Air Travel

The federal government is looking for an airline to serve the small Eastern Aleutian community of King Cove through its Essential Air Service program, which subsidizes airfare in mainly rural communities around the country where it would otherwise be unviable for airlines to provide service.

Aleutian Airways flew its first scheduled Saab 2000 flight to St. Paul on Monday, restoring regularly scheduled passenger service to Anchorage nearly nine months after Ravn Alaska ended its route to the Bering Sea community. Since then, residents have relied on expensive charter flights. Now, after months of delays and uncertainty, residents can finally book a regular commercial flight again.

On Tuesday night, the Unalaska City Council voted unanimously to appoint former Unalaska Fire Chief Abner Hoage as the new interim city manager.

A Washington state jury awarded $16.9 million to the family of a man who died in a 2019 airplane crash on Unalaska’s runway.

The regional airline had been cutting staff and routes nearly from its inception in 2020.

The regional airline announced Tuesday they were suspending air service to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Cold Bay and Sand Point in the Aleutians, effective Aug. 16.

The National Weather Service has ended an aviation warning for the Aleutian Islands issued after a massive eruption at Russia’s Shiveluch Volcano this week produced an ash cloud that drifted over the region.

New regional airline Aleutian Airways touched down at Unalaska’s Tom Madsen Airport on Nov. 16., and with it arrived the hope of more stable and affordable air service to the remote Aleutian Island. The roughly 15 passengers on board Aleutian Airways’ inaugural flight from Anchorage were greeted by a few dozen cheering Unalaskans, including local officials from the city and school district. “It's nice to see change,” said local Karley Parker. “And it's a very welcome change. I'm glad that we have options. It's much needed here in Unalaska, for competition and rates and just getting people off the island.”

Travelers can now book mid-November flights on Aleutian Airways between Anchorage and Unalaska, according to a statement released by the airline Monday morning. Prospective passengers can make reservations online through the company’s website or via local travel agents.

Aleutian Airways plans to start regularly scheduled service between Unalaska and Anchorage next month, according to a statement released by the airline Tuesday morning. Fares for a one-way ticket will start at $659, while a refundable ticket will cost $939. Those fares are about the same as the ones offered by Ravn Alaska — the other airline currently servicing the island. The new regional carrier, which is operated by Sterling Airways, will offer daily flights Monday through Friday, on its Saab 2000 aircraft, which is a high-speed turboprop plane that holds around 50 passengers.