Alaska TravelGram

It was a glorious day on Resurrection Bay for our cruise over to Orca Island. I hooked up with Dennis and Susan Swiderski, who have a few yurts set up on their island in Humpy Cove. It’s an incredible place.

Even though the island is just nine miles from the Seward Harbor, it’s a world away. The three yurts are perched above the water–perfect for watching the harbor seals, the otters or even the WHALES come right up for a look. Or, just look straight down and watch the seaweed sway back and forth. Check out the tidal pools around the island for all kinds of critters.

Take the kayaks out for a spin. That’s Pete and Lisa Armstrong in the yellow two-person kayak (below). “This is where we come for a family getaway,” said Pete. 

To get to the cabins, hop aboard the Swiderskis’ water taxi. It takes about a half an hour. The yurts are “self-catered” which means you bring your own grub. Each unit has its own barbecue grill, cooler–and a private bath. 

Susan was telling me about some great adventures around the island, in addition to sitting out on the deck (my favorite). There are waterfalls and secret inlets to paddle around. Watch for bears, mountain goats, river otters, whales, seals–all kinds of critters. 

Learn more online. 

The FAA issued an emergency order shutting down Juneau-based LAB Flying Service. 

Until Thursday, LAB operated a gob of flights between Haines, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Juneau. Plus flights to Hoonah, Kake and a host of other small Alaska communities. Many flights were on Piper Aircraft like this:

I just read through the FAA’s emergency order–and there are serious allegations regarding the airworthiness of the planes including loose and missing rivets, oil, fuel and hydraulic-fluid leaks, worn brake disks, busted seats, rusted doors, frayed seat belts…YIKES.

This is a tough situation for the airline, the communities it serves and for regulators who are charged with monitoring the safe operations of air carriers.

We’re headed to Southeast Alaska next week. We’ll be watching to see who picks up the EAS (Essential Air Service) contracts to provide subsidized mail and passenger operations to these small Alaska communities. In Kake, Wings of Alaska is taking LAB’s passengers, according to local reports. 

Me? I’m going on the Alaska Marine Highway and Alaska Airlines.

Starting Nov. 1, Alaska Airlines will charge more miles to get a free ticket. It’s one of several changes (er…increases) for Alaska’s frequent flyers.

a. Saver tickets in the continental U.S. and Canada, currently available for 20,000 miles, will increase to 25,000 miles. They now will be called “Super Saver” with zero ”less” availability. There will be a new “saver” category–for 40,000 miles roundtrip, double the old amount.

b. Peak awards are going up from 40,000 to 55,000 miles. 

c. First class is going up from 40,000 (saver) to 50,000, or 100,000 miles for a peak first class ticket.

There’s a chart on the website that details the higher redemption levels for Hawaii, Mexico and intra-state. 

Wait…there’s more.

Remember the AS50 award, where you could redeem 15,000 miles and get a discount of up to $250? The good news was that you could still get mileage for that trip (but no upgrades). NO MORE!! No miles will be accrued after Nov. 1.

Oh, those pesky partner airlines. Northwest, Delta, Qantas, Continental, American, etc. Now Alaska will charge you $25 to fiddle with you, your miles and the labyrinth of negotiating a seat on these other airlines. The fee will not apply to Alaska or Horizon flights.

My take? Well, I still accrue and redeem miles like a madman with Alaska Airlines. But smart travelers are reviewing their blind loyalty to such plans. The real diamond in the rough with Alaska’s mileage plan is the way they treat their super-frequent flyers. The MVP Golds can get out of most change fees, extra bag fees and cut to the front of the line for phone reservations. Plus the free upgrades.

What’s going on with Alaska’s plan is predictable. The carrier is aggressively giving away miles with their Bank of America credit cards, the florist, the mortgage banker, the hotels, the car rentals, the wine club and partner airlines. Now, we, the travelers, are paying for that twice. It’s called stagflation. That means the number of seats is being reduced through route cuts and flight reductions. And the cost for the remaining seats is going up, up, up (in miles redeemed, fees assessed and fares paid). That’s stagnation (fewer seats) and inflation (higher prices). Sort of a perfect storm.

Batten down the hatches…

Frequent flyers know “a.i.” stands for “all-in”, inclusive of all taxes and fees. Unless you’re checking luggage, of course. Or if you want a snack on board the plane. 

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines both are offering this hot deal between San Francisco and Anchorage for THIS WEEKEND ONLY.

Alaska Airlines‘ best-priced itinerary for southbound travel leaves Jul. 24, 25 or 26 on the nonstop, returning on July 27 only.

United’s cheap flights depart on Saturday, Jul. 26 on their nonstop flight, returning on Monday or Tuesday, July 28 or July 29. 

I know. Tight window. Short notice. But we grab these deals where we can find ‘em. Call Laura or Giovanni to book these specials: (907)561-2434 or toll-free (800)544-2217.  They’ll charge you an additional $38, but they can lock in the seats on the double-quick. Plus, they’ll get your hotel and car set up as well.

Just click the window for a thumbnail of the new video from Alaska HDTV. For a full-size version, go to iTunes and subscribe to the video podcast. It’s free. We had a great time in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park with St. Elias Alpine Guides.

One of the great things about traveling in Alaska is all the different planes you see. We flew back from Uyak Bay Lodge with our pilot, Keller Wattum.He spotted this beautifully-restored Boeing Stearman (model D75N1) aircraft flying around above Kodiak.  Earlier in the day, we flew from Kodiak to Uyak Bay Lodge on this Piper Aircraft from Island Air:

Here’s a shot of our pilot, Keller (R), discussing filming logistics for bear-viewing with Scott Slone of Alaska HDTV (L). Keller is flying the deHavilland Beaver (DHC-2) floatplane they use at Uyak Bay Lodge for fishing, hunting, bear-viewing and “eco-trekking”.