Air Transportation for Overnight Guests
Air Taxi From Homer To Hallo Bay
Upon Booking your Hallo Bay Tour, our office will make the flight reservation for you with the FAA certified bush plane air service operating within the camp flight schedule. When we receive your confirming trip payment and bush plane payment, we will then re-confirm your bush plane flight and departure times.
Check In
It is very important that you check in with our Hallo Bay office the day before your scheduled flight to camp. This tells us that you made it to Homer and allows us to weigh you, your luggage and carry on and provide you with additional information you may require prior to your flight.
Flight Information
Cessna 206 bush plane aircraft are used for the 135-mile flight from Homer to Hallo Bay. These are wheeled aircraft that depart Homer Airport on a beautiful and scenic flight, which terminates with a beach landing 200 feet from our facilities where Camp personnel will be awaiting your arrival.
Weight Information
Each guest is restricted to the 250lb weight restriction and that includes the guest’s body weight, camera gear and luggage. Or if you are traveling as a couple, the combined weight can be up to 500lb.
All guests and their luggage will be weighed at the bush plane terminal before being loaded onto the plane. Each guest traveling to camp is limited to two pieces of luggage. Luggage is defined as clothing luggage, backpacks, duffle bags, tote bags, camera bags, etc. You may bring a tripod as well in addition to the two luggage pieces. Anyone that has luggage over the size or weight limit will need to make arrangements to leave any excess baggage in Homer.
It is a good idea to make prior arrangements in Homer to store any excess luggage. It is also wise to inquire of specific requirements regarding the weight allowances and handling of excess luggage or freight items well in advance. Do not wait until the day you fly to address excess weight issues.
Bush Planes
This season, we will be chartering bush planes from a local Homer company, Adventure Airways and Homer Air.
Arrival at Hallo Bay Camp
With the luggage, carry on and camera gear that you bring, just remember when you land at our camp, you will need to be able to carry all of your luggage and gear from the beach up the small incline of a hill to the camp in one trip. The staff at Hallo Bay are not allowed to help the guests carry any of their gear.
Packing for Your Flight
Alaska bush planes are not commercial airlines. When we fly with the commercial airlines many of us attempt to utilize the two largest bags possible within the two bag checked luggage limit airlines allow. The worst case scenario with commercial airlines is that they may charge you for oversize or over weight bags and even excess baggage, but your bags will still be able to go with you. This will not be the case with Alaska bush planes.
Alaska bush planes do not have the flexibility of taking unplanned additional weight, baggage or passengers. When traveling by bush planes one must understand that bush planes are designed to land on primitive landing strips, thus weight and seat limitations of the aircraft are strictly enforced by safety conscious pilots who will not vary from this.
If you do not plan with us in advance for dealing with any excess weights (over 250lb body & luggage per person) and believe that the bush plane operator will just have to deal with it when you arrive, you are in for a unpleasant surprise. In reality what will happen is that either you or some of your luggage will not go on the scheduled flight. Since your bush plane flight is a scheduled charter flight, an additional flight to handle excess baggage or an over the weight limit condition sometimes may not be available for several days. If an aircraft/flight is available, you will be faced with paying the cost for the entire flight and you must consider you will face the same difficulty on your return.
Luggage and carry on in small bush planes is stored for transport in two areas of the aircraft, in the belly pod and in a small cargo area. Soft duffel bags are best suited for most of your luggage and carry on when you travel in Alaska. A good shoulder strap on your duffle bag makes carrying your bags to and from the camp much easier as well. Our recommended size for all duffle bags is no larger than 25″ long by 15″ in diameter. Cameras should have a proper case which will protect them.
Passengers will be allowed to carry a small bag or camera which they may keep near them and easily accessible. Small being considered something in the size of a fanny pack, anything larger will need to go into the pod or under the cargo netting.
What Not To Bring __Do not bring any type of Bear spray, pepper spray or Bear mace (any guest caught bringing these items will have their trip terminated immediately).
__Absolutely no firearms of any kind.
Information for Half Day Bear Trip Guests
The price of the aircraft is included in the Half Day Bear Tour price. There is no additional air cost for the Half Day Bear Tour.
Air Transportation Information for Half Day Tours
The Half Day Bear Tour groups, with our naturalist guide, do not get flown to our base wilderness camp in Katmai but are flown to a different bear viewing area approximately 12 miles from the camp. The reason for this is that the Half Day Bear Tours land near the areas where the bears are concentrated at any given time to best insure visitors the opportunity to observe them in the very limited time offered by the Half Day Bear Tours. There are, however, no buildings, platforms or walkways in this entire area so please be prepared to experience a wilderness area.
For more information feel free to contact us.
1-907-235-2237
1-888-535-2237
bears@hallobay.com