Alaska Flag on Our Flagpole

Alaska – The Last Frontier

In recent years, cruise lines have created a summertime tourism market, mainly connecting the Pacific Northwest to Southeast Alaska and, to a lesser degree, towns along Alaska’s gulf coast.  The population of Ketchikan may rise by over 10,000 people on many days during the summer, as up to four large cruise ships at a time can dock, debarking thousands of passengers.

Air Transport:

Anchorage and, to a lesser extent Fairbanks, is served by many major airlines.  Because of limited highway access, air travel remains the most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state.  Anchorage recently completed extensive remodeling and construction at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to help accommodate the upsurge in tourism.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

Regular flights to most villages and towns within the state that are commercially viable are challenging to provide, so they are heavily subsidized by the federal government through the Essential Air Service program.  Alaska Airlines is the only major airline offering in-state travel with jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger Boeing 737-400s) from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities.

The bulk of remaining commercial flight offerings come from small regional commuter airlines such as Ravn Alaska, PenAir, and Frontier Flying Service.  The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered bush flying services using general aviation aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the most popular aircraft in use in the state.  Much of this service can be attributed to the Alaska bypass mail program which subsidizes bulk mail delivery to Alaskan rural communities.  The program requires 70% of that subsidy to go to carriers who offer passenger service to the communities.

Because air travel is such an essential transportation service, Alaska hosts at least 27 airports recognized as primary commercial airports by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Bombardier Dash 8
Bombardier Dash 8

Many communities have small air taxi services.  These operations originated from the demand for customized transport to remote areas.  Perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the bush seaplane.  The world’s busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where flights bound for remote villages without an airstrip carry passengers, cargo, and many items from stores and warehouse clubs.  In 2006 Alaska had the highest number of pilots per capita of any U.S. state.

Other Transport:

Another Alaskan transportation method is the dogsled.  In modern times dog mushing is more of a sport than a true means of transportation.  Various races are held around the state, but the best known is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,150-mile trail from Anchorage to Nome.

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

The race commemorates the famous 1925 serum run to Nome in which mushers and dogs like Togo and Balto took much-needed medicine to the diphtheria-stricken community of Nome when all other means of transportation had failed.  Mushers from all over the world come to Anchorage each March to compete for cash, prizes, and prestige.  The “Serum Run” is another sled dog race that more accurately follows the route of the famous 1925 relay, leaving from the community of Nenana to Nome.

Scroll to Top