New reporting reveals that Alaska rural air carriers may be forced to hike fares and slash service for Alaskans thanks to soaring jet fuel prices resulting from the Sullivan-supported war in Iran. The report is a searing indictment of Dan Sullivan’s failure in leadership as Alaskans are squeezed by high prices.
“While Self-Serving Sullivan writes hollow letters to hide his lack of leadership, his price-hiking agenda is driving up the cost of the air travel rural Alaskans rely on and the fuel they need to survive,” said Alaska Democratic Party Chair Eric Croft. “Alaskans deserve better, and in November, they’ll retire Sullivan and elect a senator who actually fights for our state.”
As Alaska rural air carriers warn they may be forced to hike fares and cut service amid soaring fuel costs, and local leaders decry the fuel price crisis as “apocalyptic” for rural Alaskans, Sullivan has brushed off high energy prices as “externalities.” His entire record of action on this urgent issue, per his own office, amounts to one thing: Sullivan “sent a letter.“
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska air carriers warn of price hikes, service cuts amid surging fuel costs without federal intervention
Alaska’s rural air carriers say soaring fuel prices could result in reduced services or increased prices unless federal officials step in and help offset the unexpected expense.
Some companies, including Alaska Airlines, Ryan Air and Alaska Seaplanes, have already increased prices amid a jump in fuel prices caused by the war with Iran.
But the Alaska Air Carriers Association said in a Tuesday letter to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski that more companies could soon be forced to “absorb unsustainable losses” or pass along the jolt to customers through “service reductions or sharply higher costs for the communities they serve,” without intervention from the federal government.
Jet fuel prices, according to the association, have sharply risen in recent months from the mid-$2-per-gallon range to around $4.75 per gallon last month. The type of fuel used by piston-engine aircraft, which carriers rely on to reach Alaska’s rural communities, has also seen jumps in cost.
###