Travel News - Alaska Airports offers incentives to increase Asia service

From KTUU: (http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10468667&nav=menu510_2)


Airports offers incentives to increase Asia service

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- For the first time in Alaska the state's international airports are offering an incentive to airlines to increase passenger travel from Asia.

And it wouldn't have happened if the 23 signatory airlines that already land in Alaska didn't sign off on the idea.

Even with more than 5 million passengers coming and going from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, officials say passenger travel from Asia has declined in recent years.

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So now the Alaska International Airport System (AIAS) is offering airlines an incentive to bring more frequent passenger travel from Asia to Anchorage and Fairbanks.

"It's a new thing for us here in our International Airport System, but it isn't uncommon at all, it's very common," Klein said.

According the public notice, in exchange for expanding round-trip, non-stop passenger service by at least one flight a week for 12 straight months, an airline would get up to $1 million in discounts on landing fees, gate fees and fuel flowage fees.

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Wonder if this will stir much interest- Who else would want to have 1x weekly service to either ANC or FAI? (I know my dream would be to have AS run this with a tech in ADK - possible with their ETOPS 738's, but the article mentioned it would need to be nonstop... :p) So it'd be theoretically possible if AS acquired an AQ 73G... as alaskaair.com (http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/company/Fleet/Fleet.asp) lists its range at 3752 miles...

So if not AS... then who?

So if not AS... then who?
No one. ANC used to see the traffic because the planes needed to stop along the way. Now they don't and there is no value in them doing so as a one-stop to a destination that actually has demand.

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So if not AS... then who?
No one. ANC used to see the traffic because the planes needed to stop along the way. Now they don't and there is no value in them doing so as a one-stop to a destination that actually has demand.

I know that AS was the gateway to Asia for years-

It sounds like ANC had greater service even 2-4 years ago... So there could be some demand- after all we do have strong Asian populations in the area who like to visit 'home'

No one. ANC used to see the traffic because the planes needed to stop along the way. Now they don't and there is no value in them doing so as a one-stop to a destination that actually has demand.

From: Alaska Journal of Commerce (http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/091109/bus_2_001.shtml)

State offers Asian airline $1M incentive to stay

By Rob Stapleton
Alaska Journal of Commerce

The state airport system has given China Airlines a $1 million "incentive" to keep flying passengers to the state.

<snip>

Taipei-based China Air accepted the offer to add one flight weekly to its three weekly winter flight schedule only days after the incentive was announced for the carrier. This comes after China Air indicated last fall that it would stop flying to the Anchorage airport.

<snip>

The state airport system, under the Knowles administration, offered $1 million paid from the state's general fund to any carrier that would provide year-round service from Tokyo to Anchorage. No one, including Northwest Airlines, which at the time offered seasonal direct service from Anchorage to Narita airport near Toyko, ever applied to receive the funding.

<snip>

Kathy Smith, chairman of the Airline Airport Affairs Committee and the director of airport affairs for Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, said her company is in favor of the program.

"We think the airport is doing a fine job by offering this incentive, which is an excellent program that adds one flight a week for year-round service and waives all of the participating airline's fees," said Smith.



So they did get a winner after all :p

Interesting comments by AS... that they are in favor of the program... wonder if any codesharing would occur? AS has lots of Skyteam partners, as does CI... hmm :D

After all... AS could be quite the feeder for any connecting traffic intra-AK... especially ANC-FAI ;)

best way to boost ANC-Asia flights would be to make AND/FAI the foreign trade zone of air travel. Make them exempt from 5th Freedom & Bi-lateral agreements. This should spur interest even without the cash incentives.

...since most FN's dont want to go through the ridiculous TSA and US customs overkill that has existed since 9/11. Incentives aren't gonna help a bit.

No one. ANC used to see the traffic because the planes needed to stop along the way.
And in cases such as CX's usage of ANC on the YYZ route in the past, visiting Alaska through this mean was not allowed. The only ones who could get out of the airport and into landside were the cabin crews as there is a crew change in between the two legs.

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...since most FN's dont want to go through the ridiculous TSA and US customs overkill that has existed since 9/11. Incentives aren't gonna help a bit.

Well there are still quite a few visiting Alaska in the winter by the planeload from Japan :p