Hey Ketchikanite.. (Anchorage, Yakutat, Gustavus: hotels, house, inspection)

[Arktikos]

Do you know if 40-60 knot winds from SE, forecast for Friday AM to afternoon in KTN area, could be sufficient for delaying or cancelling Alaska Air flights?

[ketchikanite]

I looked at that warning. I don’t think they’ll issue blanket flight cancellations. However if gusts are approaching anything to close to 60 mph you may see individual flight flyovers. It just depends on what the winds are doing as they come through the narrows. When I worked at AK Air in KTN we saw a number of flights on approach pull back up and either fly around or just cancel the landing. It can be very tricky winds coming through there at times.

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwaca...98587217f13628

[Arktikos]

OK, thanks.

[Northrick]

One time I was heading south to Ketchikan on AK Air and ended up in Seattle.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Northrick

One time I was heading south to Ketchikan on AK Air and ended up in Seattle.

I don't care to recall how many times I've ended up repeating the entire "milk run" between Anchorage and SeaTac just trying to get off in Ketchikan or Juneau! Always seems to happen when I sit next to someone with a snarling lapdog or yowling cat under their seat.

[ketchikanite]

Originally Posted by Northrick

One time I was heading south to Ketchikan on AK Air and ended up in Seattle.

Working for Alaska Airlines we had flight benefits. Fly for free on stand by. It didn’t take much for your well laid plans to go up in smoke. A couple of days of weather delayed flights to Ketchikan left me and my three kids stranded in Anchorage for 2 days and then another day in Juneau. All. We wanted to do was fly from SEA to KTN.

[Alaskan Mutt]

Originally Posted by ketchikanite

Working for Alaska Airlines we had flight benefits. Fly for free on stand by. It didn’t take much for your well laid plans to go up in smoke. A couple of days of weather delayed flights to Ketchikan left me and my three kids stranded in Anchorage for 2 days and then another day in Juneau. All. We wanted to do was fly from SEA to KTN.

The last time I rode the milk-run from SEA to ANC I remember as were about land at Sitka they made an announcement saying all non-rev passengers were being bumped off at Sitka. Then after 3 attempts to land at Juneau we overflew and continued on to ANC. Sitting in a completely full 737 for 9 hours was not my idea of fun.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by ketchikanite

Working for Alaska Airlines we had flight benefits. Fly for free on stand by. ..

My wife is on 60 this AM, flying non rev. They should be on approach now into KTN. Current weather is:

Wind Speed SE 25 G 43 mph

[Arktikos]

The flight tracker feature on AS flight status is pretty cool. It currently shows flight 60 at 27,000 ft, gaining altitude and speed. Looks like an overfly.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Alaskan Mutt

The last time I rode the milk-run from SEA to ANC I remember as were about land at Sitka they made an announcement saying all non-rev passengers were being bumped off at Sitka. Then after 3 attempts to land at Juneau we overflew and continued on to ANC. Sitting in a completely full 737 for 9 hours was not my idea of fun.

My most memorable milk run happened on a work trip. I worked for the NPS and lived in Gustavus (25 minute air taxi flight from Juneau). I officiated at some public meetings down in Seattle and had to haul a couple of copier paper boxes of documents and printed handouts, a big portfolio of tabletop display boards, a folding easel as well as my own luggage. Meeting went off OK and I got back on the milk run to Juneau. There were a couple of fellow Gustavusites on the flight. It was shortly after 9/11 so security was even more hyped up than it is now. Passengers were randomly selected for a more extensive individual search of person and luggage. Lucky, lucky me. At that time they didn't have the fancier scanning equipment for luggage so you had to open everything up for inspection.

Juneau was socked in, but iffy enough that they couldn't predict whether they'd actually land until they were on approach. Then they'd power up and overfly. The jet proceeded to stop everywhere but Juneau over the next three days. SeaTac, Ketchikan, Sitka, Yakutat, Anchorage. Normally I don't mind the milk run. Sometimes we were required to deplane, retrieve checked luggage and try to find someplace to spend longer layovers (the flight was full, so a planeload of people swamped the cabs, shuttles and hotels), sometimes we could sit in the terminals. I have memories of dragging all that c&*$ through several terminals, in and out of taxis, through hotels over and over again as they wouldn't store it in the baggage area. I remember running (with baggage) trying to catch the last evening ferry run to Ketchikan as they wouldn't let anyone sleep in the terminal. Because "my number" had come up for the random search, every time we deplaned I got searched again. Over and over and over. This was the flight I ended up sitting next to a crabby old lady travelling with an equally surly Pomeranian in a carryon. The dog was understandably stressed out and lunged snarling at anyone who came close to its carrier. The woman never said a civil word to anyone including the poor dog.

To add insult to injury, the flightpath took us right over Gustavus. It was clear as a bell every time. I could give my house a sad little wave as we went over it. Alaska Air flies into Gustavus every summer but could they land this flight and let the couple of us who were trying to get home off? Of course not!