Restaurants at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage have had the lights off since March, when their parent company, HMSHost, first furloughed 123 workers. The Maryland-based company manages airport restaurants around the country, including Anchorage. Those furloughs could become permanent, if the employees are not recalled by October 15.
In an August letter discussing the furlough process, HMSHost blamed COVID-19 for the decision: “The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the travel and restaurant industries and, unfortunately, HMSHost sits at the crossroads of both.”
Not only does this impact workers of the airport, it also impacts the experience of travelers making their way into the state of Alaska.
A KSRM listener, who moved to Kenai in September, discussed her experience flying in from the lower-48 a mere three weeks ago: “Me and my husband moved to the Kenai area about three weeks ago. We flew into Anchorage from Cleveland, Ohio, and we had a very long day – about a 15 hour day, and we hadn’t eaten at all. So, we were kind of hoping when we landed in Anchorage, to grab a bite to eat while we were trying to find our luggage and get our rental car. But there wasn’t anything open, so we had to wait another couple of hours to eat, until after we left the airport. We were starving, basically. We were disappointed that there wasn’t anything in the airport at all.”
She also noted that Ted Stevens Airport was not the only airport in the U.S. to see closures: “On top of being absolutely tired, me and my husband hadn’t eaten all day because other airports were doing the same. There was no place open to eat. So, we were surviving on, basically, crackers. By the time we flew into Anchorage, we were done. We were done with everything.”
Another of Alaska’s major air hubs, Fairbanks International Airport, could also see a loss of 19 jobs if employees are not called back to work by October 15.