This was really disappointing. We booked a 3-hour flight at 10:00 AM that was supposed to land on a lake. They told us to arrive half an hour only, so we got there at 9:30 as requested. The gentleman at the counter said our pilot Scott was checking the weather for the flight. As a pilot myself, I do this before all of my flights as well. They said it would take him about half an hour which sounded fishy to me, but what can you do. We waited outside on a picnic bench for 15 minutes, then 30 minutes. 10:00 came and went with nothing. We saw another guy Scott who turned out to be our Scott taking another group away at our time. The guy inside said that Scott hadn't landed yet which is why we were delayed. So first you tell me he's briefing and now he just hasn't landed when we saw him leave? Don't lie now. Our flight got underway at around 10:30, half an hour late. Well, actually, we didn't take off because a water rudder connection snapped (a piece of string). The repair was completed around 10:50, and we were finally off. There really wasn't much to see. Most of the flight consisted of me getting nauseous because of the steep banks we made to see bears and moose. That was cool but even when my mom mentioned she wasn't feeling great we continued to do it. Scott was pretty good. He talked to me about my flying, told us some history, and made sure we saw some wildlife. He said it was too windy to land on the lake (understandable) so they would refund that part of the trip. Overall, I left with a queazy and frustrated mind. I wouldn't take a flight tour of Alaska and I certainly wouldn't use Rust's again. read more

Don't fall into this bear trap ! They have pics of bears on their website but where they're authorized to land the bears have disappeared. Not sure why but some locals say the bears are tired of Rusts tourists and have found better fishing spots upstream which isn't accessible. In our 6 hour tour we did not see a single bear and this was peak season. The bears aren't there anymore. These guys are overpriced and totally worthless. To top that the front desk guy (big guy who manages their shop) is extremely rude and nasty. If you aren't white he treats you like crap. Even if you're white his attitude isn't much better. Drive a couple hours south , Seward or Whittier, and take tours from there , much cheaper and high chances of bear watching. Rust is a huge expensive disappointment. read more

On our flight out, we were delayed (ultimately for six hours) by weather, but Willis (the flight manager?) did a great job keeping us apprised of what he knew and what we could expect. When we knew it would be a while before the weather would clear, Willis arranged for us to be driven to a local restaurant for lunch and then to a hotel / pub so we could be more comfortable during our wait. When we did fly, John (one of their pilots) took the four of us in a Beaver (upgraded from a smaller float plane) through pretty rough weather because they really wanted to get us to our lodge (and get the four outbound passengers from the lodge back to Anchorage) in safety. John didn't have much attention to spare for explaining what little we could see (he was busy on the radio making sure to avoid the worst of the weather and the other air traffic - there was no air traffic control guiding the planes around; the pilots had to do it all themselves), but John still did a great job tending to the four of us. While the weather cleared up as we got to Finger Lake and the Winter Lake Lodge, it's still a float plane and it still lands on water - so I was expecting a bit of an adventurous landing. No such thing. John's landing was amazing! So, the above descriptions would have been enough for five stars...but the return trip was even better! This time the weather was perfect. Our pilot, Stu, on learning that we had not yet seen Denali (and we had even been in the Denali National Park and hadn't seen it), he flew out of his way to give my wife a chance to snap a picture or two out an open window on the right side of the plane. How cool is that? Oh, and for Stu's landing, I did not even feel the plane land...it was that smooth. All around, these folks are tops in our book. Many thanks to everyone at Rust's. read more

I think our trip was a little less than the adventure we had hoped it would be. Weather permitted us to fly through a great canyon glacier which was definitely the highlight of the trip. Otherwise the majority of the trip was over flatland before we got to the mountains. If the pilot would not have been able to go through the canyon, the trip would have been very uneventful. We were also able to land on a lake for a short, short bit. The flying service needs to make sure to replenish the vomit bags and have tissue and water available. They are a relatively expensive adventure for what we experienced. read more

Excellent service, customer focus, and experience! We took the 3 hour flight over the glaciers and truly enjoyed the experience. Our pilot was a retired air force pilot and very knowledgeable of the ecosystem over the glaciers. We landed on a beach and a couple of water landings to watch glaciers up close and flew over and around several glaciers. It is not cheap but worth every dime! A trip to Alaska is a life experience and well worth the expense. I highly recommend this place for taking glacier sight-seeing flights. read more

I took the Denali tour and it was well worth the time and money. The flight showcased everything from the bustle around Anchorage to the large expanses of land populated only by moose, eagles, bears and other wildlife. The flight through the mountain passes and amongst the peaks is not something I'll forget. We overflew climbers working their way up Denali, as well as glaciers and moraine before landing for a stop on Swan Lake where a bald eagle surveyed everything from its perch at the top of a tree. The flight was fun, informative and enjoyable. One of the other passengers in my plane used a wheelchair and they got him in and out of the plane efficiently. All in all, a great time! read more

Only four stars because they still can't control the weather/animals. The Denali flight seeing tour is by far the best way to see the mountain other than standing at the peak. If the weather sucks they will try to work with your schedule to get you out on tour. They are good at what they do. read more

My first time in a small float. We had a smooth flight and the pilot checked in with me several times to make sure I was ok. Very well run. We used Rust's to get to our lodge north of Anchorage. Would definitely use them again. read more

Rust's Flying Service - Travel Services Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

This is a must-do activity and easy to get to from Anchorage. We did the bear watching tour (about 6 hours total). Bart was our pilot and gave a great tour of the surrounding area on our flight down to Chinitna Bay AKA Bear Mountain. At this location you are pretty much guaranteed to spot some bears. We saw over 30, including mama bears with bear cubs. Such a great experience! read more

One of the best things we have done. We booked a Denali tour, they checked the weather and told us before we left that clouds would likely obscure the peak. We discussed options about what to see, we chose to continue our planned flight. Even without seeing the peak, it was outstanding. Peter was great in answering our questions and showing us Alaska. He took the time to calm our fears about flying and warning us if he expected any bumpy parts. There weren't many bumps, much smoother than we expected. We can't imagine trying to see Denali any other way, we will be back for a different tour. read more

Has the Safest and Top Notch Pilots in Alaska. Great day for flying... First time with a Bush Pilot Top Gun he was and enjoyed his expertise on the Massive Glaciers read more

did the Knik tour with Bruce. it was obviously beautiful and even if he never spoke or looked for animals or did anything other than keep us alive this flight still would still get 5 stars due to the absolutely beautiful views. BUT he did do all of that so the flight was even better. I didn't see any of the wildlife he pointed out because I was in the fake copilot seat, but Bruce and I did get to share in a split second flight alongside a beautiful bald eagle that was too fast to share with the folks in the back. the family that was on our flight with us paid for the lake landing so we got that bonus, but I'm glad that I didn't pay for that. drank some fresh untouched by man glacier water and moved on. Super beautiful fun adventure. take the flight if you have the money. read more

Rust's Flying Service - Travel Services Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Our flight to and from Redoubt Lodge for bear viewing was smooth, but our pilot was a bit disappointing. He was perfectly adequate in actually flying the plane and I don't question his skill set there, but he offered little to no personality, conversation, or Alaskan viewing points/info/facts as we flew (which is advertised as part of the package and a reason to tip your pilot on their FAQ posters at the office). He didn't offer to ask as much as our names and where we were from so it just felt like getting in a taxi with a driver who is just there to get us from A to B. He even played music over our flight headphones the entire ride back to the office after bear viewing. He didn't seem particularly enthused - but rather just showing up to get the job done. It's hard to not compare him to our excellent & engaging pilot at K2, Rust's sister company. At K2, the pilot was very reassuring about pre-flight and safety, whereas we felt rather rushed onto the plane this time with Rust's, with minimal safety & flight info ahead of time. We were glad our first flight experience was with K2, as it felt more reassuring as new bush/float plane fliers. The bear viewing itself was wonderful and the lodge was quaint and cozy! Lunch was good. Wonderful, friendly, engaging, & helpful staff there. The staff at the Rust's office was also very friendly. Overall, the experience was pricey but worth it, mostly because of the bear tour & to see a remote National Park, but we just had higher expectations from the experience with the pilot, as that's a part of the day & price. read more

We booked a tour and had Omar as our pilot. I felt completely safe with him at the controls and he went out of his way to make our tour exceptional. It was awesome flying through the mountain passes and getting a view of the only possible from a small plane. We originally booked the wildlife tour but Omar suggested we change our flight plan due to clouds and I am glad we did. We had beautiful weather and a very smooth flight. I couldn't imagine the weather over the Turnagain Arm being any nicer then the day we flew. read more

Rust's Flying Service - Our pilot Omar flew us over some incredible mountains. - Travel Services Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Three of us booked the 10am Glacier Wildlife tour. We booked separately, but each one of us mentioned that we were with the others, so that Rust's would know we all wanted to be on the same flight. I was actually told when I booked that there was only one flight that day - at 10am. The day before the flight, Rust's called one of my friend's and asked if we would mind going at noon instead of 10am. She assumed that meant all three of us, since we thought there was only one flight. Later that day, I received a voicemail letting me know of the change. I called to confirm that I got the info, and during that conversation realized that only two of us were on the noon flight and our third friend was still on the 10am flight. At that point there was nothing they could do about it. I realize that maybe it was a miscommunication, but the person on the other end of the line was very rude and offered no alternatives or apologies. It was really off-putting. There was nothing we could do and nothing else we could book at such short notice. The day of the flight came and our one friend went at 10am. My other friend and I got to Rust's at about 11:30 am and were told that our flight was be cancelled because of the weather (thanks for the heads up after we had already paid for a taxi out there) - and our friend's flight had turned around before getting to the glacier. When the pilot returned, he offered to take us on a shorter (30 minute) flight for about half the cost. We agreed, because it was too late to plan anything else. Our friend had to pay the full price, even thought her flight was cut short and they didn't see anything of the things mentioned in the online description. All in all, it was a pretty disappointing experience. The three stars are for the pilot - he was awesome and full of information on our short flight. It wasn't his fault that the weather was bad and he tried to do what he could. Rust's management, on the other hand, were pretty rude and didn't seem to care one way or the other about our experience. I wouldn't book with them again. read more

Great experience. Very professional. Very safe. Felt at ease. Staff is helpful and courteous. Absolutely recommended. read more

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This service deserves the five star because their pilots were experienced, knowledgeable, courteous and kind. The trip out and back to Crescent Lake was great. The took off and landed so smooth you hardly new your were in a small plane. read more

Rusts Flying Service is as good as it gets!! 4 of us went on the guided fly in fishing trip. Just so that you know, in our case at least, Rusts partnered with McDougall lodge in Lake Creek Alaska. To be clear, Rusts flies you into and out of the lodge. Everything else is owned, operated and controlled by the lodge. We flew out in a Cessna 206. The plane was clean and comfortable. The pilot inspired confidence. He was engaging and pleasant throughout the flight. At the lodge they check your license, BE SURE TO BRING IT WITH YOU! Also, anything that you'll need throughout the day, chips, drinks, a thermos for coffee, etc... bring those as well. We walked down to the rivers edge, met our guide, got into a little aluminum boat, which is definitely adequate, and headed out. We didn't catch a damn thing in the morning. We returned to the lodge for a hot lunch which was very tasty. It was Mexican inspired tacos, burritos, nachos etc... that was all fine. BUT, they also served moose meat!! What an unexpected and very pleasant surprise!! After lunch we went back out onto the river. We never even saw a fish! Well what are you gonna do? Thats why they call it fishing and not catching. Early evening we called it a day. Rusts picked us up in the gold standard of bush planes, the Dehavilland Beaver! This plane is AMAZING! it is super strong and powerful. It was super clean and looked to be well maintained and in top condition. This pilot seemed to be having a bad day. Either that or he didn't like us and we're pretty cool people ;) Either way, he was obviously a senior pilot with tons of experience. I was completely confident in his expertise. All in all, this was an amazing trip. I am happy to recommend Rusts as an EXCEPTIONAL air service. They did a great job for us. Remember on these trips to tip your pilots and guides. Don't be a cheapsmack! read more

Took the Katmai bear viewing trip to Brooks Falls. Awesome trip, Curtis our pilot was awesome, explained all kinds of things, took the time to hang around and show us around Katmai. He made sure the whole trip was a great experience for all involved. Curtis deserves a raise, we saw other pilots with other tour groups just drop their people off and sit around. Not Curtis, he made this trip great. Plenty of bears to see, box lunch provided by Rusts was filling and more than expected. read more

My wife and I went on a Lake Clark National Park flight today. Our pilot Dan was the best we have experienced in Alaska! The flight was beyond beautiful. We felt completely safe and Dan was a wealth of knowledge about the region. We highly recommend Rust Air and hope we have the chance to fly with them again. read more

Things are not always what they appear. Get the facts before you go. May 30, 2011 King Salmon not running yet. Had a day of fishing, and thought we would spend the night, since we were there anyways, so we could try again in the morning. After paying $1,000 for the day (for 2 people), they wanted another $2,100. to stay and fly out the next day. Seemed like extortion since we already paid for the round trip, so we high tailed it out of there. Don't go if the fish aren't running, and make sure you know the facts before you get nickel and dimed to death. read more

This was the best day trip of our entire Alaska vacation! We didn't want to spend the time driving or riding train to Denali and this 3 hour trip was awesome. As a pilot myself, I felt very comfortable with the pilot, the plane as well as the safety measures being followed. We initially booked the 'land on the mountain' tour in a Cessna 185 but switched to the Caravan with floats and landed at Chelatna Lake. Amazing! read more

Really disappointing. We read great reviews and paid 7 months in advance. On the day of the flight, our flight was canceled in the morning due to fog. Rust rescheduled everyone for an afternoon flight but 4 people. The rude and obnoxious manager made no accommodation for us. Offered no options. We scrambled to find an afternoon flight with other flight tour companies and couldn't get one. All of the other flight services accommodated their customers by scheduling them for the afternoon and had no room for us. Rust did nothing. Left us high and dry with no explanation. read more

Loved it! 5 stars, bucket list, perfect 10. This was a world class experience executed perfectly. Great day & a lifetime memory. Thank you. I will remember this forever. read more

Awesome experience. Clean modern safe planes. Fantastic staff. A must do if you have time while visiting anchorage.

These guys are great. Took the glacier tour this month with Justin as our pilot. Quick checkin process, followed by a short briefing. Justin was really good, explained the procedures and was knowledgeable about the glaciers and wildlife. I took some amazing photos during our trip. The plane we were in was a bit cramped for tall folk but we managed. read more

Yes, we were back again, for the second time within a week! We did a Bear Viewing trip to Brooks Falls with Bob as our pilot this time. Oh boy, he's very funny, the 2-3 hours flight/way didn't feel that long at all with him. It was the last tour of the year, and we saw 9 bears at the Falls!! The tour price was rather expensive, but it was all worth it. Definitely, once in a lifetime experience. read more

Friendly staff. Too bad they dont do hotel pick ups in winter. Well worth every penny spenfor the flight seeing trip.Went upclose to Mckinley and landed on 2 frozen lakes. Woot. Alaskan beauty from a different perspective. read more

Our whole experience was awesome! The people I spoke with on the phone were friendly and helpful. We chartered a de Havilland Beaver float plane for a 1.5 hour sightseeing tour. The equipment was obviously well cared for. Our pilot, Mike, was friendly and great at pointing out sights. He answered all our questions and did his best to give us great views of the glaciers and wildlife - moose and sheep. When we make our next trip to Alaska, we will definitely be booking another, longer flight with Rusts! read more

We had a terrible experience with Rust's in June and told management about it so they'd have a chance to rectify the situation. They absolutely do not care. We were told they'd get back to us "either later today or tomorrow". We have sent numerous emails and voicemails with no response. This is definitely not the way to run a first-class business. This company has gotten way too big for their britches and is totally about $$ and not customer service. read more

What an awesome group of people. We flew out for the bear viewing in June 2011 and it was just as advertised Very informative pilot, showed us wildlife out in the water on our way to the lodge. Highly recommend. Chris and Robbie read more

We took the Prince William Sound Flight and viewed water, mountains, glaciers. We landed on a glacial lake and walked along the beach. The pilot allowed my husband to bring back a small piece of driftwood. The plane holds ten people. As we flew, the pilot provided info through ear phones. The day was beautiful and so were the views. Expensive but worth it. read more

The phone rang about 9:30 am in my room-it was Desmond calling me for the 11am pick up outside my door; I was going flying today over northern Anchorage as the Columbia Glacier plan was scrubbed due to the weather. No matter, let's go see the Knik Glacier instead! Bailey arrived taking me to Lake Hood where I glimpsed several bright red float planes. Anticipation excitement! I talked to a local fisherman from Montana waiting to return to his cabin in Lake Clark wilderness while buying a souvenir knit cap and pouring over the wall maps. Mark our pilot boarded nine of us into a Cessna 208 Caravan, helping me with the unfamiliar seat, harness. The flight was unforgettable; I picked out Lake Eklutna below, then the Knik River, Knik Glacier, and Colony Glacier as well. I loved the climb he took toward the ridge ahead then steep right turn descending again for a lake landing to view the ice below! I couldn't catch the moose, beluga whale sightings but enjoyed the terrain all the same. We took some turbulence but sweeped into Lake Hood base for a novelty every visitor should do here. Too bad another air company I made arrangements with never followed up with me, never took my card number nor ever called back. Rust's lived up to their 50 years of service giving me a memorable time. I was the only rider to give him a tip. Thanks again Mark! read more

We took an hour and a half flight with Bruce as our pilot. His narrative was so interesting. He is very knowledgeable about the Alaskan frontier. We saw a Black Bears with her cubs, Beluga Whales, Moose, and glaciers. What a spectacular experience, really life-long memories. Thank you Bruce. You are wonderful. Thank you for the memories. read more

Curtis flew a small group into Lake Clark and back. Great flight! He kept us entertained and on the way back we saw beluga whales! I real highlight for me. read more

My husband and I own a natural history tours company in Northern California. We spent a week hiking with 10 wonderful clients visiting Denali and Seward. Back in February, I arranged a 3-day extension, with bear viewing as the highlight. Rust's came highly recommended by several people so I booked a flight for 5 adults for a day of Bear Viewing at Redoubt Mountain Lodge, Lake Clark National Park. On Monday, August 10 we were picked up bright and early by a very nice young guy. Upon arrival we were met by the professional crew. And then we met our pilot: Curtis- a super charismatic fellow with a permanent smile :-) After 30 mins in the air (70 min flight) we were told to turn around and head back to Anchorage. The wind had picked up on Crescent Lake and it was too dangerous to land the seaplane. As you can imagine, we were very disappointed.Once back, I told the manager we would wait as long as possible to see if the wind changes. He said he would check in with the owner of the lodge and we would know by 11:30. I didn't think we were going. Although I was crushed I knew they had played it safe and safety is my main priority- especially when I am responsible for a group. Well the Universe wanted us to see the bears- the wind died down and by noon we were reunited with Curtis and on our way! It turned out to be an epic day. The flight was spiritual for me. I knew it would be amazing but I didn't know how deeply I would be moved. I am one big tree hugger, deeply connected to nature, our Earth. Nature fills my soul. I'm not surprised how I felt while looking down- far and wide upon the Earth. Yet it is difficult for me to explain in words, but I will try: It was the combination of being co-pilot, listening to the professional jargon between Curtis and the air traffic controller, while Curtis's awesome choice of music (Layla!) filled the voids. Curtis's calm, yet enthusiastic, and confident energy helped me slip into a deep calmness. And of course watching brown bear mamas catch fish for their cubs in-between the two magical flights wasn't too shabby either! read more

On our first day ever in Alaska, we took a flightseeing tour flown by Bob -- my first ride in a small plane. It had turned out that clouds were hanging over the area we'd originally planned to see, so Rust's suggested we go in the other direction: west "into the wild" toward virtually untouched glaciers, where we landed on a lake. Bob's take-offs and landings were smooth as glass and, once on foot in the middle of nowhere, we found bear tracks. We also saw a moose and Beluga whales. A truly stellar, unforgettable experience. read more