Alaska Seaplanes started scheduled flight service to Petersburg on April 5, 2021 with two flights a day, seven days a week. It started service to Wrangell from Sitka on May 26,2022, offering flights three times a week.
But that was then. The airlines will end service this month, leaving Alaska Airlines as the only commercial airlines offering flights to and from those Southeast communities. For passengers, the last flights are Oct. 31, and for cargo, service ends Oct. 28.
The company says that ridership just didn’t justify the routes. Petersburg and Wrangell of two of its larger communities that it serves. Petersburg has a population of over 3,100, and Wrangell has 2,055 residents. But those communities have the Alaska Airlines option. Alaska Seaplanes also serves Angoon (pop. 349), Elfin Cove (pop. 17), Gustavus (pop. 642), as well as also small hamlets of Haines, Hoonah, Kake, Klawock, Pelican, Skagway, Tenakee and its largest hubs of Juneau and Sitka.
Pffffttt, nothing that a $150 billion high-speed rail system can’t solve.
Am I right, California?
You forgot the drag shows. A necessity in their world.
With performers and audience all fully masked, of course.
It’s for the children!
This is just further evidence that Cruise ships do not provide much of an economy to southeast. In the 1970’s ’80’s,’90’s those routes were all practical and profitable. Of course, that was when there was actual industry in southeast and the employee’s in that industry were paid a living wage.
Not sure how you’re conflating cruise industry with the government driven collapse of the SE economy.
The cruise industry is the source of revenue for Skagway. It is the major economic driver for Hoonah. Yakatat is expanding their offerings to attract more boats.
Wrangell and Petersburg are not major stops. I’m not sure Petersburg even can serve the main players.
In a smaller government world Alaska Seaplanes might not have to compete with federal government subsidized year round full sized passenger jet service to the small communities of PSG & WRG. It’s nice to have subsidized full jet service to those towns but how many towns of that size have mainline jet service? Not too many.
On the other hand those Alaska Airline jets get stuffed full of fresh fish cargo in the spring & summer. Tons of it. I know because I used to load it.
Is the Alaska Seaplane service a victim of Lisa Murkowski’s essential air service subsidy that goes to Alaska Airlines? And another reason the federal deficit is so huge?
Something to think about.
And those entitled communities will expect the Ferry System to take up the slack. But they wont pay to ride it eather. So the state will spend a pile of money to provide ferry service because one of the dumbass SouthEast legislators will use this to demand it. And NO ONE will ride it. And the rest of the state will be out the money it takes to provide a service that no one uses. How stoopid are we.
Have you ever ridden on the Highway?
I’d be happy to give it up if the mainlanders stopped helping block the road system Egan promised.
I never understood why AK Seaplanes flew there to begin with.
Uh, Alaska Airlines gets a massive subsidy to service those areas…..might help if you added that fact to this story.
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