Alaska Marine Highway System: critical transportation link also serves visitors.

AuthorColby, Nicole A. Bonham
PositionTOURISM

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

For Alaskans who live in the rural outposts that dot the state s coastline, the Alaska Marine Highway System remains a critical link to services and onward transportation. When tourist season arrives, the ferries also provide an unequaled draw for those independent travelers who wish to see the "inside" Alaska, but perhaps not from a large cruise ship deck. The challenge to satisfy both audiences falls to ferry system managers and planners, who strive each year to serve up an array of schedule options, full-featured vessels, and special rates and ridership campaigns.

With the AMHS set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, ferry managers have rolled out a series of new customer-friendly services and upgrades, ranging from a real-time location-tracking website to a new point-of-sale system aboard its vessels.

In turn, ferry planners also continue to manage the challenges of an aging fleet and simultaneously seek to minimize the system's wide loss margin, as costs far outpace system revenue.

System Summary

For the uninitiated, the ferry system last year served 31 Alaska ports, providing year-round service through the Southeast and Southwest regions of the state, as well as to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Bellingham, Wash., according to the system's 2011 "Annual Traffic Volume Report." From an operating standpoint, the system itself is split into two geographic components: Southeast, with seven vessels providing service from Bellingham to Yakutat; and Southwest, with four vessels serving passengers from Cordova to Dutch Harbor.

Aside from its primary passenger service, the ferries serve as a critical freight link to residents and commercial operators across the state. In addition to mail and some household goods, container vans aboard the ferries carry freight both directions--perishable items like meat and dairy products from Washington state and elsewhere in the Lower 48 go north, while fresh Alaska seafood heads south.

At its highest level, the Alaska Marine Highway System is designed to provide basic transportation to Alaska communities--and thereby to serve peripheral needs such as economic development, health care access and social services, according to the state. For some small communities, particularly those without scheduled commercial air service, the regular ferry becomes the focal point of community activity. That role was recently highlighted in a separate report analyzing system-wide status...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT