Alaska Airlines is aiming to start its seasonal flight service before its normal start date of June 1. Lake and Peninsula Airlines is also opening up charter services for Dillingham and King Salmon.
Alaska Airlines announced today that they are ramping up flight services in Dillingham and King Salmon after RavnAir shut down all operations on Sunday.
The airline is aiming to start its seasonal flight service before its normal start date of June 1. Alaska Airline spokesperson Tim Thompson said the group is working as quickly as possible to make that happen.
“We’ll be making sure to get the crews in there, get facilities up but also make sure we have the equipment that would be needed on the ground for aircraft to come in," Thompson said. "Currently at this point, I don’t have a schedule; I’m not sure of the frequency. Typically, it’s a seasonal service and now we’re looking to bring that up a couple months earlier.”
Until then, residents in Dillingham and King Salmon will have to rely on charter airfare.
Lake and Peninsula Airlines is extending services to help the two communities out. They normally fly from Lake Clark and Iliamna to Anchorage. Part owner Heidi Wilder said they are possibly looking at two flights per week.
“We want to find a good price for the customer but one that also still pays for our fuel," Wilder said. "Right now, we are sort of doing a charter seat fare combo. Like, a certain number of people and then they split the whole cost. But the more people, the lower the price. Again, gauging the need. If we have enough, we can set a good seat fare price and keep doing it.”
The airline’s largest charter carries up to nine people and costs around $5,000 to make a trip to Anchorage. That means each passenger would pay about $550 [WEB: $555]. Smaller charters carry four to five people, and trips cost $2,500 to $3,000.
This is a developing story.
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