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One of 1st Alaska Airlines 737-9 MAX airplanes cleared to fly after fleet grounding lands at PDX

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One of 1st Alaska Airlines 737-9 MAX airplanes cleared to fly after fleet grounding lands at PDX


PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Boeing’s 737-9 MAX fleet is taking off weeks after a door plug blew out mid-flight in Portland, and on Friday night, one of those planes landed in Portland coming from Las Vegas.

Aaron Tiger said he received a text before getting on board that his plane was one of the recently inspected aircraft.

“I’m thinking the door’s going to blow out,” he said.

Some passengers on board one of the first Alaska Airlines 737-9 MAX airplanes to return to service said the flight began with the captain coming out of the cockpit to greet all of the passengers to thank them for being onboard.

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“He said his thing about the crew and everything,” said Julie Mast, who regularly flies on the airline. “And they haven’t done that. So, I think he was trying to make everyone feel better.”

Mast said she doesn’t blame the airline for the incident that led to the emergency landing three weeks ago.

“Millions of flights go out,” Mast said. “It’s kind of a numbers game.”

However, she does believe it’s a good thing that Alaska Airlines’ fleet of 65 737-9 MAXs was inspected by the FAA, and other passengers agreed that it appears the airline is doing their due diligence to ensure people are feeling safe.

As for the flight itself, passengers said it went off without a hitch.

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“It was smooth sailing,” Mast said. “Vegas sometimes is choppy. It was a really good flight.”

Another passenger, Theresa Fernandez, said she wasn’t even worried.

“It was smooth,” Fernandez said. “It was clean. No turbulence at all. It was a really smooth flight.”

Alaska Airlines calls each aircraft inspection thorough, which they said takes about 12 hours.

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‘Alaska is a dangerous place’: How Whittier Harbor stays safe during the winter

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‘Alaska is a dangerous place’: How Whittier Harbor stays safe during the winter


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Winter season brings its risks in harbors across Alaska – including sinking boats, ice, and wind.

“Alaska is a dangerous place,” David Borg, Whittier Harbor Master said. “Here we have massive amount of wind and coming down here in the wintertime with icy docks and a lot of wind, it’s very easy for people to lose their footing.”

Borg also talked about something called SAD – which stand for ‘Sunk At Dock’.

“Boat sinking at the dock. We do have an issue with snow load here,” Borg said. “Best thing people can do … is that if you have a boat in the harbor, you have to have somebody local that can keep an eye on it.”

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At Whittier Harbor, safety holds importance all year round.

“If I can make it a little bit safer here in the harbor – so you and your family can go out and boat and do those things that Alaska has to offer safely – then I’d like to try to push that message as best I can,” Borg said

Borg urges anyone who visits Alaska harbors in the winter to know the conditions, gear up properly, and always put safety first.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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Alaska Airlines launches new nonstop Seattle-to-London flight starting in 2026

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Alaska Airlines launches new nonstop Seattle-to-London flight starting in 2026


Alaska Airlines announced its newest nonstop flight out of Seattle: a straight shot to London.

Starting in May 2026, the nonstop flight will travel from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Heathrow Airport, the largest international airport in the United Kingdom. The airport resides in Hounslow, located an hour outside of London.

The daily service will operate on Alaska Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner.

London is Alaska Airlines’ fifth intercontinental destination, alongside Rome, Reykjavik, Tokyo, and Seoul. According to the airline, the new route strengthens business ties, with London being the largest corporate market from Seattle.

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“By 2030, we plan to serve at least 12 intercontinental destinations from Seattle, with additional routes to be announced in the years to come,” Alaska Airlines stated. “We currently have four Boeing 787-9s in our fleet, with a fifth aircraft recently delivered.”

Guests traveling from the U.S. can now purchase airfares to London for as low as $699 round-trip at alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines hit hard by federal shutdown

According to aviation analysts, the federal shutdown cost Alaska Airlines millions of dollars. The airline’s fourth-quarter income is expected to fall by $32 million.

The company told investors it lost 15 cents per share. Flight cancellations at SEA and other airports lasted 43 days.

According to The Puget Sound Business Journal, Delta reports a $200 million hit. United, JetBlue, and Southwest could see losses, too.

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Warnings continue for wind, snow, and extreme cold across Alaska

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Warnings continue for wind, snow, and extreme cold across Alaska


ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – Extreme wind has been non-stop for more than 60 hours in Wasilla in Palmer, where peak wind gusts have reached over 80 mph three days in a row.

Peak winds have been over 80 mph for the last three days in Palmer.(Melissa Frey)

Wind gusts at the Palmer Airport climbed over 50 mph Friday evening and didn’t drop below until late Monday evening.

Peak winds have been over 50 mph for more than 60 hours.
Peak winds have been over 50 mph for more than 60 hours.(Melissa Frey)

The High Wind Warning for the Matanuska Valley will continue through 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Calmer conditions are likely on Tuesday afternoon as the winds relax across the area.

High Wind Warnings continue in the Mat-Su.
High Wind Warnings continue in the Mat-Su.(Melissa Frey)

Send us your weather photos and videos here!

The rest of Southcentral remains clear and dry, with temperatures likely dropping to the lowest levels of the season starting Tuesday morning. This pattern will continue through the end of the week.

Download the free Alaska’s News Source Weather App for the latest forecast in your area.

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In Southeast, Winter Storm Warnings are still in effect near Ketchikan for up to 8″ of additional snow through Tuesday. Winter Weather Advisories are also in effect near Hyder for an additional 9-12″ of snow on Tuesday.

The snow has ended across the northern areas of Southeast, but extreme cold is setting in. Wind Chill values will reach as low as -50° near Skagway, to -25° near Haines, and to -15° near Juneau.

The Copper River Basin will also experience extreme wind chill values to -50° through Tuesday afternoon.

In the Interior, temperatures dropped to -30° for the first time Monday morning, and we’ll see several nights at that cold level this week.

24/7 Alaska Weather: Get access to live radar, satellite, weather cameras, current conditions, and the latest weather forecast here. Also available through the Alaska’s News Source streaming app available on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

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