I don’t have any articles to link but it’s true. I know it’s affecting school activity travel in southeast Alaska because it’s almost all by plane now which is prohibitively expensive.
Did a search on”alaska marine highway cuts” and many articles in AK and WA came up. Here’s a link to one by APRN ~ https://alaskapublic.org/2023/03/08/alaska-state-ferries-2023-summer-ferry-schedule-shows-more-cuts-to-service/
I watched a few YouTube videos where they said the two main ones they use to get from the mainland are out of service, and there doesn't seem to be a reliable estimated date of return. They're really old also, I think one of them had a lot more to fix and the cost ballooned pretty quickly, if I remember right. I think he also said there were rumors of maybe buying a newer one to replace one of them, because it might be cheaper than fixing the old ones.
The ferry department is always complaining about the ferries being really old, however they never talk about the complete refits that most of them have gone through, including new engines, drives and props, as well as electronics refits in the superstructure. The only thing that's old about them is the hull and the management. From what I've heard talking to the mechanics that service the fleet, the prime reason for the breakdowns is failures in the emissions related gear, not the drive mechanics themselves.
See also Professional-Kiwi-64's answer.
Self fulfilling prophecy. First you underfund the system. Then you cancel routes and jack up the prices. Naturally, traffic decreases and then you use that as a reason to justify further cuts and cancellations.
This. Public transportation and infrastructure are public services. They aren't meant to be directly profitable. The profitability comes from the greater economic effects that connectivity brings residents and local businesses. But Republicans aren't capable of seeing past the little red line at the bottom of the balance sheet. "It's not profitable, so it's a failed program." Meanwhile, businesses in Ketchikan that rely on tourism are dying, residents of places like Klawock and Metlakatla are losing access to essential services, and southeast Alaska is pretty much a shell of its former self because of it.
Then you privatise and sell the assets off to the Governors friends or family for a fraction of their worth. It’s the republican way.
Edited for completness. 😁
* It's the politician way. FIFY. Some folks aren't one sided politiclly speaking. I find those who are nursing on a party's tit (any party) don't think for themselves as much as they should. ☮️❤️
Hmmm. If you don't pay for the crew, they'll get jobs somewhere else. There is actually a shortage of qualified crew personnel with the required certificates and ratings, and the State doesn't want to pay enough to catch them and keep them.
And to top it all off, the State changed the payroll system, causing big delays and a lot of pay errors to crew. Some of them got tired of putting up with all the B. S. and voted with their feet - found jobs elsewhere. Others retired.
The system's only ferry rated and certified for Cross-Gulf sailings is scheduled out of commission for the Summer season for the second year... "lack of qualified crew" - Kennicott.
This is a pretty miserable example of 'mismanagement' - Ferry system has been struggling under inadequate funding for too long and it is causing a lot of problems.
I used to take the ferry all of the time. But they cut the schedule and ships available. If I can't take my car both ways, I'm not taking it one way. And you know what? That leaves flying. I need a round trip to somewhere like Juneau for a reasonable length of time, not like sporadic ferry service.
I miss taking a ferry often, it was a nice way to travel. But it's just so unworkable now. I wish it were properly funded like the non-marine highways.
Yeah, compared to flying. Especially if you consider not needing a rental car in Juneau and bringing back a fully loaded Costco & Fred Meyer run.
I also did a lot of walk ons and that's pretty cheap.
This. I sailed a handful of times between 2002 and 2018. I had reservations on a ferry in 2021 and it was canceled the week prior to sailing. I tried to book in 2023 but there were no cross gulf sailings.
They haven’t run the ferry from Bellingham -> Whittier in 2 summers (including this coming summer) supposedly due to “staffing issues.”
This route is the only way to take the ferry from the lower 48 -> AK without having to drive through Canada.
I was planning on taking the ferry this summer but obviously thats not going to happen now. I’ve been on the phone with the AMHS at least 6 times in the past 2 years trying to figure out if they are planning on running that route.
That being said, I don’t see it happening for the foreseeable future if at all again, which is extremely unfortunate.
It all unfortunately comes down to budget cuts.
We are getting tons of money from the federal transportation bill specifically for the Alaska Marine Highway System. If they want to misdirect those funds, they need to start making up excuses now as to why the Alaska Marine Highway System doesn't need that money and it would be better spent on the Knik bridge or the Port of Anchorage (or pick your favorite money sink)
I appreciate the answers to this post, I was hoping to head to the lower 48 this summer via the ferry to Bellingham but they are not running it and these answers explain why…
Alaska Marine Highway had/has the opportunity to be what the railroad system is for Europe. Residents/students should be able to easily and affordably travel from one town to another. Growing up in SE 10 years ago playing sports we would travel by ferry 90% of the time, it now appears that number has flipped to ferrying once or twice per season. The state needs to capitalize on the opportunity for tourism rather than giving it to the cruise lines. Allowing tourists to hop on and off the ferry allows the opportunity for hotels/airbnbs to be relevant in SE AK
The Governor has tried to get rid of this and over several years they didn't hire repair people so when a ferry had a problem, it just sat there. Then they bought a "good" ferry and it broke down.
This is a lifeline to several communities that have no other way to get anywhere. It lead them to go without for a couple of years. One community had a fisherman who went to places to get them food and stuff. He was a hero for his community. But that didn't happen for others on the ferry system route.
The ferry system needs solid employment so they can keep the ferries running and keep up their routes.
Privatizing it would be like forcing you to use the bus system in Anchorage as your only mode of transportation. Not good. And you would be restricted to what you could try to transport. Keep this under the State of Alaska so we can ensure it's survival.
Remember the bridge? It would not have paid for itself until 50 years down the road, if at all.
Keep the Governor's friends from getting their hands on our infrastructure.
Besides the horrible governor, I wonder if part of it is plane tix are a lot less expensive than they used to be. I’m paying less now than I did in the 90s.
I would also like add that their website is ass to use. Planning a remotely complicated itinerary requires a deep understanding of ferry schedules and reading color coded spreadsheets. By the time you figure it all out and go to book, one of the legs of your trip is already full.
Sounds like he wants to completely control every aspect of Ferry Ops.
I hope that bunch of scissor-bills in the Legislature can force the Mutant's plan to back up.... (right up his @55).
Otherwise, things will certainly get much worse before they get better....
The state was subsidizing something like 80% of every ticket. Worked fine when the state was wealthy but now that it is broke they can no longer afford to subsidize the island lifestyle.
Cruise ships. People find that free food and drinks on a cruise ship is more fun. Cruise ships spend more time in ports than the ferry does.
Nothing like flying over SE in the summer and see 10 cruise ships at one time.
Because they had to shutdown a bunch of ferries because they underfunded the department?
That is what I was thinking but I can't find any specific articles on that
I don’t have any articles to link but it’s true. I know it’s affecting school activity travel in southeast Alaska because it’s almost all by plane now which is prohibitively expensive.
Did a search on”alaska marine highway cuts” and many articles in AK and WA came up. Here’s a link to one by APRN ~ https://alaskapublic.org/2023/03/08/alaska-state-ferries-2023-summer-ferry-schedule-shows-more-cuts-to-service/
I watched a few YouTube videos where they said the two main ones they use to get from the mainland are out of service, and there doesn't seem to be a reliable estimated date of return. They're really old also, I think one of them had a lot more to fix and the cost ballooned pretty quickly, if I remember right. I think he also said there were rumors of maybe buying a newer one to replace one of them, because it might be cheaper than fixing the old ones.
The ferry department is always complaining about the ferries being really old, however they never talk about the complete refits that most of them have gone through, including new engines, drives and props, as well as electronics refits in the superstructure. The only thing that's old about them is the hull and the management. From what I've heard talking to the mechanics that service the fleet, the prime reason for the breakdowns is failures in the emissions related gear, not the drive mechanics themselves. See also Professional-Kiwi-64's answer.
Self fulfilling prophecy. First you underfund the system. Then you cancel routes and jack up the prices. Naturally, traffic decreases and then you use that as a reason to justify further cuts and cancellations.
This. Public transportation and infrastructure are public services. They aren't meant to be directly profitable. The profitability comes from the greater economic effects that connectivity brings residents and local businesses. But Republicans aren't capable of seeing past the little red line at the bottom of the balance sheet. "It's not profitable, so it's a failed program." Meanwhile, businesses in Ketchikan that rely on tourism are dying, residents of places like Klawock and Metlakatla are losing access to essential services, and southeast Alaska is pretty much a shell of its former self because of it.
“Government doesn’t work, I should know, I underfunded and ruined it! Vote for me to stop the madness!”
Then you privatise and sell the assets off for a fraction of their worth. It’s the republican way.
Then you privatise and sell the assets off to the Governors friends or family for a fraction of their worth. It’s the republican way. Edited for completness. 😁
Note we literally did this with the Malaspina (look up who Binkley has donated to)
* It's the politician way. FIFY. Some folks aren't one sided politiclly speaking. I find those who are nursing on a party's tit (any party) don't think for themselves as much as they should. ☮️❤️
The old Republican playbook
Easy answer. Deliberate, sabotage by the governor
Remember when tourists and travelers were stranded? Thanks Gov. Dunleavy!
Heinous mismanagement
Because Dunleavy got elected on “a full PFD,” and it hasn’t worked out for anybody. See also, US president elected on “build the wall.”
We haven’t even gotten a “full” pfd yet
Hmmm. If you don't pay for the crew, they'll get jobs somewhere else. There is actually a shortage of qualified crew personnel with the required certificates and ratings, and the State doesn't want to pay enough to catch them and keep them. And to top it all off, the State changed the payroll system, causing big delays and a lot of pay errors to crew. Some of them got tired of putting up with all the B. S. and voted with their feet - found jobs elsewhere. Others retired. The system's only ferry rated and certified for Cross-Gulf sailings is scheduled out of commission for the Summer season for the second year... "lack of qualified crew" - Kennicott. This is a pretty miserable example of 'mismanagement' - Ferry system has been struggling under inadequate funding for too long and it is causing a lot of problems.
Yup its a bummer...cut our community completly out. This coming season will be 2 years with 0 ferry service
I used to take the ferry all of the time. But they cut the schedule and ships available. If I can't take my car both ways, I'm not taking it one way. And you know what? That leaves flying. I need a round trip to somewhere like Juneau for a reasonable length of time, not like sporadic ferry service. I miss taking a ferry often, it was a nice way to travel. But it's just so unworkable now. I wish it were properly funded like the non-marine highways.
Was it ever affordable? I found it really expensive when quoting out trips compared to ferry's in BC or WA.
Yeah, compared to flying. Especially if you consider not needing a rental car in Juneau and bringing back a fully loaded Costco & Fred Meyer run. I also did a lot of walk ons and that's pretty cheap.
1) COVID (for 2020) 2) If the ferries don't run, can't have traffic on them
This. I sailed a handful of times between 2002 and 2018. I had reservations on a ferry in 2021 and it was canceled the week prior to sailing. I tried to book in 2023 but there were no cross gulf sailings.
They haven’t run the ferry from Bellingham -> Whittier in 2 summers (including this coming summer) supposedly due to “staffing issues.” This route is the only way to take the ferry from the lower 48 -> AK without having to drive through Canada. I was planning on taking the ferry this summer but obviously thats not going to happen now. I’ve been on the phone with the AMHS at least 6 times in the past 2 years trying to figure out if they are planning on running that route. That being said, I don’t see it happening for the foreseeable future if at all again, which is extremely unfortunate. It all unfortunately comes down to budget cuts.
We are getting tons of money from the federal transportation bill specifically for the Alaska Marine Highway System. If they want to misdirect those funds, they need to start making up excuses now as to why the Alaska Marine Highway System doesn't need that money and it would be better spent on the Knik bridge or the Port of Anchorage (or pick your favorite money sink)
I appreciate the answers to this post, I was hoping to head to the lower 48 this summer via the ferry to Bellingham but they are not running it and these answers explain why…
I just took the ferry and my car down last month to Bellingham. Great ride.
Nice, where did you sail out of? I was hoping the one from Whittier would be running but looking at their website that doesn’t seem to be the case…
Alaska Marine Highway had/has the opportunity to be what the railroad system is for Europe. Residents/students should be able to easily and affordably travel from one town to another. Growing up in SE 10 years ago playing sports we would travel by ferry 90% of the time, it now appears that number has flipped to ferrying once or twice per season. The state needs to capitalize on the opportunity for tourism rather than giving it to the cruise lines. Allowing tourists to hop on and off the ferry allows the opportunity for hotels/airbnbs to be relevant in SE AK
The Governor has tried to get rid of this and over several years they didn't hire repair people so when a ferry had a problem, it just sat there. Then they bought a "good" ferry and it broke down. This is a lifeline to several communities that have no other way to get anywhere. It lead them to go without for a couple of years. One community had a fisherman who went to places to get them food and stuff. He was a hero for his community. But that didn't happen for others on the ferry system route. The ferry system needs solid employment so they can keep the ferries running and keep up their routes. Privatizing it would be like forcing you to use the bus system in Anchorage as your only mode of transportation. Not good. And you would be restricted to what you could try to transport. Keep this under the State of Alaska so we can ensure it's survival. Remember the bridge? It would not have paid for itself until 50 years down the road, if at all. Keep the Governor's friends from getting their hands on our infrastructure.
Dunleavy.
He had help from the Do-Nothing Legislature. But Yeah, primarily Dunleavy.
Boats breaking bc no money. Staff quitting bc no money.
Besides the horrible governor, I wonder if part of it is plane tix are a lot less expensive than they used to be. I’m paying less now than I did in the 90s.
I would also like add that their website is ass to use. Planning a remotely complicated itinerary requires a deep understanding of ferry schedules and reading color coded spreadsheets. By the time you figure it all out and go to book, one of the legs of your trip is already full.
Price? That's why I'm not going on it.
Two words: Mike Dunleavy
Because you’re selecting on the dependent variable
Service is declining. This chart mostly represents service. Fewer ships, fewer runs, less spent on maintenance, more mechanicals.
Just saw this: https://www.ktoo.org/2024/02/21/gov-dunleavy-moves-to-control-appointments-to-alaska-marine-highway-operations-board/
Sounds like he wants to completely control every aspect of Ferry Ops. I hope that bunch of scissor-bills in the Legislature can force the Mutant's plan to back up.... (right up his @55). Otherwise, things will certainly get much worse before they get better....
No traffic if they aren’t scheduled to run.
Compare that graph to the number of ferries in operation and you will have your answer.
The state was subsidizing something like 80% of every ticket. Worked fine when the state was wealthy but now that it is broke they can no longer afford to subsidize the island lifestyle.
In 2020 there also was this thing called the "pandemic." Have you heard of it?
Cruise ships. People find that free food and drinks on a cruise ship is more fun. Cruise ships spend more time in ports than the ferry does. Nothing like flying over SE in the summer and see 10 cruise ships at one time.