WHY ISN’T ANCHORAGE AMERICA’S REYKJAVÍK?

Reykjavík and Anchorage share something few cities do: both occupy strategic positions between continents. Icelandair built an airline around that geography. Anchorage never did.

In 2021, Northern Pacific Airways proposed an Icelandair-style network connecting North America and Asia through Alaska. The idea never materialized. Today, Alaska Airlines has a far larger domestic network, long-haul aircraft through its merger with Hawaiian Airlines, and the capability to attempt a similar strategy, yet Anchorage remains largely outside its international ambitions.

Geography creates opportunity, but it does not guarantee success. Strategic location only becomes valuable when an airline chooses to build a network around it.