The problem was a freakish winter storm that paralyzed the Pacific Northwest beginning on Saturday evening. Snow continued to fall on Sunday night, leading to a pileup of canceled flights, clogged highways and accidents.
Sunday at noon, Alaska Airlines canceled all of its remaining flights back and forth from Anchorage to Seattle and Portland.
Some Alaskans responded by abandoning their Christmas plans.
"It just seems like a lost cause," said Linda Boggs, of Eagle River. She and her husband were trying to get to California for Christmas. But their red-eye flight out of Anchorage on Monday morning was canceled, and they doubted they could get on another flight before Christmas Day.
One Anchorage resident bogged down in Seattle this weekend watched nearly a foot of snow fall on the usually rainy city. He sent an exclamation point-laden e-mail to a reporter on Sunday night. "I have driven 50 years in Alaska and have NEVER seen anything like this. I have never seen so many SUVs stuck, and some even have chains on them," said Ralph Westover in the e-mail.
CANCELLATIONS
Two of the three runways at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were operating, but several airlines canceled scores of flights Saturday and Sunday due to the snowstorm and high winds. At noon, Alaska Airlines canceled 125 flights in and out of the Seattle and Portland airports -- representing about 75 percent of the flights to those cities.
Boggs said Alaska Airline's call-in center was busy all day, and she spent much of Sunday confused about the status of her 1 a.m. flight from Anchorage to Portland. She and her husband planned to continue on from Portland to San Diego, but they already knew that flight had been canceled. It would be "insane" to join other stranded people at the Portland airport, she said.
She eventually received an e-mail from Alaska Airlines explaining that the flight from Anchorage to Portland was canceled. A Web search for available flights before Christmas didn't turn up many options. That's because many flights out of Anchorage to the Lower 48 were already booked solid, until after Christmas Day.
Alaska Airlines was regretful about the cancellations and emphasized that safety was the biggest consideration. "We're hoping we can resume our normal schedule (Monday) morning," said Paul McElroy, an Alaska Airlines spokesman.
"We recognize that many are trying to go home or visit friends," he said.
McElroy did not know yet whether the airline would add extra flights to and from Anchorage later this week to assist travelers trying to get Outside. Alaska is just one of many western states hit hard by the weekend flight cancellations.
Several airlines, including Alaska, urged passengers to rebook flights online rather than clog the airport's ticket counters.
Alaska Airlines said it would waive any change fees and fare or tax increases for passengers who are traveling before Friday and were affected by the weather flight cancellations, unless they tried to rebook after Dec. 29. In that case, they'd have to pay the fees. Those who want to cancel their trips can request a full refund. To make a change to a reservation, call Alaska Airlines at 1-800-252-7522.
SLIPPERY ROADS
Anyone in the Pacific Northwest whose Christmas plans depended on a bus ride or public transportation didn't fare much better than the fliers.
Amtrak canceled train service Sunday between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., and between Seattle and Spokane. Service from Seattle to Los Angeles was still running, but with "extreme delays," Amtrak said in a statement.
Most Pacific Northwest trains were expected to operate today but with significant delays.
A few dozen passengers were stranded at Greyhound's Seattle terminal Sunday, with no buses running, and some people had been there for days. Fed up, some passengers rented cars and braved the slippery roads on their own.
Ketchikan resident Phillip Barton, a 30-year-old diesel mechanic, said he left Florida on Dec. 9 for a 3,754-mile trip to Bellingham, Wash., where he planned to catch a weekly ferry to Alaska. He arrived in Seattle on Tuesday, and said Thursday's snow kept him from making it to Bellingham.
"As soon as I get there, I'll get there," he said. "I don't particularly want to spend Christmas in a Greyhound station."
Find Elizabeth Bluemink online at adn.com/contact/ebluemink or call 257-4317. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Talk to us: Have your family's holiday plans changed because of flight delays? Talk to reporter Julia O'Malley at jomalley@adn.com or call her at 257-4591.
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