Legislature(2001 - 2002)
03/05/2002 01:37 PM Senate TRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HJR 37-ALASKA AIRLINES 70TH ANNIVERSARY
CHAIRMAN COWDERY announced HJR 37 as the next bill before the
th
committee. He said it congratulated Alaska Airlines on it's 70
anniversary.
MS. JUDY OHMER, staff to Representative Pete Kott, explained HJR
37 is a congratulatory resolution to honor Alaska Airlines on its
th
70 year of service to Alaska. It has been a vital part to the
states development, critical to the economy by moving its goods
and people and services. One of the words they are hearing now
is connectivity and it is usually used when referring to computer
kinds of things, but it also can refer to Alaska Airlines because
it has connected the communities in the remote and rural parts in
Alaska to the other places within the state, to the Lower 48 and
even to some of the international destinations they fly to today.
MS. OHMER said Alaska Airlines has an impressive history.
· It started off as a single engine three passenger Stinson
with one destination and has grown into a fleet of jets with
over 80 destinations.
· It was critical to the construction of the Alaska Trans
Alaska Pipeline. It hauled supplies, workers, and
equipment.
· It was involved in the Berlin Airlift right after World War
II.
· It was a major part of Operation Magic Carpet that started
on Christmas Eve 1948. That operation returned over 40,000
Yemenite Jews to the Homeland in Israel. There was a legend
they would be returned to their homeland on the wings of
Eagles. Alaska Airlines painted Eagles over the doorways of
those planes, fulfilling the legend of the Jewish people.
History shows Alaska Airlines to be a pioneer in the emerging
technologies and in developing a superior level of customer
service. They lead in improving technologies, equipment and
practices. They were the first airline using the Global
Positioning System (GPS) and Heads Up Guidance System. They were
the first airline in the world to use the Internet to book travel
and to sell tickets. They were the first ever to use electronic
tickets and electronic check-ins. They were landing jets on
gravel runways in Senator Taylor's district, Petersburg.
Alaska Airlines has always distinguished itself in outstanding
service. Alaska Airlines has name brand recognition like
Starbucks coffee or Nordstrom or Eddy Bauer. When they say
Alaska Airlines it means something in the industry.
Histories of commercial aviation always include a section on how
an obscure little airline in Alaska's hinterlands survived and
thrived when the once proud giants like Pan Am have disappeared.
The reason is the grit and determination of the people of Alaska
Airlines. The spirit of Alaska Airlines and the people of Alaska
Airlines mirror the spirit of the people of the state for which
it is named. It is a place where "can do" and "neighbor helping
neighbor" are just facts of life. There is a commitment to
integrity, caring, resourcefulness, professionalism and spirit.
Alaska Airlines is full of colorful stories of the legends and
the heroes throughout its history.
Alaska Airlines was creative. One of their pilots, Bob McGuire,
was forced to land in enemy territory when he ran out of fuel
during Operation Magic Carpet. He radioed for ambulances saying
his passengers had smallpox and needed to be taken to the
hospital because there had been a threat they were going to kill
all the Jewish people aboard and the crew as well. When the
Arabs found they had an epidemic of smallpox aboard they refueled
the plane and got it back in the air as fast as they could,
thanks to the quick thinking of Bob McGuire.
Alaska Airlines was also courageous. A cargo ship named
Patterson wrecked on an inaccessible beach off of Cape
Fairweather. Navy planes and Coast Guard cutters couldn't get in
to save the people. As two weeks went by it was getting pretty
grim on the shores waiting for rescue but the waters and the
weather wouldn't let people in. Alaska Airlines pilot, Shell
Simmons, acted on his own just three months after he had been in
an air wreck and had repeatedly dove underwater to free and save
a passenger. He bore the scars incurred during that wreck until
his dying day. Shell Simmons took it upon himself to go in and
drop off a trapper to walk the people 15 miles down the beach and
he flew back out with the two sickest people. His actions saved
the beached crew.
Alaska Airlines is caring. She had an experience in June 2001
when she stood in front of an Alaska Airlines/Northwest Airlines
ticket counter in Minneapolis. There had been a family tragedy
in Anchorage and she needed to get her ticket changed and return
to Anchorage quickly. They made the change with no charge to her
and graciously offered her first class service.
Alaska Airline pilots are skilled. They have the necessary
talents to fly in the extreme weather conditions in Alaska. The
pilots have at times needed to evade bullets, such as in the
Berlin Airlift and the Magic Carpet Program. They were chosen by
Delta Airlines to fly the Olympic Torch into Juneau with their
president aboard. Their website features living legends and old
time legends that are fun to look into.
MS. OHMER explained HJR 37 has a zero fiscal note. A question
could be raised why this was being presented as a House Joint
Resolution instead of a citation but it seemed this was the most
significant and symbolic way they could acknowledge their
appreciation to Alaska Airlines for its service to the state.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked her to make her testimony available to the
committee so they can share it. He commended her on the
presentation.
SENATOR WARD moved HJR 37 out of committee.
SENATOR TAYLOR said he had an amendment that would probably start
at about page 1, line 11.
Whereas Alaska Airlines was on the verge of
bankruptcy when the federal government decided to
withdraw Western Airlines' authority to fly a scheduled
route into Southeastern Alaska.
And whereas the federal government granted Alaska
Airlines the exclusive monopoly to serve Southeast
Alaska and provided through the Essential Air Service
Act millions of dollars of annual subsidy to Alaska
Airlines for this route.
Whereas Alaska Airlines was able to significantly
increase fares and coupled with the federal subsidy
they not only recovered from the verge of bankruptcy
but became one of the most profitable carriers in the
world.
And whereas Alaska Airlines now has one of the
most modern fleets in the world and because of the
profit derived from the Southeast route and the
continuing federal subsidy, which was just increased by
Senator Stevens to 3.5 million dollars annually.
And whereas Alaska Airlines has used its
profitable Alaskan operations to subsidize its invasion
into markets in California, Denver, Chicago, Washington
DC and specifically other areas serviced by Southwest
Airlines.
And whereas a round trip ticket from the federally
subsidized communities of Cordova, Yakutat, Wrangell,
Petersburg and Gustavus has for the last four years
cost over $800 per person but to fly twice as far from
Seattle to Oakland California, that Alaska Airlines
passenger only pays $118 round trip or less. In fact
it was as low as $39 per fare going out of Seattle on a
400 series into Oakland or San Francisco one way. They
were trying to bust Southwest, and it was so cheap that
it was cheaper to fly on Alaska Airlines than it was to
take the Greyhound Bus.
Whereas Senator Ted Stevens announced the new
increase in federal subsidy and stated, "This will
insure reasonable airfares for the federally subsidized
communities of Southeast Alaska."
I'm not prepared to congratulate them until I
understand how Senator Steven's words are going to be
carried out in their fare structure for my
constituents.
SENATOR ELTON said to get straight to the heart of what Senator
Taylor was saying and the issue of staff work. He thought he got
the wrong pen. He thought it belonged to Senator Taylor because
his pen said watch out for the grumpsickle.
SENATOR TAYLOR said maybe Senator Elton's people were not
grumping, but they ought to try paying $883 for a round trip
airfare at the counter in Wrangell because a family member is
sick in Seattle. He said maybe they ought to try that for about
four years and see what the people in Juneau have to say.
SENATOR ELTON said Juneau pays high fares also. Not as high as
Wrangell but Juneau pays high, certainly higher than Anchorage
and Fairbanks.
SENATOR TAYLOR said isn't that funny, Wrangell is almost 150
miles closer to Seattle.
SENATOR TAYLOR said he made that as an amendment.
SENATOR WILKEN made an objection.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked if there was an objection to the
amendment.
SENATOR WARD said he moved HJR 37 out of committee.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY said they had an objection.
SENATOR WARD said he was moving it on to the Rules Committee.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked Senator Wilken if he wanted to speak to
the objection.
SENATOR WILKEN said he just didn't agree with the amendment.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked for a roll call vote.
Senator Ward and Senator Taylor voted for the amendment. Senator
Elton, Senator Wilken and Chairman Cowdery voted against the
amendment.
SENATOR WARD moved HJR 37 out of committee with accompanying zero
fiscal note and individual recommendations.
SENATOR ELTON objected for a comment. He thought the one whereas
missing that was important to many of their constituents was the
mileage plan. He thought it was something people might want to
fix in a future committee of referral.
SENATOR WARD said former Representative Terry Martin wants
mileage to come back to the state.
SENATOR ELTON removed his objection.
SENATOR TAYLOR said he maintained his objection until there was
something in this resolution that talks about what had happened
to his constituents during this period of time.
There's not one of us down there that don't love the
Alaska Airlines crew and people that we work with in
our community. There are some fantastic folks. And I
extend that to all the pilots and crew that we've had
the wonderful experience of riding with and I
complement Judy, she was born and raised in this thing
and I practically was.
But the attitude from the time they left this state and
moved to Seattle has not been an Alaskan attitude and
if there was a way I could take that name off that
airplane and take that smiling Eskimo off that tail I'd
do so in a heartbeat. Because I personally am really,
really tired of watching my constituents pay almost a
dollar a mile when you can fly out of Seattle today to
Europe for two - three hundred bucks.
We can fly - all my friends out of Anchorage just can't
understand how come it costs me so much to be a
legislator each year. Every time they have a meeting
in Anchorage it's a $600 and some dollar airfare for me
to get there. They drive across town. Every time I
have to go to a meeting down south add $800 and some
bucks to it if they didn't call in time because I
couldn't go get a supersaver or I couldn't go do a
soopty-whoopty deal because there weren't enough seats
left on the airplane, right.
You ought to plan a vacation out of any of the
communities that I represent. You better start calling
in advance about four to five months if your going to
try to use a supersaver or try to use any one of the
benefits that they wantonly give away to any turnip
truck guy that walks up in Seattle, Washington 'cause
their so hungry to get his business to fly him to - to
California on a subsidized flight that they're losing
money on.
At what point in time do we as a state have a right to
standup and say enough is enough? We understand that
you're working off of a corporate bottom line and you
don't give a damn about the people of the State of
Alaska but you don't have to carry our name anymore and
we don't have to keep selling your product for you
unless you're going to start treating us just half as
fair as you're treating that new passenger walking on
in Seattle that wants to go to California.
And they were giving out those little gold ingots,
remember that one? The gold was costing them more than
the ticket was into San Francisco. That's the volume
of money they were losing for the first three years of
operation down there. And where do you think the money
came from? It came out of the back pockets of working
people all over Southeast Alaska that were paying for
it. And I know there's no morality in the market place
but to congratulate them for the manner in which they
treated the people of my district is beyond anything I
can allow to just let go by.
I've had the opportunity and I appreciate it very much
Mr. Chairman, a chance to vent some of these
frustrations, but I can guarantee you I speak for the
vast majority of the people that have no other choice.
We laugh when the plane lands and they say thank you
for flying Alaska Airlines. We don't have a blooming
choice. We've never had Delta coming in as Juneau did
or as Fairbanks has had. We don't get relief from
those carriers. We didn't have MarkAir.
So as a consequence I wanted to make those statements
on the record. My amendment is there if anybody wishes
to ever read this record but I can't vote to do this.
SENATOR ELTON said he did not think what Senator Taylor was
talking about are unusual frustrations. He wanted to take the
opportunity to thank Alaska Airlines for two things that have
been incredibly important to his community.
· The first is constituent fares that help Alaskans get to
Juneau more cheaply than they otherwise would be able to.
· The way they worked with Juneau and the Juneau Assembly in
the development of something that Judy Ohmer mentioned
briefly but has had a tremendous impact and that is the GPS
system. It allows more flights to get in more often and get
in on time. It has made an incredible amount of difference
between the number of over flights they used to have and the
number of over flights they now have. They not only worked
on a system that had never been used elsewhere or by any
other airline, they also had an incredible training program
to teach the pilots in the cockpit how to use it. It has
been an incredible experience for our community.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY said they had an objection to moving the
resolution. He asked for a roll call.
Senator Wilken, Senator Elton, Senator Ward and Chairman Cowdery
voted for moving HJR 37 from committee. Senator Taylor voted
against moving HJR 37 from committee. The motion carried.
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