Glenorchy Air Milford Sound Flight and Cruise

What Is Included

The price buys return flights with a guaranteed window seat, the Milford Sound cruise, pilot commentary on the flights, and tea and coffee during the cruise. Child and booster seats are available on request and baby earmuffs are provided. Departures are from Queenstown Airport.

The flight itself is the selling point: the aircraft crosses the Southern Alps, runs out to the West Coast and the Tasman Sea, then flies through the fiord to land at Milford Sound, where the pilot walks you to the boat terminal.

• Return fixed-wing flights with a guaranteed window seat
• The Milford Sound cruise with open-air viewing decks
• Pilot commentary on both flight legs
• Tea and coffee during the cruise
• Child or booster seats and baby earmuffs on request

What Is Not Included

The listing lists three exclusions. Lunch, which is available to purchase. Alcoholic drinks, also available to purchase.

And parking at the airport, where the spots closest to check-in cost a maximum of $20 for the day. There is no hotel pickup in the inclusions list, although the booking text describes pickups starting 50 minutes before departure, so confirm your pickup when you book and tell the operator if you change accommodation or switch to a local sim number.

What You Might Pay on the Day

If you drive to the airport, park in Terminal Parking A, the closest car park to the Glenorchy Air desk, and expect up to $20 for the day. Free on-street parking is listed on Douglas Street and McBride Street if you arrive early enough to find a space. Lunch and alcohol are both available to purchase, and the listing gives no prices for either.

• Parking closest to check-in: up to $20 for the day
• Free on-street parking on Douglas Street or McBride Street
• Lunch: available to purchase, price not stated
• Alcohol: available to purchase, price not stated

Pickup and Check-In

Pickups start 50 minutes before departure from Queenstown accommodation, or you check in yourself at the Glenorchy Air desk inside the Queenstown Airport main terminal building 30 minutes before the flight. If you drive, Terminal Parking A is the closest car park to check-in and costs up to $20 for the day.

The Flight In

The fixed-wing aircraft climbs out of Queenstown Airport and crosses the Southern Alps, then heads out to the West Coast and the Tasman Sea before turning into the fiord itself for the landing at Milford Sound. Every seat is a window seat and the pilot provides commentary on the mountains and glaciers along the way. Milford Sound Airport sits on a 782 m asphalt runway at the head of the fiord, so the approach is real mountain flying and depends on the weather.

The Walk to the Boat

Your pilot accompanies you from the plane to the boat terminal, so there is no wayfinding to do. The listing does not give the walk time.

The Cruise

The cruise vessel has open-air viewing decks and travels the length of the fiord out to the Tasman Sea, with a pass under Stirling Falls on the return. The fiord is home to fur seals, penguins and dolphins that play in the wake of the boat, and sightings are possible from the decks but never guaranteed. Tea and coffee are free on board, and lunch and alcoholic drinks are available to purchase.

Exactly how long the cruise runs is not stated.

The Flight Back

After the cruise you fly back to Queenstown Airport the same day, again with a window seat. The whole trip, flights, cruise and the walk between, is budgeted at 4.5 hours. Remember to call the operator 1 hour before your scheduled flight time for a weather check,.

Minimum Numbers and Weather

Minimum numbers are required to operate the flight, so a lightly booked departure can be pulled. The trip can also be cancelled if the weather is bad. The fix is to call 1 hour before your flight time for a weather check and keep your afternoon flexible, and cancellation up to 24 hours before departure is free.

Ages and Laps

Infants aged 0 to 2 fly on an adult's lap and children aged 3 to 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Child and booster seats and baby earmuffs are available on request. There is no minimum fitness requirement, and the listing says the trip suits all fitness levels.

Access and Aircraft Limits

No wheelchair access is stated for this listing, so travellers with mobility needs should confirm arrangements directly before booking. Group size is capped at 30. If you prefer a smaller group, the Flight and Cruise from Queenstown lists up to 13 passengers.

For a boat-only day with no flight at all, the Mitre Peak Small Boat Cruise starts at the terminal itself. An overview of every option sits on the Milford Sound boat tours compared page.

No Hotel Pickup in the Inclusions

Hotel pickup is described in the booking text rather than the inclusions list, with pickups starting 50 minutes before departure. If you would rather not depend on a transfer window, drive to the airport and check in at the desk 30 minutes before, using Terminal Parking A or free on-street parking on Douglas Street or McBride Street.

Reaching the Start

Queenstown Airport is the closest airport to Fiordland for domestic and international flights, and the Glenorchy Air desk sits inside the main terminal building. Take a hotel pickup, which starts 50 minutes before departure, or drive and check in 30 minutes before. Parking closest to check-in costs up to $20 for the day, and free on-street parking is listed on Douglas Street and McBride Street.

What You Skip by Flying

Flying over means you skip the Milford Road and its stops, including Mirror Lakes and the Homer Tunnel, where kea are present. Driving from Queenstown takes almost four hours each way by one count and five hours by another, which is the time this flight saves. If the road itself is the point, look at the coach and cruise from Queenstown instead, and read the Milford Road and Queenstown to Milford Sound guides before you commit to driving it yourself.

Adding Something on the Ground

Because you are back at Queenstown Airport within 4.5 hours, the same day can carry more. Kayaking is a separate way onto the water, covered in the Milford Sound kayaking guide, and the Milford Sound scenic flight guide compares other flight formats. Bring insect repellent for sandflies and warm waterproof layers for the open decks, and note that the fiord's rain is a real feature, with roughly 7 m a year by DOC's figure.