Kenmore Air

Fun, easy way to fly from Seattle to Victoria (or vice versa). The ride was so smooth… landing on water is much nicer than landing on land! We were fortunate to have a very clear day so the views from the plane were incredible.
Customs was easy on both sides. Everyone at Kenmore was very nice and accommodating.

Really cool 20 minute tour around Downtown Seattle. Our seaplane fit 6 people (including the pilot/​copilot).
Now if you get claustrophobic or motion sickness easily, I wouldn’t suggest this. But I, myself, am both yet I still didn’t want to turn this down!
There is a small air hole you can turn in case it gets stuffy in the plane and fun headsets where you listen to an audio recording of the tour. Make sure the volume isn’t super high when you initially put on your headset otherwise when the pilot is talking to the control center you won’t get that screeching high pitched transmitted noise that makes your ears bleed!
This is def a romantic activity (except if you get motion sickness) and definitely an activity you shouldn’t pass up.

Fantasic customer service in difficult situation today. We appreciate the flexibility and commitment to service. Can’t wait to fly you again!

We did the 20 minute Seattle Scenic Tour. $ 100 for the audio guided tour. Definitely a little pricey. It was 5 of us in the plane. The take off and the landing was nice, views were great so that’s nice. I would re consider paying $ 100 for this though. It was fun and beautiful but I would not say it was worth the money

We took our grandma on a trip to Victoria and she didn’t have any troubles getting on or off. I, on the other hand, had to use the assistance of one of the pilot’s to get in to and off of the plane, because let’s face it, I’m clumsy! The doorway is short, so of course I bumped my forehead, and the steps are wobbly, because HELLO~O, it’s on water. It’s also very noisy, but there are earplugs in the back of the seat in front of you. This can almost be seen as a benefit, because the noise doesn’t make it possible for anyone to talk. The ride becomes quite peaceful this way.
The seats were single file along the sides. Every seat has a view out the window and if you’re precocious enough you might get to sit in the pilot’s seat up front with a full windshield view. Beware though, my husband says that it gets hot because you are directly in the sunlight. There is a little window that you can open to control the temperature a little bit.
On our way back we all appreciated a nice drink at a nearby restaurant on the Victorian Pier. Great way to cap off a lil family trip.

i took my wife on a sea plane and san juan whale watching tour through kenmore air. it was absolutely an awesome trip… the views from the seaplane were incredible. they also provide ear plugs so that you won’t go deaf on the ride.
we’ll definitely be using them again. it sure beats driving and waiting for a ferry.

Let’s get this out of the way: The ride up to the islands is beautiful and quick. It’s definitely a 5-​start experience.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for their communication. Both of our flights were significantly delayed (one 1 hour, the other 2.5 hours) and communication was not good. In particular while up in the islands: There is no ground staff. The only way to find out there is a delay is to call them and ask, and even then it was hard to get a clear story. Obviously they are a small operation and very dependent on weather. Better communication would have gotten 5 stars from me.
TL;DR: Take Kenmore Air to the San Juans, but only do it if you don’t have stringent connections or timelines.

Great people to work with! I can’t imagine trying to run a business with a schedule the changes with the weather (Seaplanes can’t fly in the clouds). We had a great time flying with Karen this past weekend up to Princess Louisa Inlet and on our way back she was able to work with the weather and customs like a pro. Highly recommended company but don’t blame them if your flight changes, this is a risk you take when flying.

Don’t count on them to be anywhere close to the schedule you’re given, and that counts both for takeoff and landing (I’m talking 45 – 90 minute swings). If I weren’t in a hurry or if they had communicated that this was a possibility, it’d have been fine, but they didn’t, and they also didn’t seem to get why I was a little irritated.
The staff were nice though and the experience was pretty cool. I opted for 2 stars because of the communication issues. Fix that, and it’s a 4 star experience at least.

Great service — great experience. Locally-​owned and operated. NIce little store in Kenmore and we’ll be back!

We just spent the Memorial Day weekend in Victoria and flew Kenmore Air coming & going. Everything about the experience was easy, convenient and fun. We’ll definitely take it again (Vancouver, later this summer) and I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone. Not the cheapest — just the best.

Kenmore Air is a good way to travel.

Kenmore air did not keep up the scheduled arrival time. Flying from seattle to friday harbor was scheduled to be 1 hour time, but we ended up having to drop people off on deer harbor and roche first, ended up being late by 45 minutes. Also when I purchase the tickets, why they did not inform me that we are going to be dropping or picking people off on the way? Thankfully we did not have anything scheduled right away.
When I brought this up to a pilot on our way home (deer harbor to seattle), he provided no explanation why what the ticket said and the actual experience is different. You guys must understand to hold the end of the bargain. At least mentioned that we will be dropping people and to allow 30 to 45 mins delay. This is business common sense. This was not delivered and the pilot only gives me excuses that explains nothing. Be honest, fix your content on your website.
Also, we were crammed in a beaver, filling it up to 7 people. Because I was the smallest, I had to be crammed. But why? I did not pay less than everyone else. I found this to be discriminating and unprofessional (also very ghetto).
I would not fly kenmore air again unless I absolutely have to.

Amazing flight experience to Friday Harbor. Pricing is competitive considering the convenience; however, custom trips are not cost-​efficient for parties less than 6.
I loved boarding the plane without an aggro security experience. This is last civilized commercial experience left in the USA!

Such an awesome way to travel. I had to go to Victoria for a couple of days to visit some co-​workers in our office up there. Taking the float plane was faster, more fun and way easier than a plane out of Seatac (or driving).
You can show up less than an hour before the flight, and if you have extra time once you’ve checked in, leave and go get a coffee at the Starbucks nearby. You board super quickly, take off almost immediately, and 45 minutes later, you’re in Victoria.
If you’re just hanging out around the Wharf area in downtown Victoria you don’t even need a taxi or a car. I just walked around between the float plane landing, our office a few blocks away and my hotel right across the bridge (Delta — 5 minutes).
It’s not a giant jet plane, so the occasional turbulence can be a little unsettling b/​c you really feel it — but I never felt unsafe. I definitely recommend wearing either the ear plugs they provide or having solid headphones that fit in or over ear and cancel noise, because it can get pretty loud in the cabin.
I wish all air travel was like this.

I’ve never done flown in a seaplane before, so I figured that taking the quick 20-​minute scenic tour would be a nice way to be initiated. The terminal on Lake Union is pretty small and has people traveling to Canada as well as to the other islands around. Boarding is real quick — just walk down the plank, hop in the plane, buckle up, and you’re off. We had a pretty smooth flight around the metro Seattle area, flying as far east as Lake Washington and over part of Puget Sound and Elliot Bay to the west. If anything, the only thing that was a bit tricky was locating all the points of interest on the map relative to where we were flying — it’s not all in order, and you there are sights to the north and south that you don’t really get to see (the flight pattern closely resembles a sideways eight/​infinity sign). There’s just about the right amount of talking on the headphones — not too much to distract you from peeking out the window and taking a look around. The landing is really smooth — nothing at all like landing on a regular airstrip.
If anything, I do feel like $ 100 for a 20-​minute flight is a bit on the pricey side, but it’s a great way to get an all-​encompassing view of Seattle if you’re in town for a short amount of time. Even though the planes are decades old, they fly really well, and it’s a very cool experience to see the city from the air.

What a fantastic trip I had! $ 83 for a 50-​minute flight around the sound, it was so amazing! The only bad part about my trip (eeek!) was I forgot my Dramamine tablets, so for most of the trip I felt poorly. I managed to get quite a few pictures. When I was about 15, it cost $ 19 for the trip (that was back in 1976). Even today, the cost isn’t out of reach for most folks. Those aircraft are super reliable, but a bit bumpy, but they do the job nicely. Definitely recommended for your visiting friends and family. They can accommodate groups up to 12 in one of the larger DeHavilland Beavers.
They said it was a 20-​minute flight but it turned out to be much longer, since our pilot was in a good mood that day. It was fun. I wish I had a better camera, though, but at the time that was all I had.

**For the small craft seating 6 people**
Heading up to Victoria, I decided to try the Sea & Sky package — fly up and boat down, I decided.
This is about a 3.5 experience. I like a little plane noise (and it’s given, since it’s a small craft and you’re just less than a few feet away from the motor) and the pilot (Joe?) was totally cool. The doors have small rotating wind/​vent holes.
My weird ding: I’m not sure if it was just me not eating enough to start my day or an odd warm vinyl/​rubber ambient scent but I felt like a light stomach from mid-​trip to the descent… so I napped to help counter this odd sensation.
Lots of nice views, don’t forget! For people sensitive to turbulence, you may want to call ahead for the wind forecast between your departure location and destination.
My favorite moment was the loop descending into the Harbour and divebombing (not literally but sort of!) to the water landing:
((…b…bu…bump…bump bump… bu… bump…))

What a way for a duck to travel… underground.
Agreed. That’s why these guys are in business. My guy surprised me with a seaplane flight for my birthday from Seattle (Lake Union, specifically) to LaConner, so we could go to the Tulip Festival. When I lived up there, I detested tulips; now, I think they’re my favorite flower: wha’ happened? At that time, the flights were about $ 125 pp.
Kenmore Air is right on Westlake (you’ve probably seen their yellow/​white seaplanes parked on the docks.) After we met the pilot and 2 other couples that were on our plane, we all boarded and raced along Lake Union – for a moment, it didn’t seem like we were going to make it, but suddenly, we were airborne! As you would expect, it’s a little loud in the plane, but you do get used to it after a few minutes. The views were OUTSTANDING. Approaching the tulip and daffodil fields from the air was breathtaking to say the least.
We landed in the slough and deboarded, enjoying some time around LaConner (6 hours is a long time though. LaConner is tiny.) Taking off in the slough was just as thrilling as landing in it was, and the view back never got old.
We loved our experience so much, we sent my in-​laws to Victoria via Kenmore – which was a little pricier – and they enjoyed it. At least they told us they did. Maybe they hated it and are plotting their revenge?
I wish I could give a 5^th star, but it’s just too pricy for us average folk, but a GREAT special occasion type-​of-​thing to do.

I booked a flight from Seattle to Port Angeles as the tail end of a longer trip. I booked the Kenmore Air seperate from my other arrangements as it was cheaper to do so than booking them all together.
Kenmore air recommends at least 60 minutes layover time between other flights you may be arriving on. This will allow for delays, shuttle transport to boeing field from Sea-​Tac, etc. They want you to check in 15 minutes prior to departure (from Sea-​Tac) if possible. If everyone is there early, they’ll leave early.
I had plenty of time, and found that the complimentary shuttle (bus) can be found at Door 00 at Sea-​Tac which is all the way to the West of the airport through baggage claim. You can also get their from the main level by going all the way west and then down stairs of an escalator. I went to find coffee and food and instantly regretted leaving security after my last flight before getting food as the selections on this side of the airport are slim.
Upon arrival at the Kenmore Air terminal, it was as simple as telling them my name and I was checked in and directed to the lounge overlooking the Boeing airfield in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle.
There are vending machines for drinks and snacks here, so if you are coming from Sea-​Tac and want food first get it there!
The flight was a bit bumpy through the turbulence and it was strange seeing the raindrops whizz by since we were going just slow enough for them to be obvious.
There were plenty of moments when I was wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans and praying to God I would make it through to see my family on the other side and imagining what I would do in the event we did in fact crash. I probably imagined all the different ways this 9-​seater plane could go down and none of my solutions of escape and survival were probably realistic, but thankfully I didn’t need to employ any of them! The plane arrived safely, and I have to say the skillful pilot landed that plane perfectly; no bumping, swaying, or hard landing… it was a great ending to my nervous flight. I applauded. The other two passengers cracked smiles.

For those of you looking for something that’s more challenging than a touristy fly-​over (but without any pre-​study) an intro flight with a flight instructor is super reasonable and one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had. It’s only $ 99 including tax and unforgettable. It was about a 15 minute presentation with the basics of what you, as the front seat, are responsible for in the switch flipping department ie what settings and what order for climb, cruise and descent. You’re instructor is right behind you with stick controls as well and will guide you over the headset what to do. He’ll do the initial take off and landing in Kenmore Harbor but you’ll get a half hour and likely your own shot at landing and taking off (with his adjustments as necessary) further down Lake Washington where there is less traffic.
The sun bouncing off the mostly still lake in the morning, the view of the skyline and Space Needle in the distance, smoothly floating over the lake in a floatplane are memories laser etched in to a happy moment. But what’s even greater is it’s something that while not impossible felt great to actually get my hands on the stick to control and learn something a bit outside of my comfort zone.
Also, the history of the place is fascinating and worth some perusal of the books and hanging pictures from the founders, to astronauts, rebuilt classic planes and endorsements by Harrison Ford.

I’m walking on air!
What a nice, easy way to get to Vancouver Island. This tiny seaplane was a great change from driving or taking the clipper. It’s worth doing at least once while you are in the Pacific NW. We could see so much from the air — breathtaking views of land, mountains, sea and sky. The service is good and they are friendly and organized. The terminal is no frills in any way. The little parking lot is first come first serve so get their early if you don’t want to pay for parking nearby. The first seaplane I took had a drafty window that was kind of cold. There were about 7 people in the first flight and then 10 people in my return flight in a bigger plane that was like a mini big size plane. It is fun to take off and land in the water. Getting through customs is a breeze since there are so few people to go through. It was the fastest I’ve ever come in and out of Canada in my life.

Probably not the cheapest way to get around the PNW, but definitely one of the quicker and more unique ways to do so.
My flights to/​from Seattle and Victoria were pleasant and certainly not without a great deal of scenery. Flight time was about half of the advertised hour, pilots were friendly, and time spent dealing with Customs is pretty painless.
My only regret was not being able to get my hands on the co-​pilot seat, which definitely looks like the best seat in the house.