This Alaska travel nugget has been out there for a few months, but it hasn't gotten much attention: Vladivostok Air will resume its seasonal summer flights between Anchorage and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia, starting in July. Flights will operate once a week from mid-July until mid-September.
"It is hoped a successful 2012 season will justify expansion of the service in 2013," according to Vladivostok Air's website.
The New York Times covered the news Wednesday, saying this about the Russian airline's new service to Alaska:
The carrier picks up where Alaska Airlines left off in the late 1990s, when it discontinued flights between Alaska and Russia's Far East.
Siberia has long been a popular destination for American hunters and fisherman, but not for mainstream tourists. That could be changing. Cities like Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka's jumping-off point for outdoor adventurers, and Vladivostok, a coastal city with upscale accommodations and cultural attractions like museums and theaters ... have made big efforts to encourage tourism. The Kamchatka Ecotourism Society delivers English-language trip assistance for hikers, skiers and sightseers, and the hilly city of Vladivostok has undergone years of rebuilding, replacing Soviet-era high-rises with luxury hotels and entertainment sites.
According to Vladivostok Air, schedules should be finalized and inventory loaded in computer reservations systems by next month.
Vladivostok Air will be offering travel packages to Kamchatka in conjunction with its travel partner, Kamchatinour. Vladivostok Air is also coordinating FAM trips for North American trip operators interested in meeting Kamchatka outfitters and creating their own tours.