Alaskan village building $76 million airport – for 100 people

by Scott Carmichael on

The Alaskan village of Akutan is home to 100 permanent residents and 900 seasonal workers. Like many Alaskan communities, Akutan makes its money off seafood production. At the moment, the village is only reachable by a 70 year old sea plane – and they are quickly running out of parts for it.

The solution is a new airport. The facility will transport people on the 20 minute flight to the town of Unalaska where they can connect to other flights. Like most Alaskan transportation services – this route is extremely heavily subsidized.

The new airport will cost a whopping $76 million. The sea plane currently carries 5500 people annually, so some simple math shows that in the first ten years of operation, the tax payers are forking over $1350 for every single passenger using the facility. This doesn’t even include any additional costs of operating the airport (another $500,000 each year).

Larry Cotter, the chief executive of the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association says the following about the airport:

“Some people are probably positing, ‘Oh, it’s another Bridge to Nowhere, except it’s an airport to nowhere. Anybody who says that is really ignorant.”

Well, call me ignorant, but I don’t understand why a village of 100 permanent residents needs a $76 million airport. If the current sea plane is falling apart, wouldn’t the best solution be a new sea plane? Alaska has 256 airports, and even the smallest of them may only serve 40 people – costing millions to build and maintain.

Then again, when you read that Chicago’s O’Hare is spending $6.6 billion on its renovation plan, $76 million seems like a bargain.%Gallery-76818%

Before you leave, be sure to check out Episode 3 of Gadling’s Travel Talk TV! They’re in VEGAS, BABY!

Smoke if you got ’em: Washington DC to OK hotel smoking

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Non-smokers probably won’t be too excited by the news, but cigar smokers will rejoice. The Washington DC City Council passed a measure last week that eases smoking restrictions on hotels in our nation’s capital. The Special Event Exemption Emergency Act of 2010 carries an amendment that offers a way for hotels to be exempted from the city’s smoking ban. If you prefer your hotels sans puffing, there’s no cause for alarm – the rules are pretty narrow.

Hotels will be allowed to host special cigar-smoking events once a year, as long as at least 500 people are in attendance (which means the venue must be large enough to accommodate this number of guests). Also, the hotel will have to notify the Department of Health and pay a $250 fee. Quite simply, it has to be a pretty hefty occasion.

As with any “emergency” measure, you’d be correct to assume that this law was passed with something specific in mind. In this case, it was the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner, organized by the social organization the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Historically, the patron saint of Ireland is toasted with brandy and a cigar.

In Washington DC, most emergency legislation lasts for 90 days, but this measure stretches out for 270, as the council also wanted to protect a charity event called Friday Night Fight, which is held on November 11. Last year, it raised more than $2.8 million for Fight for Children.

2010 Iditarod begins today

by Kraig Becker on

Following the ceremonial start in Anchorage yesterday, the 2010 Iditarod officially begins today with 71 mushers, and their dog sled teams, setting out from Willow, Alaska on a two week long odyssey through some of the most remote and rugged wilderness that North America has to offer. Over the course of the next two weeks, they’ll face challenging weather conditions, endless miles of snow covered trails, and each other, as they race to the finish line in Nome.

Officially known as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the event began back in 1973 as a way to commemorate the famous 1925 race against time in which dogsled teams delivered a diphtheria serum to Nome, saving dozens of lives in the process. Since then, however, it has earned the moniker of “the Last Great Race”, thanks to its incredible length and challenging conditions. The mushers and their teams will cover over 1100 miles on their journey, while dealing with sub-zero temperatures and whiteout conditions.

The odds on favorite to win this year’s race is three time defending champ Lance Mackey, although he’ll be pushed by past champions such as Jeff King and Martin Buser. And should one of these dog sled racing legends falter, there are a host of young racers preparing to leave their mark on the race, such as Dallas Seavey, son of former champ Mitch Seavey. Both father and son, hope to contend this year.

To win the Last Great Race, the competitors will need incredible endurance, perfect strategy, and even a little luck. But most of all they’ll need a great team of dogs. These canine athletes are born and bred for pulling a sled, and they are impressive to watch in action. As such, their safety and health is of the utmost concern, with vets on hand at all checkpoints, and mushers taking great precautions to ensure that their dogs are well cared for.

At 10 AM local time today, the 2010 race will get underway. Expect the winner to cross the finish line in roughly 10 days, with the rest of the teams spread out over the following week. The winner will take home a nice fat check and a new pick-up truck.

Daily Pampering: Roman baths at the Hard Rock Las Vegas

by Melanie Nayer on


The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas is really making some efforts. From the virtual women in the HRH Towers to the hologram pool tables in the penthouse suites, the Hard Rock Las Vegas is working hard to appeal to travelers. But even at the Hard Rock, hard work needs to repaid. Enter: RELIQUARY, Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas’ new spa.

RELIQUARY has 21 treatment rooms including a couples rooms with its own soak tub and shower; two aestheticians rooms; two vicci shower rooms and a party room that can host your, well, party. No doubt the spa’s party room will see endless parades of Bachelor and Bachelorette parties, but for those spa-goers looking for something more traditional, I suggest a soak in the Roman Bath. History tells tales of healing powers from Roman Baths, so why should the Hard Rock’s version be any different? This Roman Bath features private cabana areas, lounge space and typical spa amenities.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Travel Promotion Act signed into law; visitors to U.S. who don’t require visa to be hit with $10 fee

by Aaron Hotfelder on

We’ve given you our skeptical takes on the proposed Travel Promotion Act before (see here and here, for starters), but it appears our complaints have fallen on deaf ears. President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act (TPA) into law earlier today.

What does the new law do, and why are we against it? Well, the TPA establishes a non-profit corporation charged with promoting travel to the United States, and it also creates an Office of Travel Promotion that will be run by the Department of Commerce. Sounds great, right? Until you realize how the act is paid for– by a $10 tax on all visitors to the United States who do not require visas. (We’re lookin’ at you, most of Europe.)

Of course, because the new law does not require any U.S. taxpayer dollars, it was passed with bipartisan support. Apparently the stupidity of taxing visitors to the U.S. in order to encourage them to visit was lost on most of the U.S. Congress.

The European Union– no surprise– is displeased by the new legislation, and is considering retaliating against it by charging U.S. visitors to Europe a $10 fee.

As I’ve noted before, there’s a better, cheaper way to promote foreign travel to the United States:

Add more countries to the Visa Waiver Program. Stop requiring every visitor to the US (except those from the 35 “low-risk” countries already in the program) to go through the hassle, expense, and impossibly long wait that obtaining a visa inevitably entails.

Another skeptical look at the TPA here. A more positive one is here.

Before you go, be sure to check out Gadling’s Travel Talk TV! This week, the guys are in VEGAS!