Originally Posted by
bruinflyer
I'd like to talk about the seaplane transfer required to get from MLE to Ja Manafaru (resort / island) in the Maldives. I don't even know (and cannot determine from the web or from calling the Ja Manafaru resort, unfortunately) if it's airline affiliated/charter/etc.
Maldives is also a weird location... do we at FT consider it Asia? India? Oceana?
Starting off:
- Who operates the flights?
- What's the plane?
- Can I track it using any modern site?
- Any protips for people who've flow that route? E.g I've seen literature saying 25kg total luggage (hand+check), which is a bit light given family baggage... is that a practical limit or just scare tactics? (FYI flying *A gold status + business class on my carrier allows 32+32+5+5 per person, almost 3x the seaplane amount, as a reference point).
I believe it fits under Asia for the Destinations.
Maldives is very resort-specific. Most resorts use an air-taxi service, and I believe there are two different air taxi companies serving Maldives. Since different islands use different taxis, only the resort will know.
I flew to Rangali island on an air-taxi, and there are limits to the luggage, I don't recall specifically. They are per person. The air taxis sometimes make multiple stops, so you might actually go to a couple islands first before you arrive at your island. They are all seaplanes, so you take off and land on the water. It is pretty fun!
Not sure about tracking or other issues. The seaplane terminal is separate from the main terminal, on the other side of the airport island. Usually your resort will arrange a shuttle.
Edited to add: It looks like the two competing companies merged in 2013. See
here and
here.