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Departure Airport: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC/PANC) 
Arrival Airport: Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW/PABR)
Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8
Airline: Alaska Airlines
Flight Time: 1:37
Server: Expert
I got to Anchorage’s South Terminal about 90 minutes before my scheduled departure of 1:00 PM. I didn’t have any bags to check, so I was able to proceed right through TSA which took all of 5 minutes. Anchorage is not a huge airport, so it didn’t take long for me to find my gate, where a handful of other passengers were already waiting for our flight to the northernmost airport in the United States. Boarding commenced around 12:20, and we were all loaded into busses and brought to a remote stand in no particular order.
After settling into my seat, the main door was closed. Our flight was only about a quarter full, and I had an entire row to myself, just behind the right wing. The captain made his announcement shortly before we pushed back. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you on board Alaska Airlines flight 51 with service to Utqiaġvik. Our computer is showing about 1 and a half hours en route, with a bit of a headwind. I would expect a few bumps on the climb out and some more on our approach, but I should be able to get that seatbelt sign off once we get to our cruising altitude of 32,000 feet. As always, even if the seatbelt sign is off, please make sure your seatbelt is fastened when you’re not up and about in case we do encounter unexpected rough air. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this 1 and a half hour ride up to Utqiaġvik.”
We had a very short taxi out to Runway 33, and we were soon blasting out over Goose Bay, setting course due North.
Shortly after leveling off over Denali National Park, not far from Mount Denali (North America’s highest peak), the snack and beverage service began. I got some of Alaskan’s famous Boxed Water, but decided not to buy any food, given the fact that I had some food from the airport to snack on.
The scenery got a little more bland as we drew farther north, so I decided to spend $8 for access to Alaska’s WiFi. This was a mistake, apparently - the coverage was extremely spotty, and I couldn’t even load the Mail app on my phone, much less watch a movie. I wasn’t too surprised, given how remote our flight was at the moment, but it was still a bit disappointing.
As we entered Alaska’s North Slope Borough, we began our descent into Utqiaġvik, and the flight crew, this time the First Officer, hopped on the PA. "As you may have noticed, we are beginning our approach into Utqiaġvik, Alaska. The weather at the airfield is 28 degrees Fahrenheit, with mostly clear skies and winds from the East around 15 miles an hour. I do expect a few bumps as we make our way down to land, so please do make sure that your seatbelt is securely fastened across your lap. We should have you on the ground in a little over 20 minutes.
Just as predicted, we did encounter some rough air on the arrival, especially passing down below 20,000 feet. Luckily, the scenery more than made up for it.
We briefly dipped out over the Arctic Ocean on base. As far as I know, Utqiaġvik is the only airport in the nation where you overfly this particular body of water on arrival.
Our landing was pretty descent, with touchdown right on point. As we decelerated, the PA crackled to life. "“Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Alaska Airlines and this Anchorage based flight crew we’d like to be the first to welcome you to Utqiaġvik, where the local time is 2:58 PM. We’ll be taxiing for the next few minutes, so please remain seated with your seatbelt securely fastened until we reach the gate and the captain gives us the go ahead to move about. When you do open those overhead bins, please do be mindful of items that may have shifted inflight. We do know you have your choice of carriers, so thank you for choosing Alaska and we hope to see you onboard in the near future.”
After a very short taxi, some airstairs were brought up to the aircraft and we deplaned in a bitterly cold Utqiaġvik.
Landing Video!
