Co-pilot" the planes. :)

We had a rough start to our trip. A woman became unconscious . They called 911. The woman was awake an taken to the hospital . We were told that they would stay later ,at the Nushagak . Due to the delays. We were in the air 2 hrs 20 mins . When we got there the wind & the rain were making fishing tough. Shorty there after, some of the people on our flight took shelter. 3 of us contined to fish. We were never asked if we wanted to leave. The told us we were leavening after maybe 2 hrs. My friend and I are from Pittsburgh. We spent a lot of money to get this opportunity . Only to have it taken away. No one offered another place to fish. No one offered a thing. No even , I am sorry we have to leave. I am pretty sure ,we left because the other people quit due to the weather . When you go out on a charter boat and someone gets sick you don't turn the boat around . You finish your charter . Unless the people on the charter agree. We were never given any choice. I felt like we had no voice in the mater. What a waste to time & money. I would avoid this service.

Had a great flight and fishing trip through Alaska West Air to Crescent Lake! Our pilot took us on the most beautiful route on the way back to see the glacier. Outstanding experience!

It was my first trip to Alaska.. our pilot was Bernie he dropped us off and picked us up..He is an extremely skilled pilot, with northern hospitality (it just something special he went out of his way to do for us, secret, I will tell but not here) I just could not be more pleased with him and I want his job..life at home now is just a little more boring, I will never look at a roller coaster the same.. I could not have enjoyed my experience traveling over and through a vast mountain range.. I want to be short here .. Be if your looking for almost more fun than a 3 letter word that starts with s and ends in x.. Bernie at west air is your man.. thank you Bernie .. Robert Hinchcliffe Philadelphia Pa

What a fantastic, family owned business tucked away in Nikiski, AK. Doug and Kelli Brewer make you feel right at home as soon as you step foot in their lodge/office. The owners, employees and contractors are very personable and helpful. The pilots are exemplary and informative as you travel over Cook Inlet to your lake destination. Wonderful scenic views, breath-taking. The guides, our guide especially, was absolutely on top of his game as we fished away from other boats in areas more isolated. We caught more fish and enjoyed more areas of the lake than all of the other boats. Because our guide was more in tune with the fish and where to find them, we even stumbled across a black bear swimming across a creek. The first trip was so enjoyable, we worked in a second day, two days later. I would recommend this company to EVERYONE. They will take care of you completely. I would even consider just staying at one of their cabins and fly into different lakes for days.