Alaska Airlines passenger says airline is ‘stranding’ customers at remote airport in the Arctic

‘People informed us we had little chance of getting out today or even in the next few days,’ says shocked customer

The ‘Welcome to Barrow’ sign, complete with decorative whalebones (Getty Images)

Alaska Airlines has been accused of stranding more than 100 passengers at the US’s northernmost airport, 350 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

A customer, who identified himself as Jim, contacted aviation site One Mile at a Time, where blogger Ben Schlappig published his email in full.

Jim writes: “I and three companions are in Barrow Alaska, stranded with I’m guessing close to 100 other people.

“On 25 August, we took a flight on Alaska Air from Anchorage to Barrow Alaska with the intention of returning to Anchorage today [26 August]. Upon arrival in Barrow we discovered the flight we took yesterday was the first flight that had been able to land in Barrow for the last three to four days.

“Many people we talked with in the hotel have been stranded since Monday and informed us we had little chance of getting out today or even in the next few days!”

Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW) is the airport in Barrow, Alaska, which has been formally called Utqiaġvik since 2016.

The US’s northernmost airport, it’s a sought-after stop for both aviation fans (often referred to as avgeeks) and tourists on Arctic tours.

Alaska Airlines is the only airline to fly into or out of the airport, operating a sole Boeing 737 flight from Anchorage to BRW each day.

One Mile at a Time reports that this service was cancelled twice during the prior two weeks - while three times, it took off and flew most of the way to BRW before diverting back to Anchorage.

Meanwhile, the return BRW to Anchorage flight was cancelled six times in the same two weeks to 26 August.

Jim continues his complaint: “Upon further investigation with others in the hotel (including several military employees who are also stranded), we discovered the problem is twofold.

“The airport runways are under construction and, as a result, the radar is out. This results in the necessity of having a much higher requirement for the cloud ceiling — 600ft instead of the 200 usually required if all the ground equipment is functional.

“Last night, as the fog rolled in (as predicted by the Coast Guard employees stranded here), we realised we were in real trouble — we had planned a quick overnight trip, so we have no clothes and a limited supply of medicine.”

Jim says that he and other abandoned passengers called Alaska Airlines on Thursday, adding that the employees did not seem to know anything about radar problems at the airport, and not much about Barrow to start with.

He claimed that they did not seem to know there were no alternative travel options out of Barrow, which is not connected to the rest of the country by road, and “advised us they would be working hard on getting people out”.

Staff members blamed bad weather for the lack of flights, said Jim.

He said the stranded passengers had been kept on standby. “Currently there are no available flights to be booked until Monday 29, so they advised us to be wait listed on the next flight. They claim we cannot be wait listed and also be booked (or protected) on a later flight.”

He said two flights on Thursday 26 August had been cancelled, even though weather appeared to clear later in the day.

Data from Flightradar24 shows multiple flights setting off northwards for Utqiagvik, but circling back round (Flightradar24.com)

On 12 August, local publication the Arctic Sounder reported that Alaska Airlines had made a run of flight cancellations to and from Utqiagvik this summer, with airline spokesperson Tim Thompson confirming that eight passenger flights out of 31 scheduled and seven out of 29 freighter flights had been axed during July.

Mr Thompson said that “the majority of cancellations [were] due to weather,” but residents told the publication that weather conditions had been sunny on several days that flights were cancelled.

“The whole village has been on a cancelled flight or two this summer,” local Mike Monnin told the Arctic Sounder. “We all watch the plane fly by on clear days. It’s utter insanity.”

“Alaska Airline accepts no responsibility for the situation they have created in Barrow. Many tourists came here, as we did, for a quick overnight to see the Arctic Ocean. We are all missing many days of pre-booked and expensive excursions and accommodations,” says Jim in his email summary.

“Had we been informed of the fact that no flights had landed for the past several days, and that radar problems combined with weather would likely result in delays returning, we would never have left Anchorage.

“Had they provided this important information in a travel advisory we would have cancelled our tickets... and we would not be stranded here in a long queue with other people, many of whom have been trying to get out since Monday.”

One Mile at a Time author Ben Schlappig said: “Alaska Airlines absolutely should have some sort of a notice for passengers booked on this flight, warning them about the potential for getting stuck, so that passengers can reconsider travel while this work is ongoing.

“While the airline isn’t at fault for the [runway construction] issues, I absolutely think Alaska Airlines owes it to passengers to provide more warnings about the current situation. This way passengers can make an informed decision about whether or not they want to travel.”

An Alaska Airlines spokesperson said “our highest priority is safety, and we will not operate any flight if there’s a safety concern”.

“Runway construction in Utqiagvik, Alaska (BRW) has caused lower minimums required to land. Our pilots, who complete rigorous Arctic Qualifications to land safely in these locations with challenging environments, attempted multiple flights last week only to have to return to Anchorage due to the minimums.

“The improved weather conditions allowed us to get in and out of BRW late last week. In addition to flights this Monday and Tuesday, we plan on operating the route today – weather permitting.

“Every flight this week has departed with many open seats, meaning that everyone who needed to get to or from Utqiagvik has done so.

“While still always at the mercy of Arctic weather, the Department of Transportation is expected to complete their runway construction in the next two weeks when we’ll be able to return to normal minimum restrictions.”