Formally known as Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, is an airport situated four miles southwest of downtown Anchorage, Alaska. The airport got its name from the current and long-standing US senator Ted Stevens, and is the center for Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines – the majority of passengers and flights are to Seattle or Tacoma, with an average of twenty flights per day to these destinations, and thirteen flights per day to Fairbanks.
During the 1960s and 1980s, Anchorage International Airport was a common stopover for passengers flying to East Asia because U.S. and Western European aircraft could not fly over Soviet Airspace and also because they did not have the choices as modern-day aircraft have today. Presently, the Anchorage International Airport is still being used by cargo carriers as a trans-Pacific hub and stopovers for Anchorage flights between Asia and the eastern United States. It is the fourth busiest cargo airport in the world today, after Memphis, Hong Kong, and Tokyo-Narita.
FedEx, UPS, and NWA Cargo, are just some of those who operate major hubs at the Anchorage International Airport for cargo heading to and from the Far East. FedEx is the largest of these cargo companies handles as many as thirteen thousand four hundred packages per hour, while UPSs hub handles about five thousand parcels per hour. These companies have been forecasted to expand greatly in the next several years as trade increases with China and other Far East countries as well as expansion on their Anchorage facilities.
Anchorage International Airport is also foreseen as a prospect connecting point for air traffic to the Russian Far East. Even though at present there are no flights from Anchorage to Russia, there are future plans to increase the number of flights to Sakhalin, the largest island of the Russian Federation, to meet the demands of U.S. oil companies.
Anchorage International Airport covers four thousand five hundred acres and has three runways. Here is helpful information about the airport:
Airport Lost and Found
The lost and found office is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday and is located in the A Concourse, next to the Hudson New Stand.
Baggage and Freezer Storage Services
Baggage storage service is located on the lower (arrivals) level across from baggage claim in the South (domestic) terminal of the airport. No services are provided in the North (international) Terminal. The free airport shuttle can be used to reach the South (Domestic) Terminal.
Visitor Information Centers
Visitor information centers are available seven days a week both in the south domestic terminal and north international terminals of the airport. The visitor information office in the south is located in the lower arrivals level of the terminal and is staffed from 9 am to 4 pm seven days a week. The visitor information office in the north is located in the lobby of the terminal and is staffed from 9 am to 4 pm seven days a week.
Airlines that operate through Anchorage International Airport are America West, American Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, America West, Asiana Airlines, American Trans Air, Continental Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Airlines, Frontier, Korean Air, Northwest Airlines, China Airlines, and United Airlines.