A passenger has accused Alaska Airlines of leaving him ‘stranded’ in a remote Arctic town

• A passenger has accused Alaska Airways of leaving him stranded at a distant Arctic airport.
• He informed One Mile At A Time that runway work and unhealthy climate halted flights from the remoted airport.
• The traveler stated if he had been knowledgeable of the runway points he wouldn’t have flown there. 

A passenger has accused Alaska Airways of leaving him and three companions “stranded” at a distant Arctic airport.

The passenger, solely recognized as Jim, informed the journey weblog One Mile at A Time that about 100 passengers have been unable to depart the distant airport in Barrow, Alaska.  

Jim stated he had flown to the remoted airport on August 25 for an in a single day journey however upon arrival discovered that the flight he took “was the primary flight that had been in a position to land in Barrow for the final 3-4 days.”

He stated: “Many individuals we talked with within the resort have been stranded since Monday and knowledgeable us we had little probability of getting out immediately and even within the subsequent few days.”

The airport, in one of many northernmost factors in the US, is just accessible by air. 

The passenger stated he had solely packed baggage for one night time however was rebooked onto a flight on August 29 — 4 days later. 

“Many vacationers got here right here, as we did, for a fast in a single day to see the Arctic Ocean,” Jim informed the journey weblog.

Knowledge from flight monitoring website Flight Conscious means that no Alaska Airways flights left Wiley Submit-Will Rogers Airport (BRW) in Barrow on August 23, 24, 26, or 29. 

Jim stated that the flight disruption was because of building on airport runways together with unhealthy climate. 

He stated the airport radar was not working, leading to “a a lot greater requirement for the cloud ceiling — 600 ft as a substitute of the 200 [ft] normally required if all the bottom tools is purposeful.”

“We’re all lacking many days of pre-booked and costly excursions and lodging,” he added.

“Had we been knowledgeable of the truth that no flights had landed for the previous a number of days, and that radar issues mixed with the climate would possible lead to delays returning, we’d by no means have left Anchorage.”

Alaska Airways didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark. 

A consultant for the airline informed The Impartial: “Our highest precedence is security, and we is not going to function any flight if there is a security concern”.

“Runway building in Utqiagvik [Barrow], Alaska (BRW) has prompted decrease minimums required to land. Our pilots, who full rigorous Arctic {qualifications} to land safely in these places with difficult environments, tried a number of flights final week solely to must return to Anchorage because of the minimums.”

The spokesperson added: “Each flight this week has departed with many open seats, which means that everybody who wanted to get to or from Utqiagvik has executed so.”

“Whereas nonetheless at all times on the mercy of Arctic climate, the Division of Transportation is predicted to finish their runway building within the subsequent two weeks once we’ll be capable of return to regular minimal restrictions.”

Like many different airways, Alaska Airways has handled a tough summer season of flight cancelations and journey disruptions.

Alaska Airways canceled 3.33% of its whole flights from January to June 2022, making it one of many prime ten worst airways for flight cancelations this 12 months, in keeping with information from the US Division of Transportation.