ANCHORAGE — Leaving Anchorage for the Lower 48 will be a challenge this week for anyone who doesn’t hold a ticket.
Travel agencies confirm that flights to Seattle were booked as of Wednesday night. Seats also were unavailable to Minneapolis or Chicago.
Industry analyst Terry Trippler says travelers who need to leave should keep checking schedules and consider flying standby.
A scarcity of seats on flights out of Anchorage during the holiday season is a regular occurrence.
Many Alaskans book holiday trips early or fly out on a quiet day, such as Christmas Eve.
The annual squeeze may have worsened this year because United Airlines pulled all of its flights between Anchorage and the Lower 48.