Any aviation geek will tell you that sometimes the journey is more enjoyable than the destination. There have been many flights that I've been tempted to fly over the years, purely because they look cool.
In this post, I want to share my top ten avgeek flight picks, in no particular order. OMAAT readers are welcome to share their favorite avgeek flight ideas. In no particular order
United Airlines Island hopper
You could fly non-stop from Honolulu, Hawaii to Guam in less than seven hours on a Boeing 777. But what's the fun? You could instead take United's famous island hopper flight in a 737. Even though you're only traveling 500 miles more, this flight can add seven hours to your travel time. You can still stop on five islands you most likely will never get to see.
This flight is an important link to all these islands which, otherwise, have very little air service. United also brings a mechanic to these flights in case of any issues.
United Airlines' island hopper route
The Alaska Airlines milk run
It's possible to fly non-stop from Seattle and Juneau. But, what fun is that? Why not take an Alaska Airlines milk run instead? The flight runs from Seattle to Juneau via Ketchikan and Wrangell. Some flights circle around glaciers and cover only 30 miles.
Alaska Airlines operates several different milk run routes, connecting smaller communities in Alaska. If you are curious about the name of the milk run, it refers how these flights have historically delivered important supplies (including dairy products) to small communities.
The Alaska Airlines milk run route
Alaska Airlines flight to Adak Island is my favorite. It's the most westerly point Alaska Airlines has taken me. That is so cool! It's amazing!
Alaska Airlines fly from Anchorage to Adak Island
Air France Caribbean Island hopper
Air France operates two Airbus A320s in the Caribbean due to France's closeness to the region. These A320s look almost identical to European aircraft. They even have the standard intra-European business class. It consists of economy and blocked middle seats.
The four-segment journey between Miami, Cayenne and Cayenne is probably the most popular. This flight is available via Port-au-Prince and Fort-de-France.
Air France's island hopper route
The world's shortest commercial flight
The world's shortest commercial flight is operated by Loganair, a Scottish regional airline. It connects Westray with Papa Westray. The flight takes about two minutes to block and covers just 1.7 miles. It typically stays in the air for around one minute. It is government-subsidized and has been in operation continuously since 1967.
It is rare to see a block of time longer than two minutes.
The longest commercial flight in the world
The other end of this spectrum is where you can fly the longest distance between Singapore and New York. This route is operated by Singapore Airlines with specially-configured A350-900ULRs. The ULR stands for ultra long range. This is a very, really long flight with a block time exceeding 18 hours and a distance of almost 9,600 miles.
Considering that this plane only offers premium economy and business class, it should make everyone feel comfortable. This marathon flight proves that there is no such thing as too long a flight.
The A350-900ULRs of Singapore Airlines are super comfortable!
Landing in St. Barts, (SBH)
Gustaf III Airport can be found on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. Because of its short runway length (just over 2000 feet) and steep descent angle, the airport is frequently regarded as one the most dangerous in the entire world.
There are many routes to nearby islands. One of the most popular routes is to Sint Maarten, which is only 20 miles away and takes less than 10 minutes.
Landing in Paro, Bhutan (PBH)
Bhutan is a wonderful country to visit once you're on the ground. It also has a fun airport. Paro Airport is one the most difficult airports to land at. Pilots who wish to fly here must undergo special training.
It is so difficult to land at the airport. The airport is located in the mountains and requires a specific approach course. In many cases, it is difficult to see the runway just before landing. The flight from Kathmandu to Paro with Druk Air was actually quite anticlimactic. This is probably due to the outstanding pilots.
Flying to Canada's Arctic
Although this is more of a North America bucket-list thing, you can still take some amazing flights to Northern Canada. Canadian North fly to destinations across the Canadian Arctic. You can also redeem Air Canada Aeroplan points for this.
These are destinations that most people would only fly to on long-haul flights, but the possibility of landing there is so exciting, especially in summer when it barely gets light.
Canadian Norths routemap
Canadian North wants to fly to Greenland. This would be an awesome flight, considering how short it would be.
Fly to the world's northernmost airport (LYR).
Svalbard Airport, the world's northernmost airport, has regularly scheduled flights. The flight takes approximately three hours and is available all year.
The route from Oslo through Svalbard
Svalbard lies in the Arctic circle. In winter, there are 24 hours of darkness and 24 hours of daylight. This trip was a pleasure to visit in 2016.
Svalbard's midnight cruise
Flying to the remotest airport in the world (IPC).
The Easter Islands Mataveri International Airport, (IPC), is the world's remotest airport with regularly scheduled service. It also has regular service to Santiago. The airport is approximately 2,300 miles away from the nearest diversion airport.
Due to the remoteness of the airport, special procedures must be followed. Two planes cannot fly to the airport simultaneously without a diversion point. This is because, if one plane blocks the runway for any reason, there won't be a place to divert to.
Easter Island is home to the world's remotest airport
Showering and drinking on Emirates A380
The other flights are not about the inflight experience but are more about the routes. One exception must be made and that is for the Emirates Airbus A380. These planes are some of the most beautiful in the sky. Two features stand out: the A380 first-class showers and A380 business class bar.
It's amazing if you have never gotten to shower on a plane before. I have had the pleasure of showering on an Emirates A380 many times, and it still makes my heart giddy.
Amazing Emirates A380 shower
The bar is where it's at. What's not to like about sipping your favorite cocktail from a bar 7 miles above the ground, while also flying 500 miles an hour?
Emirates A380 bar
Bottom line
Aviation geeks have a lot of options for flying. There are many options for aviation geeks. These include hopper flights that stop at several points, very long or very short flights, and flying to remote and northernmost airports.
Since I was creating this list, I discovered that there are many cool options. Besides the ones mentioned, there are many other options. These include Yakutias flight between Russia and Alaska, Air Saint Pierres to Paris, Condors flight Frankfurt to Whitehorse or Qantas Antarctica flighteing itineraries. Air Greenlands flight Copenhagen, crossing the Atlantic in an all-business class La Compagnie A321neo or any fifth freedom flight.
Which are your favourite aviation geek flights?
