In March, the Bethel City Council requested a federal service needs assessment for air travel. They wanted to see if the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta had adequate passenger flight service. As the regional hub, the entire region depends on Bethel’s air transit for many health care needs and access.
Currently, Bethel has 14 nonstop trips weekly to Anchorage. Many were hoping to get a third daily flight. The U.S. Department Of Transportation is responsible for deciding what minimum number of flights and type of aircraft are sufficient to qualify for the federal Essential Air Service subsidy.
The U.S. Department of Transportation responded with an assessment. While there won’t be more flights, they said that Alaska Airlines has understood that the root concern is the inability to make a day trip to Anchorage without having to stay overnight and pay for a hotel.
To open up the possibility of day trips, on Tuesdays, Bethel’s morning Alaska Airlines flight will be earlier on the fall schedule. Flights will depart from Bethel on 6:45 a.m. on Tuesdays, starting on Sept. 12, 2023.
In 1980, The DOT determined that Bethel needed 16 weekly roundtrip flights during peak season and 14 during off season. When the City of Bethel submitted its service needs request, it pointed out that the population in the region is more than 50% higher than it was in 1980.
The U.S. Department of Transportation responded that during that time the planes were smaller and flights weren’t always nonstop to a hub. They also pointed out that since adopting larger aircraft in 2007, there have been many more available seats than there were 20 years ago.
