The notoriously choppy two-day crossing of the Drake Passage is often described as a rite of passage to visiting Antarctica.
But some cruise lines and travel advisors are seeing increased demand from travelers wanting to fly over the Drake instead, saying it appeals to people who prefer shorter sailings or fear seasickness.
"I have gotten an equal number of letters from people who say, 'How dare you offer Antarctica without their rite of passage that is the Drake. It is a badge of honor,'" said Noah Brodsky, chief commercial officer for Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic. "And an equal number … [that say] 'Thank God, because I get seasick. I will never do the Drake in my whole life, but it's a dream of mine to get to Antarctica, and you've made it possible.'"
Lindblad is the latest line to add the option to take a roughly two-hour charter flight from southern Chile to Antarctica on some sailings. Starting next season, Lindblad will offer eight-day National Geographic Explorer sailings with roundtrip charter flights over the Drake or 10-day sailings doing the crossing one way and flying the other.
Lindblad's two other ships in the region won't offer flyovers.
Several expedition cruise lines already offer a flyover option, including Quark, Albatros, Atlas, Silversea and Antarctica21.
Ashton Palmer, president of Seattle-based Expedition Trips, said that Antarctica sailings with flyovers tend to sell out.
"There's definitely a market for people who are shorter on time, especially Americans," he said.
Noah Brodsky
Brodsky said that about 80% of guests booking flyovers are new to Lindblad, which tells him those travelers were likely sitting out an Antarctica sailing due to the time, the cost or the fear of seasickness.
"Our average age in Antarctica is in the 50s now, so the majority of people are working" and have limited vacation time, he said, adding that the eight-day cruises are less expensive than the next-shortest option, 14 days, so guests save money overall, even with the added cost of the flights across the Drake, $1,000 each way.
Lindblad said that about two-thirds of those booking the flyover option choose to fly roundtrip.
Still, the cost of a flyover can be a big add to an already expensive trip, which is one reason Lainey Melnick, owner of a Dream Vacations branch in Austin, Texas, hasn't booked any.
"When Antarctica expeditions are already one of the more expensive journeys, most of my clients weigh the costs versus risks, and they mostly choose to go ahead and pay less for a little more risk," she said.
Drawbacks of skipping the Drake crossing
Antarctica fly-cruises come with drawbacks, which is why Lindblad is only now introducing them.
Brodsky said the company wanted to wait for weather-monitoring technology to improve and cancellation rates for the Antarctica flights to fall. He said the cancellation rate is now at 3%, down from 15% in 2019.
It is among the reasons that Claire Maguire, owner of Fort Lauderdale-based Cruise Planners franchise Island Girl Travel and Vacations, doesn't push flyovers. With weather in that region as unpredictable as it is, she doesn't want a flight cancellation to impact a client's trip.
Antarctica21, which offers fly-to cruises on two ships stationed full-time in Antarctica, said the unpredictability of these flights can actually be a selling point for its product: DAP Airlines, the chief charter air carrier in the region for cruise ships, is one of Antarctica21's shareholders. As a result, the operator receives priority on Antarctica flights, an important advantage when the window of good weather narrows.
Francesco Contini
Francesco Contini, Antarctica21's executive vice president of sales and marketing, said that even though about 20% of flights to Antarctica are impacted by weather -- which can mean delayed, moved or canceled -- flying over the Drake once a storm clears is still more pleasant than being seasick for days if the crossing is rough. And flight delays are more comfortable now for Antarctica21 passengers: The company recently opened a flight waiting center, Explorers House, with a restaurant, bar and coffee station.
Contini said the brand's focus is to offer Antarctica without the drama of dinner plates crashing to the floor when the Drake gets rocky. It's a model he said is validated by how many lines now offer flyover programs.
At least once cruise line's experience with Antarctica fly-cruises bucks the trend: Scenic launched itineraries with flyovers in 2021 for the 2023-24 season but dropped the program due to lack of demand, said Jason Flesher, Scenic Group's director of discovery operations.
"It didn't sell. That's the bottom line," he said last month from the Scenic Eclipse II, as it crossed the Drake Passage.
Scenic guests, Flesher said, have both the time and the desire to sail the Drake and don't inquire about the option. "They wanted a longer vacation and to have the full experience."
Maguire said the Drake crossing is a key part of the Antarctica experience.
"Obviously, people don't want to get seasick, but it's part of the buildup of getting to Antarctica," she said. "It's part of the anticipation. You've got two days of getting there. It's just part of the excitement of it."