A few friends have raised the idea of going on an Antarctic sightseeing flight, prompted by this recent newspaper article. The flights take place during a relatively short window in the summer flying season in January and February.
The concept sounds really interesting and I’m sure that the views would be absolutely amazing…at least initially. But I also wonder whether all that ice might not start to look very similar after a few hours. And the eight hours or so in flying to and from Antarctica would be over featureless, open ocean.
I wondered whether other Dopers had any experience of similar flights, or of flights to the Arctic?
I’ve never seen the Arctic in winter (closest I’ve been is Yukon in summer) but I’d jump at the chance to see either the Arctic or Antarctic ice. I don’t think it would be repetitive - the changing angles of the sunlight, the wind and blowing snow - fascinating!
The flights over the water might be a bit dull, but then so is a flight to Europe.
This isn’t quite relevant, but it sure is interesting:
A thread on another forum called ask me about living in Antartica
It’s 11 pages of info and good photos–about Antartica, and how people live there.The photos are from ground level, though. Not what the OP will see on an airborne tour
Seems interesting, but I question whether I’d find it worth anything like what they are charging. It sounds as if you need to pay around $4k simply to be assured of a continuous good view, which itself is hostage to the notoriously fickle weather.
For about 2.5 times that much you can do a cruise to Antarctica, where you’ll get to see wildlife as well as scenery, over a considerably longer time.
I alway find that viewing scenery out an aircraft window is dis-associated and unsatisfying at the best of times. I have trouble imagining that flying over Antarctica would do anything other than frustrate me.