Boeing has been under increased scrutiny ever since a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in mid-flight.
21.02.2024 - 20:25 / nationalgeographic.com
There’s only one way to arrive by land into Whittier, Alaska: a 2.5-mile-long one-lane tunnel. Once part of a World War II railway, the underpass’ rugged walls remind you that you’re driving straight through a 4,000-foot mountain.
As you drive toward the city’s heart, Alaska’s famed Prince William Sound and a small harbor are on the left. To the right, a massive waterfall cascades down the verdant face of the mountain you just drove through. Looking a mile and a half behind you along the coast, you’ll see a new cruise ship terminal set to open this summer.
“You’re not going to see very many places that have a couple of cruise ship docks, a major railhead, a ferry terminal, and a small boat harbor, with fewer than 300 residents,” says Dave Dickason, mayor of Whittier.
But there’s another side to Whittier that someone just passing through may never see. Most of Whittier’s 280 residents live in the 14-story Begich Towers Incorporated, or “the BTI” to locals, because Alaska Railroad owns most of the land around the city. Built in the late 1950s as a U.S. Army barracks, the peach-colored condo building has its own post office, library, grocery store, and an underground tunnel that leads to the school.
“It’s that feeling of living in a college dorm, but you’re an adult and you don’t have a resident advisor,” says Jamie Loan, the city’s planning and zoning commissioner.
(Visiting Alaska? Here’s what the locals love.)
A growing number of visitors are flocking to this remote seaside town, an hour’s drive south of Anchorage, to trek some of Alaska’s best short-distance hiking trails, including the four-mile jaunt over Portage Pass, and discover the wealth of outdoor recreation tours and activities.
With more than a half million visitors passing through the tunnel each year and a second cruise ship dock already under construction, Whittier’s volunteer-led government is taking measures to preserve the town’s small community.
There are few places in Alaska where travelers can spot more than two dozen glaciers in one day; kayak through the state’s pristine waters; zip into Prince William Sound via Jet Ski, motorboat, or stand-up paddleboard; hike to a waterfall in a temperate rainforest, and sample some of the best fish and chips you’ll get anywhere on the planet.
“If you are looking for a different, wonderfully odd, amazing place to come do some unique stuff, Whittier is a place that, even as somebody who grew up in Alaska, I don’t think I gave enough credit to until I really spent time there,” says Charlie Howard, co-owner of Glacier Jetski Adventures. Whittier’s geographic location, protected waters, and proximity to tidewater glaciers drew him and his wife, Bec, to choose the town as a base of operations
Boeing has been under increased scrutiny ever since a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in mid-flight.
Cruise travel has never been more popular as the industry is expected to achieve record levels in 2024.
Alaska Air Group announced its quarterly financial results would not be as bad as initially expected following a January incident that saw one of its planes lose a door midflight and the subsequent grounding of several aircraft in the carrier’s fleet.
Next month’s total solar eclipse, which will pass directly over a wide swath of North America, is drawing an awful lot of interest from folks who are willing to travel to see it in all its glory. In order to do so, they need to place themselves somewhere along its path of totality—geographic locations from which the sun will appear to be entirely obstructed by the moon’s shadow passing between the Earth and its nearest star.
The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines blowout incident that took place January 5, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Semi-private jet company JSX is offering a luxurious way to see the total solar eclipse next month with a sweepstakes that will give 12 lucky space fans the chance to see the phenomenon from the air for free.
The best Alaska cruise excursions can range from the thrilling to the serene. Passengers can fly on sleds led by huskies, ogle bald eagles and salmon-gobbling grizzlies, and soar over towering glaciers in a helicopter. And the best part? All these activities are planned for you as part of the cruise itinerary—as a way for travelers to sample the diverse wonders of The Last Frontier in one fell swoop.
Delta has become the third major airline over the past two weeks to raise its checked-bag fees.
A trio of passengers who were onboard the Alaska Airlines flight that lost a door plug after take-off are suing plane manufacturer Boeing for negligence.The $1 billion lawsuit was filed on February 20 in Multnomah County, Oregon, according to a press release issued by the passenger’s lawyers. The plaintiffs are Kyle Rinker, Amanda Strickland, and Kevin Kwok.Rinker, Strickland, and Kwok are seeking both compensatory and punitive damages from Boeing, which manufactures the 737 MAX 9 jet that was involved in the incident."As a direct result of the frightful, death-threatening failure of the Boeing aircraft, Mr. Kwok, Mr.
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The best time to cruise Alaska isn't obvious—until you're quietly sailing along its calm waters under a cloudless, late-spring sky. It was on one such day that someone on board spotted a whale breaching. And then again. And again. Within minutes it seemed everyone on board had gathered at the railings on deck to watch. The captain of the ship nimbly repositioned us, giving both the port and starboard sides prime viewing, at a safe and respectful distance from the animals. With binoculars, cameras, and phones at the ready, the passengers and crew aboard UnCruise Adventures' 86-guest S.S. Legacy settled in for what turned out to be an hour-long private show by a juvenile humpback who had migrated from Hawaii to spend the summer in the nutrient-rich Alaskan waters.