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by ajq on Mon May 01, 2017 2:15 pm
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I'll be flying to St. Paul Island on PenAir and am wondering how photogs who have experience with PenAir have managed to get their equipment to their destination.  PenAir on their website and my bird tour guide in its boiler plate information package describe quite limited carry-on baggage restrictions.  I believe PenAir uses Saab 340 on this route.  Has anyone here flown PenAir to St. Paul Island with a 600mm lens, 100-400 zoom and a couple of bodies?

Thanks,
TonyQ
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[url]http://www.TonyQandSuzanne.com/Bird%20Index.html[/url] - Bird Images
 

by E.J. Peiker on Mon May 01, 2017 7:40 pm
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Lots of people have :) I checked my gear in a Pelican case.
 

by tom walker on Thu May 04, 2017 10:16 am
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It is a challenge, as E.J. implies. Any large bag will have  to go into baggage so the best is to pack as if you are going to have to check everything. Personally I think you are taking too much glass, given the degree of difficulty (or trust) with airline travel and baggage handlers. I suggest taking one long lens in a soft bag and your camera bodies in a soft bag and hand carrying them onboard. If packed in soft bags they will fit under the seat or in the very tiny overhead. And pack the rest of your gear in a Pelican case as checked baggage. This has worked for me on many flights out there. The typical camera packs and roller bags will NOT go overhead or under these seats.

Now I hesitate to say this but will give a caveat first. Don't count on it BUT if the plane is nearly empty, a rare event, the gate person MAY allow you to carry on a bigger bag to place on the floor in the empty seat next to you. It happens but I have seen some unhappy people who have relied on this.

IMO, St. George is the best island for birds and wildflowers. The cliffs are spectacular. St. Paul is better for fur seals and accessing due to more roads. One other thing, don't drink four cups of coffee before boarding the flight...you might be sorry. (One flight, the lavatory was non-functioning. There is an old Alaskan saying: "You are not a real Alaskan unless you've peed in a plastic bag in an airplane.")
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu May 04, 2017 10:57 am
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At least now with the Saab there is a bathroom. When they flew the Metroliners, there was no bathroom and baggage often got delayed to next day's flights due to limited capacity on those planes and the priority of supplies for the islands over passenger bags.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Sun May 07, 2017 9:51 am
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There are still tours going to St. Paul. Is anyone running tours to St. George or is it do it yourself? Last time I went Reeves Aleutian was flying the route.
 

by tom walker on Mon May 08, 2017 12:02 pm
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Wow. Old-timer. Reeve Aleutian Airways quit flying all together in 2000. Since you were at St. George, they have built a new airstrip, the hotel completely renovated with dual everything in the kitchen. The city/corporation rents vehicles for use. No organized tours that I know of but lots of photo opps in walking distance of the town. Great opps by driving out the road and to the cliffs. Not as heavily visited as St. Paul. One note, regardless of which island you visit, do NOT book flights home tight to the day you leave the island, as flight delays due to weather are frequent. One of the most amazing bird sightings: a snowy owl. How did an owl end up in the middle of the Bering Sea???
 

by Wildflower-nut on Mon May 08, 2017 6:44 pm
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Thanks for the information. Last time I went it was to St. Paul. If I go again, I'd probably try St. George.
 

by ajq on Sun Jul 02, 2017 12:14 pm
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ajq wrote:I'll be flying to St. Paul Island on PenAir and am wondering how photogs who have experience with PenAir have managed to get their equipment to their destination.  PenAir on their website and my bird tour guide in its boiler plate information package describe quite limited carry-on baggage restrictions.  I believe PenAir uses Saab 340 on this route.  Has anyone here flown PenAir to St. Paul Island with a 600mm lens, 100-400 zoom and a couple of bodies?

Thanks,
TonyQ


As an update to my original post, I returned from Alaska about a week ago and thought I'd provide some information regarding CURRENT policies on PenAir flights to St. Paul Island regarding carry-on and checked baggage.  When I flew to and from St. Paul on June 6 & 9, 2017 we were allowed one carry-on and one checked bag, neither of which could exceed 25 pounds.  Realize that carry-on baggage has to be smaller than international-sized carry-on luggage, because over-head space is quite small.  I carried on a ThinkTank StreetWalker Pro which fit underneath the seat in front of me and checked a Pelican hard case.  We were told by PenAir and our tour guides that checked luggage that exceeded 25 pounds would not be taken to St. Paul on our flight.

Regards,
TonyQ
[url]http://www.TonyQandSuzanne.com[/url]
[url]http://www.TonyQandSuzanne.com/Bird%20Index.html[/url] - Bird Images
 

by Mike in O on Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:35 pm
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tom walker wrote:Wow. Old-timer. Reeve Aleutian Airways quit flying all together in 2000. Since you were at St. George, they have built a new airstrip, the hotel completely renovated with dual everything in the kitchen. The city/corporation rents vehicles for use. No organized tours that I know of but lots of photo opps in walking distance of the town. Great opps by driving out the road and to the cliffs. Not as heavily visited as St. Paul. One note, regardless of which island you visit, do NOT book flights home tight to the day you leave the island, as flight delays due to weather are frequent. One of the most amazing bird sightings: a snowy owl. How did an owl end up in the middle of the Bering Sea???
A bit OT but a snowy owl ended up in Hawaii at the airport which they immediately shot...they are strong fliers and love a beach.
 

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