Aviation Industry

Seasonal air carriers contribute to beefed-up summer schedule

It is starting to feel a lot like summer in Fairbanks, with more flights landing at Fairbanks International Airport.

Small plane with disabled landing gear lands safely

A small airplane with disabled landing gear made an emergency landing at Merrill Field on Thursday, according to the Anchorage Fire Department.

7 airlines plan summer flights to Anchorage

Alaska's largest airport is about to get busier. Officials at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport have announced seven carriers will provide summer seasonal passenger service this year.

FAA seeks Alaska Airlines fine for safety violations

Federal officials are seeking $655,125 in fines against Alaska Airlines and its Horizon Air affiliate for alleged safety violations, including failing to inspect a plane for cracks on time.

Young pilot suffers minor injuries in Knik River crash

A 16-year-old pilot suffered minor injuries when a Piper Super Cub crashed on takeoff Sunday afternoon near the Knik Glacier, authorities say.

State video details aviation's role in Alaska

Alaska transportation officials say the first of a two-part video series details the role of aviation in the state.

NTSB: Several factors likely contributed to fatal plane crash

A husband and wife who died in a Juneau plane crash last summer were trying to make a connection to a commercial flight, according to a report on the accident released today.

Air taxi makes emergency landing at Dillingham airport

An air taxi with four people on board was forced to make an emergency landing at the Dillingham airport when its front landing gear failed to move down.

2 rescued unhurt from plane down on Knik Glacier

An Alaska Air National Guard crew has swooped in by helicopter and rescued two people from a light plane down on Knik Glacier.

Broken toilets strand 262 plane passengers for two days

Hundreds of United Airlines passengers left San Francisco on Sunday expecting a 13-hour flight to Shanghai. Instead they found themselves stranded in Anchorage for two frustrating days.

2 injured in crash of small plane in Southeast

The Coast Guard says two people were injured in the crash of a small plane off Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska.

Alert level is raised for Cook Inlet volcano

Increased earthquake activity has prompted scientists to raise the alert level for Iliamna Volcano on lower Cook Inlet.

Alaska Volcano Observatory website

Plane lands safely in Point Hope after engine catches fire

An Era Alaska flight operated by Hageland Aviation Services out of Kotzebue was on its final descent into Point Hope on Wednesday morning about 11:40 a.m. when a passenger noticed that the right engine had caught fire.

Coast Guard dismisses case against copter crash survivor

The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday dismissed negligent homicide and other charges against the sole survivor of a 2010 helicopter crash off the Washington coast. The decision in the case of Lt. Lance Leone was in line with the recommendations of an investigating officer.

Sitka commander was ready to drop charges against co-pilot

Air ambulance slides off Anchorage runway

A LifeMed Learjet carrying a patient skidded off a runway after encountering icy conditions on its descent into Ted Stevens International Airport Monday night, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. No injuries were reported.

Alaska Air Group pays bonuses to employees

Alaska Air Group paid almost $54 million in annual bonuses Wednesday to nearly all of its 12,800 employees for exceeding the company's 2011 operational and financial goals.

Alaska Air Group pays $54 million in employee bonuses

Alaska Air Group paid almost $54 million in annual bonuses Wednesday to nearly all of its 12,800 employees for exceeding the company's 2011 operational and financial goals.

2012 ALASKA LEGISLATURE

Lawmaker who rejects airport pat-downs challenges TSA rules

State Rep. Sharon Cissna made national headlines a year ago when she refused an airport security pat down in Seattle and said she'll never go through an invasive check again. Now the Anchorage Democrat is pushing a package of four bills in an attempt to reform airport security across Alaska.

Murkowski tells lawmakers, 'ANWR will happen' -- but not soon

Senate passes bill requiring insurance coverage for autism treatments

More Legislature coverage

Floatplane hits rock, sinks near Kodiak; 3 aboard OK

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator says a floatplane sank after hitting a rock during a takeoff run near Kodiak.

Small plane flips on landing at Lake Hood

Three people walked away with minor injuries after a small plane crashed while landing at an airstrip at Lake Hood in Anchorage.

Alaska Airlines chief Tilden will replace Ayer as corporate CEO

Alaska Air Group said today that Bill Ayer, who has been with the company for 30 years and CEO for a decade, is retiring and will be replaced by Brad Tilden, president of its Alaska Airlines subsidiary.

FAA bill speeds switch to GPS for airliners

After five years of legislative struggling, 23 stopgap measures and a two-week shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration, Congress finally has passed a bill aimed at prodding the nation's aviation system into a new high-tech era in which satellites are central to air traffic control and piloted planes share the skies with unmanned drones.

Rural Alaska air travel subsidies survive budget cuts

Subsidies for rural Alaska air travel survived the cost cutting talk as Congress passed a four-year funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday after years of dispute.

FAA bill speeds switch to GPS for airliners

JULIA O'MALLEY

O'Malley: There will always be prayers at 30,000 feet

If nothing else, the Bible is literature that contemplates essential human themes: creation and death, loss and forgiveness. I don't mind thinking about those when I'm 30,000 feet above the earth in a metal tube powered by highly flammable gas.

Alaska Air 4Q profit below expectations as fuel costs jump

Alaska Air Group Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income dipped, to below analyst expectations, as fuel costs soared 31 percent.

Alaska Airlines to stop issuing prayer cards to passengers

Alaska Airlines is ending decades of giving passengers prayer cards with their meals, saying today it heard from customers who preferred not to mix religion with transportation.

Alaska Air to stop issuing prayer cards to passengers

It's bring-your-own-prayer time on Alaska Airlines. The carrier has announced that on Feb. 1 it will stop handing out prayer cards with meals. If you don't fly first-class, you might not know that the cards are still given to passengers up front. (Insert joke here about first-class passengers being more valuable to the airline.)

Alaska Air cancels flights as storm blasts Pacific Northwest

A powerful Pacific Northwest storm temporarily shut down Seattle's airport Thursday. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air canceled 310 flights to and from Seattle, and Alaska Air said it is canceling at least 50 flights today.

Alaska Air cancels flights as snow falls in Seattle, Portland

Alaska Airlines has canceled almost 50 flights into and out of snowy Seattle and Portland, Ore., today, and more cancellations could be coming. The airline waived rebooking fees for travel Tuesday through Thursday in those cities.

Photos: Snowstorm batters Pacific Northwest

INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS

Charter company's new jet can fly to Hawaii

Security Aviation, a Part 135 charter operator located in Anchorage, announced recently that it has added an eighth aircraft to its fleet.