If you were to drive from the MTV headquarters in New York City to my home in Fairbanks , Alaska , it's going to take a long time. If you head through Philadelphia to Chicago , cross the border from Minneapolis into Canadian Winnipeg, from Regina to Edmonton , to Whitehorse , and then back into the US into Alaska ... Mapquest.com estimates that it will take over 73 hours of straight driving with no breaks, and over 4,300 miles traveled. That's 3 days without resting and quite possibly 17 fill-ups at gas stations; for my car, at least (around $1200 in today's fuel prices!). Add meals on top of that, maybe a hotel or two, and the possible visits to repair shacks in case of the unthinkable car breakdown... you've got to have around $2000 to spare, approximately, to drive up here.
When I made my 4th of July weekend plans, I decided that this year I would head to South Carolina to visit family, and Atlanta to visit friends. I managed to rack up a fair amount of Alaska Airlines miles in my travels in my full-time job this year, and decided it was time to cash in.
To preface, Alaska Airlines is the main flagship airlines of Alaska ; nevermind the fact that it's actually based out of Seattle . (Oh, Seattle, we are only considered but a suburb of you in all things corporate from sports teams to other franchises!) Seasonally we get guest stars such as Northwest or Delta to open up a terminal in Fairbanks; but for the most part, we are on our own with Alaska Airlines. While it's been noshed with some reputable awards, there's no denying that it is still... a small airline.
With it being a small airline, the destination cities are rather limited, which makes trips interesting. Compound that with the fact that the fuel-up from Alaska to... well, anywhere... is a tough thing to do, the legs of trips on a Boeing 737 (or a Salmon-37; har har) are much shorter. We work a lot with partner airlines, too, to fill in gaps to some cities.
For me, it was a lot of flying, a lot of stale airport air, a lot of elbows, a lot of frustrated babies with ear pressure issues, and a lot of sighed jealousy as I watched people totter out of airport bars and into their plane drunk as fish (I turn into one of those frustrated babies with ear pressure issues if I drink and fly, actually).
My flight home had several connection flights. I took Charleston to Atlanta to rejoin friends, and then the real trip home began on the 11th. Atlanta to Dallas ! Dallas to Los Angeles ! Los Angeles to Seattle ! Seattle to Fairbanks !
There has GOT to be a better way to travel, here.
I vlogged earlier in the year about presidential travel. Since most political campaigns’ central activities are based east of the Mississippi in this election, travel to the western portion of the country is quite a feat.
Imagine the plane ride that would have to take place for candidates and staff to reach Alaska . The costly price of fuel today heavily impacts the price of your plane ticket. As campaigns run on such tight schedules, the long flight time to different locations will put a dent in planning. For instance, on my way back home, my trek from Atlanta to Fairbanks was 23 hours from when I left the door of my best friend’s apparent to the train station, to when I walked into my home in Fairbanks . Time like that costs campaigns major face time.
It’s not fair, but it’s a factor.
I do have to wonder, though--would a test of presidential prowess be dealing with babies with ear pressure issues on an airplane? It might be good training for Senator Obama and Senator McCain; you know how every presidential administration has its battles with the legislative branch of the United States government. Food for thought, you know...