Hi Tinami,
I'll be flying Yakutia between Anchorage and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy this summer, no layovers. Any tips?
Thank you!
It’s hard for me to give you “specific” specifics, if I don’t know your “specifics”….
. The only thing is that our airlines's base is right next to Kamchatka, so here is all i know..
The Yakutia summer programme July to August, 2016:
This is a special route, Yakutia Airlines has big plans to be the one Airline to connect directly the Russian Far East with West Coast USA. In the past there were flights to Anchorage from Khabarovsk, Vladivostok (charters), Magadan, Sakhalin, but they did not prove profitable. Although, Alaska Airlines did it for 4-5 years, and it was OK for a while (until they got gravel into their engine from poorly maintained landing strip).
Yakutia Air is trying out a Summer programme from July to end of August, to attract a two-way tourism spree, for Russians to visit Alaska and to go further into US territory, and for Americans/Canadians to visit the natural wonders of Kamchatka Peninsula.
They tried the same programme last year. If they following next year, seems it is working.
In my experience with such “special programmes”, and there were few before out of Seattle Area, private airlines and Alaska Airlines, the first few flights are excellent, the airlines don’t expect profits from first flights and put their best foot forward. However, if they see that after few weeks the demand is down and aircraft flies empty for few weeks, the enthusiasm goes down, and in few cases they cancel the programme before it ends (which in this case end of August). But that’s what happened before, not saying it will happen this time. So if you’re traveling in July, you will be fine, to and from.
However, Yakutia Air is now broke, they owe over 8 billion rubbles/in debt. Last year few of their aircrafts were seized in foreign airports by collectors. They are reducing their aircraft park on one hand, and yet continue to lease/buy more aircrafts….. And in spite of financial problems they are still trying to enter new markets/routes. Go figure..
They tried to get into our airline’s territory, fly into our base airport and take our passengers from our area into Tokyo, in direct conflict with our route to NRT.
But I am sure your flight be just fine, especially if you’re going on the first “inaugural” in July, with the tour programme organizer from the US side, Phil Butler, you can be sure the flight at arrival will be handled very well, and nothing to worry about.
If you’re part of the “foto contest winners” programme which the Airline ran earlier, you’ll be met by representatives of the tour-operators, most likey.
If you’re part of an adventure tour group, even better, the operators’ representatives usually meet their groups right at the exist from customs.
If you’re traveling alone, or rather without a tour group, here are few tips.
- flight ex ANC leaves at 7 or 8 am, you’ll need to arrive the night before (unless you’re from ANC).
- If you want a place just to crush overnight, stay at Airport Courtyard hotel or Comfort Inn Suites. They have shuttles and close to airport, you can even walk there. Do not go to down-town hotels, it’s 20-30 minutes back to the airport.
- If you want to see “some Alaskan natural beauty” without going to down town Anchorage, then stay in the lake-side, lake-view hotels, slightly further from airport. Coast View hotel is like a hunting lodge, and you can walk to Hood lake in 2 minutes. Lakefront Hotel is right on the lake, it’s also like a Hunting Lodge. My problem with the last two hotels – they have dead animals on the walls – someone went crazy practicing taxidermy.
Upon arrival to PKC (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky), which is also at 7 or 8 in the morning, make sure your hotel (if you’re staying in town) will have a room ready for you in the morning, or at least can store your luggage, from arrival to check-in.
This on is a pretty reasonable hotel, near the airport, which caters to foreign visitors and has English website:
http://www.petropavlovsk-hotel.ru/en/
Airport PKC is a small Soviet-times airport. They have a website, but it is in Russian.
However, the flashing pictures on top of the page will give you an idea.
http://www.airport-pkc.ru/
Yakutia Airline does their maintenance at Turkish Technic and FL Technik/Baltics.
Here is their accidents report for the last 5 years.
https://www.aeroinside.com/incidents/airline/yakutia
Yakutia flys B737-800 Boeing A/C from ANC to PKC. They have 3 such aircrafts, ages 13 to 16.
https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/Boeing/737/32797/VP-BEP-Yakutia-Airlines
http://www.yakutia.aero/en/yakutsk/about/flot/boing-737-800
They are not in SeatGuru. But here is the cabin configuration, so you can pick your seat.
They did it the same as RyanAir
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Ryanair/Ryanair_Boeing_737-800.php
If you never been to Kamchatka and not with a tour-group, let me know if you need sites and adventure suggestions. Kamchatka has great nature!
Cheers!
