Bering Air: The Carrier Keeping Western Alaska Connected, from the Caravan Fleet to Charter Flights to Russia

The fleet

The fleet counts about 39 aircraft, made up largely of Cessna Grand Caravan EXs (fifteen units) alongside Piper PA-31 Navajos, Beechcraft 1900Ds, Beechcraft King Air 200s and a share of helicopters (MD 500E, AS 350B3, Robinson R44) used for charter and air ambulance services. Two Cessna SkyCouriers dedicated to cargo complete the fleet.

Routes and network

Bering Air connects about 29 cities in western Alaska from its three bases, with the route between Kotzebue and Point Hope among the busiest in the network. In 2024 the airline's Caravans alone flew over 33,000 legs, an average of more than 90 a day, a volume that gives the measure of how much air transport is, for these communities, equivalent to a scheduled bus service. The airline also operates passenger and cargo charter flights to the rest of the United States and, historically, to Russia across the Bering Strait.

On board and service

With no higher-class cabins on aircraft configured for a few passengers, service is measured by punctuality and the ability to operate even in the difficult weather conditions typical of western Alaska, more than by comfort or onboard entertainment.

What passengers say

For the residents of the communities served, the assessment of Bering Air concerns above all the reliability of the daily connection.

• Appreciated aspects: the only regular link available for many communities, high daily frequency on some main routes, cabin crew considered competent in the region's difficult operating conditions.
• Most criticized aspects: weather-related cancellations due to extreme weather frequent in winter, capacity limited by the small size of the aircraft in periods of peak demand, fares that remain high despite the absence of additional onboard services.

Bering Air is the all but obligatory choice for anyone who needs to reach one of the western Alaska communities the airline serves, since there is often no practical overland alternative. It is not meant for those looking for a scheduled flight with traditional onboard service: the aircraft are built for basic transport, not for comfort. Anyone flying in winter should always build in a buffer of a day or two on top of their plans, because cancellations due to extreme weather are a real possibility, not an exception, on the most exposed routes.