Flying people and freight around the state is important in building and maintaining connections

Flying is a big part of the Alaska lifestyle.

For many of us, that means out-of-state travel, or even out of the country.

But just as we fly off to Seattle or Frankfurt and other points abroad, airplanes also take travelers to the far reaches of the state.

The big jets go to many destinations around the state. Alaska Airlines flies 737s to Nome, Cordova, Bethel, Juneau, Kodiak and Utqiagvik every day. Also in the mix are the smaller regional jets operated by Horizon Air: the E175s.

The smaller jets fly between Anchorage and Fairbanks, King Salmon and Dillingham, plus other destinations as required.

But there are a bunch of other communities in the state that Alaska Air and Horizon don’t reach. The communities are too small, or the airstrips aren’t big enough, or both.

Air travel to and from most of these communities is restricted to planes that accommodate nine passengers or fewer. A few larger communities in Western Alaska enjoy service with larger planes. Ravn Alaska flies the wing-over twin-engine Dash-8 with 29 to 37 passengers. Aleutian Air operates the 50-passenger Saab 2000.

The air carriers are changing things up — and it affects travelers around the region.

Last December, Ravn Alaska advised the U.S. Department of Transportation that it intended to halt its essential air service flights on April 29 between Anchorage and St. Mary’s, as well as between Anchorage and Unalakleet.

For reference, it’s expensive to fly to either destination, between $450 and $545 one-way, with at least 14 days’ advance notice.

The U.S. DOT put a hold on Ravn’s plan, ordering the carrier to continue flying until another carrier is found. Sterling Airways, the parent corporation for Aleutian Airways, submitted bids to serve the two communities, with a subsidy of at least $5.8 million. ACE Air Cargo also submitted a bid, requesting a subsidy of more than $4.4 million. ACE also does quite a bit of charter passenger flights with its fleet of 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900s.

Kenai Aviation submitted a bit with no subsidy for Anchorage-Unalakleet and was awarded the route. According to Jacob Caldwell, Kenai Aviation’s president, the carrier will fly a nine-passenger King Air twice each day between Anchorage and Unalakleet. Fares start at $495 each way.

There’s been no award yet for the Anchorage-St. Mary’s route. Ravn will continue to fly three times per week until a new carrier is selected.

The essential air service program for small, rural communities started in 1978 when airlines were deregulated. The qualifications for communities has changed over time, but right now there are 65 routes in Alaska that qualify.

[Nonstop flights from around the country and from Bush Alaska are an essential part of Anchorage’s economy]

Prices for travel to Alaska’s smaller communities almost always generate sticker shock for travelers from Anchorage.

Anchorage-Kenai tickets cost $145 each way on either Grant Aviation or Kenai Aviation. Tickets to Homer on Ravn or Aleutian Air cost between $143 and $190 each way.

Fares to Valdez went down when Ravn won a $6 million annual essential air service contract. Today, the one-way fare is $89.

Flights to Dutch Harbor cost $689 one-way on Aleutian Airways, which now is the only carrier that flies there, since Ravn pulled out.

Ravn is the only carrier flying from Anchorage to St. Paul Island and the fare is $770 one-way.

There are many small air carriers providing service between Anchorage and smaller communities around the state. That includes Alaska Air Transit, which flies to the Prince William Sound communities of Chenega and Tatitlek. Iliamna Air Taxi and Lake and Pen Air both fly from Anchorage to communities on the Alaska Peninsula. Many other smaller carriers offer charter service around the state, which makes sense if you have a small group that can fill the plane.

Mike Reeve, grandson of Reeve Aleutian Airways’ founder Bob Reeve, flies all over the state with his fleet of King Airs. His carrier, Reeve Airways, operates two scheduled routes: between Anchorage and Gulkana and between Anchorage and McGrath.

In the summer, Reeve also flies from Anchorage to McCarthy twice each week.

Reeve gets an essential air service subsidy for the Anchorage-Gulkana run. Although he doesn’t receive a subsidy on the flights to McGrath, he continues the daily flights “to develop the market.”

Kenai Aviation’s Joel Caldwell, Jacob’s father, also spoke about developing the market with the increased frequency to Unalakleet. Currently, Ravn flies four times per week in the Dash 8. With Kenai Aviation’s twice-daily flights, Caldwell said travelers could fly back and forth to Anchorage in one day.

Both Reeve Airways and Kenai Aviation submitted proposals to fly between Anchorage and Seward, supported by an essential air service subsidy.

Air carriers in Alaska have a multitude of issues to consider before starting a new route. Many carriers only fly freight and mail. Evert’s Air Service and Ryan Air both fly freight and mail almost exclusively. Still, Ryan flies a passenger flight five days a week between Anchorage and Aniak. And Evert’s flies passengers to several villages out of Fairbanks.

If a carrier elects to fly passengers, there’s the mix of passengers, freight and mail to configure on each flight. Also, passengers have their own checked luggage.

Flying the mail is an important contract for rural air carriers. Postal revenue can be a decisive factor in making a route profitable. Another important factor for passenger air carriers is medical travel, often paid by insurance or Medicaid.

Matt Atkinson is one of the owners of Wright Air Service in Fairbanks. On the tarmac in Utqiagvik, Atkinson was unloading a Cessna 208 that just arrived from Nuiqsut and Deadhorse. Next to him was a pallet of boxes and other freight that needed to go to Wainwright, 86 miles west of the airport. There were foodstuffs, Amazon packages and a young girl’s bicycle crammed into the plane.

“Passengers are important,” said Atkinson. “But you win the hearts and minds of our people with mail and freight.”

[Recent events put aviation safety at the front of mind for travelers]

Next weekend, Alaska’s air carriers will get together for their annual convention. At the top of the agenda is aviation safety, which was brought in to crystal focus following the crash of the Bering Air flight last month. But there’s also a seminar of dealing with the U.S. Postal Service, which is an important partner in Alaska aviation.

Flying people and freight around the state never has been easy. But those companies and individuals dedicated to that mission play an important role in connecting people around the state.