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Float planes in Ketchikan, Alaska: which Misty Fjords flight?
Five floatplane flights into Misty Fjords leave Ketchikan, and they differ more than the photos suggest: in time aloft, landings, group size, refund rules and price.
Check availabilityfrom $349 · free cancellation possible
Editorial team, mistyfjordsflightseeing.comUpdated October 25, 2026Reading time about 7 minutes4 sources
Quick answer
- 01Cheapest
- This site's flight, 2 hrs from Berth 2, from $349.
- 02Shortest
- A 1-hour flight from $441, non-refundable.
- 03With a landing
- A 20-minute water landing from $470.
- 04Small group
- Up to 6 guests on the GetYourGuide flight.
- 05Free cancellation
- Only on the 2 flights that offer it, up to 24 hrs ahead.
The floatplane flights that leave Ketchikan for the fiords
Float planes in Ketchikan, Alaska, are not a novelty: they are how people reach places without roads, and Misty Fjords is one of those places. Ketchikan's seaplanes are generally single-engine planes with floats instead of wheels, lined up at the dock in the harbor.1 The Federal Aviation Administration defines a floatplane as a seaplane with separate floats that hold the fuselage well above the water.2
This page compares 5 floatplane listings on Viator and GetYourGuide. The 4 on Viator are run by 3 Ketchikan float plane companies, Taquan Air, Seawind Aviation and Island Wings Air Service, and the GetYourGuide listing does not name its operator. They share the same scenery, the granite walls, lakes and waterfalls east of Behm Canal, but the details that decide your day are different from one listing to the next.
The useful comparison is therefore not which one has the prettiest photos, since they all fly over the same fiords, but how long you are away, whether the plane lands in the wilderness, how many people share it, what happens if you cancel, and what you pay. The table and the calculator below lay those out from the listings' own figures, and the sections explain what each difference means on a cruise day.
Floatplane, seaplane or flying boat: the words explained
Listings in Ketchikan say floatplane, float plane and seaplane for the same kind of trip, and searchers use all three. In the terms of the Federal Aviation Administration, seaplane is the wider family, and a floatplane is a seaplane equipped with separate floats that support the fuselage well above the water.2 Every flight compared on this page uses that kind of aircraft.
A flying boat is the other kind of seaplane: its crew and passengers sit inside a fuselage designed to carry the plane on the water itself, and the FAA also calls it a hull seaplane.3 You will not need one here. Seawind names DeHavilland Otters and Beavers for its landing tour, and Island Wings flies 6-passenger DeHavilland Beavers.
For a passenger the practical difference shows at the dock rather than in the air. A floatplane is boarded from its float, so getting in means a step up and a short climb into a small door. If anyone in your group needs help with that, say so when you book. Inside, the cabins are small and headsets keep the engine noise down.
Ratings
Average rating of each flight
stars
Compare
Five floatplane flights into the monument
| Flight | Total time | From | Landing | Free cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This site's flight | 2 hrs | $349 | Not named | Up to 24 hrs |
| GetYourGuide flight | 2 hrs | $389 | Not named | Up to 24 hrs |
| Seawind, 1 hour | 1 hr | $441 | Not named | No |
| Seawind with landing | 2 hrs | $470 | 20 min | No |
| Island Wings | 2.5 hrs | $450 | Lake or bay | No |
From each listing on Viator or GetYourGuide; prices are from-prices per person, not exact quotes.
Three picks
Which flight for which traveler
Free cancellation
Up to 6 guests
Step onto a floatLanding in the wild
Seawind or Island Wings
- Time
- 2 to 2.5 hrs
- Price
- from $450
- Refund
- Non-refundable
Decision helper
Which floatplane flight fits your day?
Start from what matters most to you
This site's flight
From $349 per person for 2 hours from Berth 2 and back.
This site's or GetYourGuide's
Both refund in full up to 24 hours before departure.
A landing tour
Seawind lands for 20 minutes; Island Wings lands on a lake or bay.
The 1-hour flight
Seawind's shortest listing is a 1-hour flight, non-refundable.
The GetYourGuide flight
It is limited to 6 participants on each departure.
A seaplane equipped with separate floats to support the fuselage well above the water surface.
Time in the air, and time for the whole trip
Every listing states a total duration that includes getting to the plane. This site's flight takes 2 hours from Berth 2 back to Berth 2, with a van to the floatplane base. In the newest 100 reviews of that flight, 10 guests put the time in the air at about an hour of the 2 hours. That is a normal split for a flight with transfers, but it is good to know before you book.
The GetYourGuide flight also lasts 2 hours and lists 15 minutes in a van each way plus 1.5 hours of sightseeing with a safety briefing. The landing flight runs 2 hours in total with a 1.5-hour flight and a 20-minute landing. Read these as the operators' own descriptions; none of them is a stopwatch.
At the edges sit the shortest and the longest options. One Seawind listing is simply a 1-hour flight, and the Island Wings tour takes 2.5 hours including its landing. If your ship is in port for a short morning, the total duration matters more than anything else on this page, so start there and only then look at the rest.
Checklist
Before you book any floatplane
01
Check on the listing
- Total time and time in the air
- Free cancellation or none
- Group size and window seats
02
Have ready
- Every passenger's weight
- Your ship's name and all-aboard time
- A rain jacket for the dock
Calculator
What the flight costs for your group
Pick a flight and the number of travelers
People
Total from$698
per person from $349
Check availabilityfree cancellationTotals multiply each listing's lowest per-person price on Viator or GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB rate; the seller's checkout shows the binding sum.
Video
A floatplane flight over the fjords from Ketchikan
The video plays from YouTube only after you press play.
A Misty Fjords lake landing, or none at all
The biggest difference is whether the plane lands in the wilderness. This site's flight passes over the fiords, Rudyerd Bay and New Eddystone Rock without stopping, and its listing names no water landing; it takes off from and lands on the Tongass Narrows. The 1-hour Seawind flight does not mention a landing either, and the GetYourGuide listing does not name one.
Two listings build the landing into the trip. Seawind's longer tour touches down for 20 minutes on a calm mountain lake or a saltwater inlet, where you step out onto the floats. Island Wings lands on an alpine lake or a calm bay and lets passengers off the plane, under a US Forest Service permit for shore stops in the monument. If a Misty Fjords lake landing is the moment you came for, those are the two to book.
A landing has a cost beyond the fare. Seawind asks that travelers can walk down a ramp to the dock, which can be steep at some tides, and climb a ladder into the seaplane. Both landing tours are sold as non-refundable. If you want the option to cancel, you trade the landing away.
Group size, seats and the people beside you
Group sizes on the listings run from small to large. The GetYourGuide flight is limited to 6 participants, Island Wings flies 6-passenger DeHavilland Beaver floatplanes in groups of up to 12, and this site's flight takes up to 12 guests. The Seawind listings state larger maximums, up to 25 and 32 travelers, without saying how they are split between planes.
Window seats are promised more often than not. This site's flight and Seawind's landing tour guarantee a window seat, the 1-hour Seawind flight gives every passenger a window seat, and Island Wings guarantees window seats too. On a floatplane that matters more than anything about the cabin, because the view is the whole point.
Headsets differ in what they let you do. Seawind and Island Wings provide headsets for talking with the pilot, and the GetYourGuide flight lists an audio guide in English. Reviewers of this site's flight describe recorded commentary and music, with the pilot adding remarks; if live conversation with the pilot matters to you, it is a reason to look at the others.
Cancellation and weight rules that change the choice
Only 2 of the 5 listings offer free cancellation. This site's flight and the GetYourGuide flight both refund in full up to 24 hours before departure. The GetYourGuide listing also offers reserve now and pay later; the Viator listings do not. The 3 Viator flights from Seawind and Island Wings are all sold as non-refundable.
On a cruise, that difference is worth real money. Ketchikan is wet, with 18 days of 2.5 mm or more of precipitation in an average September, and an operator can cancel a flight for weather.4 With free cancellation you can drop a booking when the forecast looks hopeless the day before; with a non-refundable one, you depend on how the operator handles its own cancellations.
Weight rules are part of booking any small plane. This site's flight asks for every passenger's weight and sets a maximum of 300 lbs. On the GetYourGuide flight, guests weighing 250 lbs or more, clothed, pay a surcharge to the operator. Check the rule of the flight you choose before you book, so there are no surprises on the dock.
Prices and ratings, side by side
This site's flight is the least expensive of the floatplane options, from $349, and the GetYourGuide flight starts from $389. The non-refundable Viator flights cost more: from $441 for 1 hour, from $450 for the Island Wings landing tour and from $470 for Seawind's landing tour.
The ratings tell a different story. This site's flight has 4.37 from 303 reviews, and 36 of those are one-star. The 3 Viator rivals sit at 4.89, 4.93 and 4.91, and the GetYourGuide flight at 4.67 from 52 reviews. In the newest 100 reviews of this site's flight, 11 of the 13 one-star ratings are about cancellations rather than the flight.
So the honest summary is this. Choose this site's flight for the lowest price and free cancellation, and accept that weather cancellations have cost it stars. Choose a landing tour if stepping onto a float in the wilderness is the goal and your plans are fixed. Choose the GetYourGuide flight for the smallest group with free cancellation, and the 1-hour flight if time is the only thing that counts.
Ready to fly
Book a window seat over the fiords
Pick a departure that fits your ship, then meet the van at Berth 2.
You ask,we answer.
Which floatplane flight to the fiords is the cheapest?
This site's flight. It starts from $349 for 2 hours from Berth 2, and a full refund is possible until 24 hours ahead.
Which flights land on a lake in the monument?
2 of the 5 listings. Seawind's landing tour stops for 20 minutes on a lake or inlet, and Island Wings lands on an alpine lake or a calm bay.
Who flies floatplane tours from Ketchikan?
Taquan Air, Seawind and Island Wings. The Viator listings compared here are run by Taquan Air, Seawind Aviation and Island Wings Air Service.
Can I cancel a floatplane tour for free?
Only on 2 of them. This site's flight and the GetYourGuide flight refund in full up to 24 hours before; the other 3 are non-refundable.
How long are you actually in the air?
Less than the total time. This site's flight lasts 2 hours, and its reviewers put the time aloft at about an hour.
Is there a weight limit on floatplanes?
Yes, it varies by flight. This site's flight sets a maximum of 300 lbs; the GetYourGuide flight charges a surcharge from 250 lbs.
Which flight has the lowest group cap?
The GetYourGuide flight. It caps each departure at 6 participants, adds an English audio guide, and refunds in full until a day before.
Sources
Sources and evidence
- 1Travel Alaska (State of Alaska), archived pageTop Things To Do in Ketchikan: Visit Misty Fjords National Monument↩
- 2Federal Aviation AdministrationSeaplane, Skiplane, and Float/Ski Equipped Helicopter Operations Handbook (FAA-H-8083-23), glossary↩
- 3Federal Aviation AdministrationSeaplane, Skiplane, and Float/Ski Equipped Helicopter Operations Handbook (FAA-H-8083-23), glossary↩
- 4↩
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