Connect with us

Alaska

Max 9s are returning to the Alaska Airlines fleet. Here’s what that means for travelers.

Published

on

Max 9s are returning to the Alaska Airlines fleet. Here’s what that means for travelers.


The mood at Alaska Airlines is decidedly lighter this week.

After three weeks on the ground, Alaska’s fleet of 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft is slowly being re-integrated into the fleet. First, though, each plane must undergo a rigorous inspection, authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“We’ve got three Max 9s flying today,” said Scott Habberstad, who is the airline’s managing director of the Alaska market. “The first one is flying between Seattle and San Diego, where it will remain overnight.”

Advertisement

“We will launch more planes today and more next week,” said Tim Thompson, a spokesperson for the airline. “We’re doing this in a safe, systematic way. The schedule will take a while to get back to normal. Hopefully, by this time next week, we’ll see the disruption for our guests trickle off.”

“Our goal is to get people where they’re going,” said Marilyn Romano, regional vice president for Alaska Airlines. “And we completely understand what it’s like to have your travel disrupted.”

Specific instructions for travelers who’ve had their flights canceled haven’t changed since the planes were grounded on Jan. 6:

1. Check your itinerary right now. And keep checking it before you head to the airport. The best place to check your itinerary is at Alaska’s website or via the Alaska Airlines app on your smartphone.

2. If your flight is delayed or canceled, Alaska Air may have automatically rebooked you on other flights. If those flights don’t work, you may be able to change them online or even via the app.

Advertisement

3. If you need to speak with an Alaska Airlines customer service agent, use this toll-free number: (877) 862-4093. This is a special number set up for impacted travelers. It is not a general reservation number. You may be able to select a “call back” feature instead of remaining on hold.

4. You can text Alaska Airlines using your smartphone. Type in “82008″ and say that you need help rebooking your flight.

5. Keep your receipts. Alaska Airlines expects to be reimbursed at least $150 million from Boeing as a result of the flight disruptions, ticket refunds, and other expenses as a result of the Max 9 groundings. You can bet they are keeping their receipts. You should do the same.

When you gather your receipts for additional hotel or vacation rental nights, car rental or Uber charges, meals, and other incidentals, submit them with a letter explaining your situation to customer.care@alaskaair.com. Be sure and include your confirmation number and contact information.

“We’ve made the commitment to reimburse travelers for reasonable expenses,” Thompson said.

Advertisement

The Max 9 groundings highlight the need for travel insurance, whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally.

[Grounded Boeing jets are returning to the sky. Here’s what to know if you’re going to be on a MAX 9.]

Alesandra Dubin was vacationing with her family on the island of Lanai when her return trip on Alaska Airlines was canceled. She shared her story with Michelle Couch-Friedman, who is a travel ombudsman for the travel site “The Points Guy.”

Dubin’s story stands out for me because she has some of the same travel protection tools that I use: an annual policy from Allianz Travel Insurance and travel protection coverage through a premium credit card: Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Dubin ended up hanging out in Wailea, Maui for a few extra days in swanky accommodations. But she spent many hours trying to rebook on Alaska Airlines back to Los Angeles, before getting a refund and purchasing new tickets on Hawaiian Airlines. Here are some other takeaways:

Advertisement

1. Get a refund if your flight is canceled, instead of a travel voucher for future use. If you end up getting reimbursed for other tickets that you booked, the amount that you’re refunded will be deducted.

2. With the third-party Allianz insurance, the “trip cancellation” clause did not work when seeking reimbursement for the Max 9 groundings. But “trip delay” worked. Allianz, like other providers, has a 24-hour number for policyholders to call and sift through the fine print of what’s covered — and what’s not covered.

3. Travel insurance from credit cards is typically secondary to other insurance policies. My card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, offers up to $500 reimbursement for reasonable expenses during a delay.

Both the annual policies and the credit card policies have caps and limits to the coverage. For more extensive coverage, compare plans at sites like insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com.

Travel insurance often is a consideration for international trips, particularly for medical coverage and emergency evacuation. But things can go sideways when traveling right here in the U.S.A.

Advertisement

In the case of the Max 9 groundings, if you and your family were impacted by delays and cancellations, I would definitely ask Alaska Airlines first for reimbursement. The airline has made it clear it intends to reimburse travelers for reasonable expenses. However, the additional insurance through annual protection policies and premium credit cards provides an added safety net.





Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Alaska

Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 ASAA State Championship Brackets – March 10

Published

on

Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 ASAA State Championship Brackets – March 10


The 2026 Alaska high school girls basketball state championships begin this week, and High School On SI has brackets for all four classifications.

The brackets will be updated with scores and matchups throughout the week.

All four classifications will play their state championship games at Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

Advertisement

The 1A and 2A championships run March 11-14. Classes 3A and 4A play the following week, March 18-21.

Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 State Championship Brackets, Matchups, Schedule – March 10

3/11 – Shaktoolik (1) vs. Arlicaq (16)

3/11 – Kake (8) vs. Tri-Valley (9)

Advertisement

3/11 – Fort Yukon (4) vs. Andreafski (13)

Advertisement

3/11 – Sand Point (5) vs. Napaaqutgmiut (12)

3/11 – Scammon Bay (2) vs. Nunamiut (15)

3/11 – Akiuk Memorial (7) vs. Newhalen (10)

3/11 – Davis-Romoth (3) vs. Cook Inlet Academy (14)

Advertisement

3/11 – Hoonah (6) vs. Shishmaref (11)


3/12 – Seward (1) vs. Chevak (8)

3/12 – Metlakatla (4) vs. Cordova (5)

Advertisement

3/12 – Craig (2) vs. Susitna Valley (7)

Advertisement

3/12 – Glennallen (3) vs. Degnan (6)


3/18 – Barrow (1) vs. Kotzebue (8)

Advertisement

3/18 – Grace Christian (4) vs. Galena (5)

Advertisement

3/18 – Monroe Catholic (2) vs. Delta (7)

3/18 – Mt. Edgecumbe (3) vs. Kenai Central (6)

Advertisement

3/18 – Mountain City Christian Academy (1) vs. North Pole (8)

Advertisement

3/18 – Colony (4) vs. West (5)

3/18 – Bartlett (2) vs. Juneau-Douglas (7)

3/18 – Wasilla (3) vs. Service (6)


More Coverage from High School On SI



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Alaska

Made In The USA: The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company

Published

on

Made In The USA: The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company


This is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.

The Alaska Wall Tent comes in an array of sizes and versions, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your individual use-case. They’re all individually made in Alaska, and perhaps even more importantly, they’re all tested extensively to be able to handle local conditions.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 5

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 2

Image DescriptionThis is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.

History Speedrun: The Alaska Gear Company

The Alaska Gear Company was formerly known as Airframes Alaska, it’s an aviation and outdoor equipment supplier and manufacturer headquartered in Palmer, Alaska. The company is led by majority owner Sean McLaughlin, who bought the original bush airplane parts business when it had just two employees and $100,000 in annual revenue. McLaughlin has since grown it to approximately 100 employees and $20 million in annual sales.

The company can trace its early roots to a licensed maker of Piper PA-18 Super Cub fuselages at Birchwood Airport. Through a series of acquisitions, including Reeve Air Motive (an aircraft parts retailer operating out of Anchorage’s Merrill Field since 1950, Alaska Tent & Tarp, and Northern Sled Works, the company grew well beyond aviation into outdoor recreation and cold-weather gear.

Advertisement

That diversification ultimately drove the rebrand from Airframes Alaska to Alaska Gear Company in late 2023, as the old name no longer conveyed the full scope of what the company produces and sells.

The Alaska Gear Company now operates out of three locations – a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Palmer, a production facility in Fairbanks, and a retail store with an in-house sewing workshop at Merrill Field in Anchorage.

Its product lines span two major categories. On the aviation side, the company is best known for its hand-built Alaskan Bushwheel tundra tires, FAA-approved titanium landing gear, Super Cub fuselage modifications, and a wide range of bush plane parts. On the outdoor side, it manufactures Arctic Oven hot tents, canvas wall tents, custom freight and pulk sleds, and a modernized version of the iconic military bunny boot designed for extreme cold weather conditions.

More recently in 2024, the Alaska Gear Company was named “Made in Alaska Manufacturer of the Year” by the Alaska Department of Commerce.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company

The Alaska Canvas Wall Tent is a handmade-in-Alaska canvas tent made from 13oz Sunforger DLX double-filled, preshrunk, marine-grade cotton canvas that’s treated to resist fire, water, and mildew while still remaining breathable.

Advertisement

It comes in four sizes, including 8×10, 10×12, 12×14, and 14×16 feet, all with 5-foot wall heights, and it’s available either unframed (starting at $1,295) or with a frame (starting at $2,300). The unframed version can be constructed in the field using lengths of wood sourced from the area, reducing the initial pack weight – this is crucial for trips into the wilderness by bush plane where every pound of weight is critical.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 7

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 4

Image DescriptionIt comes in four sizes, including 8×10, 10×12, 12×14, and 14×16 feet, all with 5-foot wall heights, and it’s available either unframed (starting at $1,295) or with a frame (starting at $2,300). The unframed version can be constructed in the field using lengths of wood sourced from the area, reducing the initial pack weight – this is crucial for trips into the wilderness by bush plane where every pound of weight is critical.

All tents include a 4.5 inch oval stove jack for use with wood or propane stoves, as well as a 56 inch triangular rear window with insect screening, an 18oz vinyl sod cloth around the base to block drafts and moisture, ridgepole openings at both ends, rope-reinforced eaves, brass grommets, overlapping door flaps with ties, a heavy-duty zippered door, and 100 feet of sisal rope for tie-downs.

The tents are now available to buy direct from the Alaska Gear Company here, and at the time of writing they have stock ready to ship out immediately.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 10
The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 9
The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 8
The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 3

Images courtesy of the Alaska Gear Company



Source link

Continue Reading

Alaska

Lakes are growing in Alaska. That’s not entirely a bad thing

Published

on

Lakes are growing in Alaska. That’s not entirely a bad thing

The St. Elias Mountains in southeast Alaska are dotted with over 100 lakes where glaciers crumble into milky, turquoise water. Those lakes are expanding at an ever-quickening pace.

The lakes will quadruple in size over the next century or two, scientists report March 9 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This growth will transform landscapes, create new salmon habitat and may even change the course of a major river.

“We are seeing the great age of ice retreat” in Alaska, says Daniel McGrath, a glaciologist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. “These glaciers are just peeling back from the landscape,” revealing deep grooves they carved in the Earth, where lakes are now forming.

Glacial hydrologist Eran Hood of the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, who was not part of the study, adds that “understanding where these lakes are going to emerge is important” because it “changes the whole nature of the downstream ecosystem.”

Advertisement

Hugging the coastline along the Alaska-Canada border, the tiny mountainous region that includes the St. Elias Mountains is losing 60 cubic kilometers of ice per year. Because lakes absorb solar heat, the glaciers that shed ice into lakes are shrinking faster than those that terminate on dry land. Across southeast Alaska, these lakes attached to glaciers have expanded by 60 percent since 1986, reaching a combined area of 1,300 square kilometers.

McGrath and his colleagues wondered how far this runaway expansion might go. So, they combined satellite images with estimates of ice thickness — mapping deeply eroded grooves that are still hidden under glaciers.

The results were “eye-opening,” McGrath says. The team identified 4,200 square kilometers of glacier-covered grooves adjacent to existing lakes.

He and his colleagues predict that the lakes will continue to expand — causing rapid ice retreat — until they fill those grooves, reaching a combined size of around 5,500 square kilometers, an area the size of Delaware.

“By the end of this century, all of these lakes will probably be more or less fully developed,” says study coauthor Louis Sass III, a glaciologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. But those growing lakes are already reshaping entire landscapes in a way that is often overlooked in public discourse around glacier retreat.

Many of Alaska’s glaciers terminate on dry land, and their meltwater often creates barren, rocky floodplains downstream, where the streams alternate between trickles and floods — constantly branching and shifting course as they lay down sediment released by the glacier.

“Those habitats are fairly inhospitable for a lot of fish,” including some salmon, says Jonathan Moore, an aquatic ecologist with Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada. The water is too cold, and fish eggs “get swept out or buried by the floods every year.”

But as glaciers retreat into lakes and those lakes expand, their meltwater has time to drop its sediment and warm a few degrees in the lake before spilling into a river. Rivers that carry less sediment are less prone to shifting channels.

Advertisement

A 2025 study by Moore and remote sensing scientist Diane Whited of the University of Montana found that as glacial lakes expanded over 38 years in southeast Alaska, the downstream river channels stabilized, allowing willows and bushes to spread across floodplains.

“It creates salmon habitat,” Hood says. A 2021 study by Moore and Hood predicted that by 2100, glacial retreat in southeast Alaska will transform 6,000 kilometers of river channels into decent habitat for some local species of salmon. The lakes themselves will create spawning grounds for sockeye salmon — an important commercial species.

But these changes will come with upheaval.

For instance, one major river, the Alsek, will probably shift its course as retreating glaciers cause two lakes to merge, providing an easier path to the ocean.

People in Juneau are feeling another dramatic effect of expanding lakes. At least once per year, a lake dammed by the nearby Mendenhall Glacier spills out in a flash flood that gushes through town, forcing some residents to build protective levees around their homes.

Advertisement

These ecosystems “are going to be transformed,” Moore says. “But that transformation is going to be pretty violent and pretty dangerous.”



Source link
Continue Reading

Trending