A regional airline is adding a temporary fuel surcharge to the cost of tickets in response to the war in the Middle East impacting jet fuel prices.
Beginning Friday, Alaska Seaplanes and Island Air Express will add a 6% surcharge added to customer fares, the company announced Monday in a media release. That surcharge will not apply to freight customers.
Company spokesperson Andy Hedden said that, to his knowledge, the company hasn’t put this type of surcharge in place before.
“The word ‘unprecedented’ keeps coming up,” he said.
He said the company gets its jet fuel rates weekly, on Mondays, and during the first two weeks in March, those rates jumped 38%.
“Just today it went up an additional 4 percent,” he said. “That’s over 40% for the first month of March.”
Currently, a one way flight from Haines can be purchased online for $179, meaning the surcharge will add nearly $10.80 to the overall cost of the flight.
Hedden said the company is not trying to make a profit off higher fuel prices, but wants to avoid taking a loss.
Airlines outside of the U.S. have been raising prices for several days.
Air New Zealand was among the first, announcing March 10 that its ticket prices would go up. Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong announced an increase in fuel surcharges to go into place March 18. That airline cited a doubling of jet fuel prices since the beginning of the month. Scandinavian Airlines also put a temporary price increase into place March 10.
Team USA and Venezuela needed to win low-scoring affairs to punch their tickets into Tuesday’s World Baseball Classic final. However, Derek Jeter believes that the championship matchup might be a bit different. After the two winning sides scored a combined six runs in their semifinal victories, Jeter predicted that the USA-Venezuela matchup will be a high-scoring affair. “There’s no easy outs in either lineup,” Jeter said on FS1’s postgame show following Venezuela’s 4-2 win over Italy on Tuesday. “Every pitch is important. Sometimes when you’re a pitcher and navigating through a lineup, you have a few guys where you’re able to breathe. You fall behind, and you may be able to throw a ball over the plate. Neither side can do that. You’re going to have to focus one through nine for nine innings. “I expect the offense to show up — I expect the offense to show up on both sides tomorrow night.” Between the USA and Venezuela rosters, there are 20 All-Star hitters set to play in Tuesday’s final. But the two teams haven’t provided a ton of fireworks to this point. Venezuela has scored five or fewer runs in three of its first six games. The same goes for Team USA, which has scored just seven total runs in the knockout stage. So, with that in mind, David Ortiz is anticipating more of the same in Tuesday’s final. “The pitching that I saw from the U.S. last night, and the pitching that I saw from Venezuela tonight, it’s going to be a battle,’ Ortiz said. “We always talk about good pitching going to stop good offense. If you look at it properly, both teams haven’t been able to attack like everybody expect. It’s going to be the battle of the pitching tomorrow. That’s what I expect.” What was key to helping the USA and Venezuela punch their tickets to the WBC final on Tuesday were strong performances from their respective bullpens. Team USA’s bullpen didn’t allow a run in over five innings of work in its semifinal win over the Domincan Republic. Venezuela’s bullpen, meanwhile, didn’t surrender a run in 7 ⅔ innings of work on Monday. That’s why Alex Rodriguez believes it’s vital for both teams to get out to an early lead in Tuesday’s championship battle. “Whoever is going to win tomorrow night is going to have to do it early, because both bullpens are lights out,” Rodriguez said. “The last nine outs aren’t going to be fun either way. So, it’s vital to be ahead in the first six innings.” No matter what happens, though, Rodriguez expects the World Baseball Classic to live up to the hype. “This is going to be must-see TV,” Rodriguez said. “I know we had the Oscars a couple of nights ago, but this is going to be like an Oscars because these teams have played the best, you’re going to have stars all over the place and I cannot wait to think about tomorrow.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Team USA. Venezuela. We have ourselves a World Baseball Classic Championship Game. Venezuela took down surprise squad Italy in Monday’s semifinal game after having defeated defending champions Japan. Awaiting the South American squad in the final is Aaron Judge and Team USA, who took down the Dominican Republic in the semis. The game will be Tuesday, March 17 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. How to Watch the 2026 World Baseball Classic FOX is your exclusive home to the WBC with games spread across the FOX family of networks. The USA vs. Italy/Venezuela Championship Game will be on FOX on Tuesday, March 17 (8 p.m. ET). The game will be available for streaming on the FOX Sports app and FOX One. Catch the action on the following streaming options: How to Watch on Galaxy XR Headset Watch the World Baseball Championship Game on the FOX Sports XR app for the Galaxy XR headset powered by Android XR. How to Watch At Cosm Watch the World Baseball Classic Championship Game in a live immersive experience at Cosm’s award-winning shared reality venues in Dallas & Los Angeles. For details, click on Cosm.com. Team USA Lineup, Pitchers USA manager Mark DeRosa will go with New York Mets starter Nolan McLean for Tuesday’s final. He started in the USA’s lone loss at the WBC, a 8-6 setback to Italy in Pool B play. The 24-year-old McLean had a 2.06 ERA in 48 innings for the Mets down the stretch last season. “I’m built for this,” McLean said. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for something like this.” Here’s the Team USA lineup, which features Byron Buxton and Will Smith in place of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cal Raleigh. Venezuela Lineup, Pitchers Team Venezuela has had an amazing run at the WBC, defeating Italy in the semifinals and the reigning champs Japan in the quarters. Now they face the ultimate test in Tuesday’s matchup if they want to take down the USA for the first WBC title in its history. Venezuela will go with Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound against the USA. The Diamondbacks pitcher allowed three runs in 2.2 innings against the Dominican Republic in Pool D play. Luis Arráez has been a hitting machine for Venezuela. The Padres star has two home runs and 10 RBI with a solid .348 batting average. In the win over Italy, Eugenio Suarez hit his first home run of the tournament. Royals star Maikel Garcia and Ronald Acuña Jr. had homers in the win against Japan, as did Wilyer Abreu who hit the definitive three-run homer that sealed the win over Japan. WBC Final Tuesday, March 17: USA vs. Venezuela (8 p.m., LoanDepot Park in Miami on FOX)Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
For Hannah Harper, every round of American Idolhas become an opportunity to push herself further and further outside of her comfort zone. The bluegrass singer is used to performing with her guitar in hand, but during the latest round of the competition, she once again stepped on stage without it. This bold decision seemed to have paid off as she received rave reviews from the judges at the end of the night.
The idea to leave her guitar behind came after last week’s performance, which marked the first time viewers saw Harper without her guitar in hand. Following that delivery, Bryan shared that he hoped to see her open up more on stage, encouraging the singer to loosen up her body language and grow more comfortable performing without her instrument.
She took that advice to heart tonight. Speaking with mentors Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer, Harper explained that coming from a bluegrass background has shaped the way she performs, and artists in the genre often remain planted in one spot when singing and playing simultaneously.
Keke Palmer, Brad Paisley, Hannah Harper; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
“This time I wanted to do the same thing from the last round and put the guitar down. I’m having a hard time getting out of my body. And especially bluegrass, you stand in one spot, you do your thing and then you walk off stage,” she shared.
Although she admitted she was “scared” to step outside her comfort zone, Palmer motivated her saying, “You’re kind of challenging yourself. I love to hear that.”
In the midst of her mentoring, Harper got some extra support from her three young boys and husband, all of whom have been enjoying the perks of Aulani’s Disney Resort and Spa, from fun hairdos to temporary tattoos and even meet and greets with the Disney characters. Having them by her side in that moment brought the hopeful singer a wave of calmness.
Hannah Harper; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
“Getting to have that moment with my family just to breathe for a second, calms all your anxiety.”
Seeing how much it helped to have her loved ones nearby, Paisley told her to use that and seek out her family in the audience to help loosen up. Harper feared that if she looked to her loved ones, tears would instantly start flowing, thus impacting her performance. But Palmer assured her, “Ain’t nothing wrong with crying.”
Reflecting on this entire experience, Harper shared, “I think it’ll be surreal to be up on the stage and see my kids. All of it feels like a dream to be able to share this with them. Everyone’s so happy to be here…It was a sweet experience. I’m just soaking it all in.”
When it was finally time to step in front of the crowd, the Missouri native appeared in another one of her signature patchwork dresses and took things up a notch with her rendition of “Ain’t No Grave” by Bethel Music & Molly Skaggs (also recorded by Johnny Cash). She slowly built the momentum with the rising beat, amplified by the rhythm of the audience clapping along. As the song progressed, it was clear she was growing more steady on stage, feeding off the audience’s energy and leaning into the moment.
The faith-filled track showcased a new, subtle edge to her sound, which in turn added a bit of grit to the message and allowed her vocals to shine in a big way. Midway through the performance, the excitement surrounding the beachside stage grew so strong that the judges even rose from their seats, rocking out along with her.
Lionel Richie was clearly energized by the performance and made sure Harper knew the positive reaction he noticed from the crowd during her delivery.
Photo Courtesy Hannah Harper
“See, here’s the whole point. See, when you can actually be the storyteller, and then sometimes in the middle of that performance, you went from singing to preaching. I mean, what I’m saying to you is at that point when you see everybody going,” he said, mimicking the audience nodding along before adding, “That means we’re listening and you got our attention. You did a great job.”
Palmer then traded her mentor hat for her judge hat as she commended the singer for her unwavering authenticity throughout the competition.
“First of all, everybody performs different. I think that’s a big part of this competition, right? It’s like not doing what you think you should do, really embodying what you bring to the stage. And that’s what you did. You don’t have to do what nobody do because when you start singing, girl, and you was pointing, you was commanding to us, we were locked in. It was excellent. It was very moving. Very moving.”
Fellow Idol judge Luke Bryan joked that she started a new genre with that performance, which he dubbed “resurrection rock.” He also stated that he saw noticeable growth from the singer on stage.
“I love the whole performance. I think your voice is so listenable. It’s so easy on the ears. And then finally, we see you get a little more power behind that voice. So you’re showing me you’re ready to branch out and grow. Definitely my favorite performance I’ve seen you do,” he admitted.
Hannah Harper; Photo by Disney/Yellowshoes
The final judge to sing Harper’s praises was Carrie Underwood, who offered one of the biggest compliments of the night as she compared the mom of three to her own days on Idol.
“Great song choice. Your voice gave me chills the entire time. We got a glimpse of a fire that is in you that I feel like the more you go through this whole process, I hope to see more of. You remind me a lot of myself when I was on the show,” Underwood noted. “When I would be on stage, I’d be like…’What are you doing out there, hand? What’s going on? Why are you pointing?’ And all of a sudden it’s like things would kind of start falling apart because I would start thinking about what I was doing.”
She encouraged harper to try not to get too much in her head in those moments, and instead to focus on telling the story at hand.
“Don’t worry about what any of this is doing because I feel like we got some glimpses of that and it’s awesome. Very good. So keep at it.”
Tonight marked the first of a two-part round, that finds each of the Top 20 contestants taking to the stage in hopes of earning enough votes from America to move on in the competition. Next week, the remaining contestants will have their chance to perform for the final night in Hawaii.
Viewers can ensure Hannah Harper continues on the show by voting for her. The first way to vote is by commenting “Hannah” on American Idol’s official voting posts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok or by texting “8” to 21523. Voting closes at 6am ET on March 17. The rules indicate that anyone submitting votes must be 18 and there is a limit of 10 votes per contestant per platform.
Adrian Grenier is hoping to form an entourage of his own in Texas.
Five years after leaving Los Angeles for a farm in the Lone Star State, the Entourage alum revealed what it would take for him to… E! Online (US) – Top Stories
Whitney Leavitt might be dancing away from reality TV.
In fact, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star—who is currently starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway—hinted she might be ready to… E! Online (US) – Top Stories
Now that Kutter Bradley has made it into the Top 20 on American Idol, impressing the judges with his country covers, he decided to tap into his rocker side for his next performance.
Tonight’s episode marked the first of two installments featuring the Top 20 contestants fighting for America’s votes in hopes of advancing to the next round. Bradley took the stage at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaiʻi once again and delivered an epic performance of Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over.”
Prior to revealing a new side of his artistry, the contestant met with mentors Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer, who also served as a guest judge. Speaking with them, he explained he chose this Daughtry classic as a tribute to his dad who introduced him to the rock band early in his life.
Keke Palmer, Brad Paisley, Kutter Bradley; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
“When I was real little, my dad got me a MP3 player and he loaded it with the music he listened to. Everything from Daughtry to old ’70s rock and stuff. I really fell in love with Chris Daughtry and just how he performs and carries himself,” Bradley shared. “Definitely one of my biggest inspirations and I would love to take the path he took.”
The Alabama native was also trying something new this performance. He would be performing without a guitar, which added a new set of nerves for him. Paisley instantly noticed his hesitation and encouraged him to hold the mic so he could practice what to do with his hands on stage.
“I just kept looking at that hand thinking, this is a guy who’s not used to not to doing this. And sure enough, that was true. Guys like me that play the guitar, the first time that they’re like, ‘you’re going to just sing this this evening with a microphone,’ it’s like, ‘what do I do with my hands? I look ridiculous if I don’t really figure out what I’m going to do,’” Paisley pointed out.
Kutter Bradley; Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
Palmer added, “As long as he can do that, I think he’s going to be fine because the voice is there.”
Bradley clearly took their advice to heart, and it paid off the moment he stepped in front of the audience. Moving confidently across the stage, he worked to connect with the crowd while showcasing his impressive vocal range, which earned him enthusiastic applause along the way. During the performance, the camera panned over to his family in the crowd, where his dad could be seen headbanging and singing along to every word.
From the judging panel, Lionel Richie also pointed out that Carrie Underwood was clearly enjoying the moment just as much, noting that she was singing along throughout the entire performance.
“Well, I’ll tell you what I was listening to, Carrie didn’t miss not one note, not one lyric. And between that and your dad head banging, what the heck is going on around here?” Richie joked before sharing his thoughts on the delivery. “You were familiar with that. I got right away that that was in your wheelhouse. You were very, very in pocket and it showed. It showed really great.”
Keke Palmer agreed as she commended him on letting lose on stage.
“Seeing you performing yesterday, it was great. We had the vibe, but with the band and the element going, I could see you just embodying it. And this is definitely your lane, for sure.”
When it was time for Underwood to share her feedback, she declared that he absolutely made the right choice to step outside of his traditional country lane and try something new, but still familiar to him.
“You’re like our country kind of rock guy, and I feel like that song just fit perfectly. I encourage you to just keep getting comfortable, keep entertaining. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Luke Bryan was the final judge to speak on Bradley’s performance. His first piece of advice was to “remember to breathe” and in the end he agreed with each of his fellow judges that this performance was one to remember.
“There was a couple of times I was like, the boy’s running out of air. But I tell you what’s really endearing about you is you are that guy that’s going to relate to all the dudes. And we’re throwing a lot of different stuff at you,” he admitted. “Keep trusting your gut with the songs that you know and want to perform and you’re getting better and better with every performance. A lot of energy on that one and be very proud of it.”
Viewers have the chance to vote for Bradley by commenting “Kutter” on American Idol’s official voting posts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok or by texting “6” to 21523. Voting closes at 6am ET on March 17. The rules indicate that anyone submitting votes must be 18 and there is a limit of 10 votes per contestant per platform.
Next week, the remaining Top 20 contestants will have their chance to shine on stage for the final night in Hawaii.
A female caribou runs near Teshekpuk Lake in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska on June 12, 2022. The Teshekpuk Caribou Herd gives birth to its calves in the land around the vast lake, the largest on the North Slope. On Monday, a federal issued a preliminary injunction that reinstates protections for the Teshekpuk caribou and other resources, likely affecing a pending oil and gas lease sale that was structured to include territory by and in the lake. (Photo by Ashley Sabatino/ U.S. Bureau of Land Management)
An agreement that protected about a million acres of sensitive Arctic territory is back in effect, meaning that this week’s oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska will likely be smaller than the Trump administration had planned.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason’s ruling, issued Monday, ensures that a Native coalition’s land agreement, known as the Nuiqsut Trilateral right of way, “shall remain in full force and effect,” at least temporarily.
The agreement is a conservation pact that gave Nuiqsut residents some control over oil development in about a million acres in the Teshekpuk Lake area. The Trump administration’s Department of the Interior canceled that right-of-way agreement in December, prompting a January lawsuit from the Nuiqsut parties.
As a result of Gleason’s ruling, the Trump administration’s National Petroleum Reserve lease sale likely cannot include acreage within the Nuiqsut right of way. That sale was originally planned to span 5.5 million acres, including most of the right-of-way territory. Bids are to be opened by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday.
Exactly how the BLM will change the lease sale or handle submitted bids was yet to be determined Monday afternoon. The Department of the Interior has not yet commented.
Gleason’s ruling granted an injunction sought by plaintiffs in one of two lawsuits that challenged the way the BLM is managing the National Petroleum Reserve and the upcoming lease sale conducted under that Trump administration management system.
The lawsuit over the right-of-way agreement was filed by Nuiqsut Trilateral Inc., comprising Nuiqsut’s city and tribal governments and Kuukpik Corp., the village’s for-profit Native corporation.
An Inupiat village of about 500, Nuiqsut is the community located closest to existing and planned development in the petroleum reserve.
The second lawsuit was filed by Grandmothers Growing Goodness and The Wilderness Society, and it challenged the entire Trump administration management plan for the petroleum reserve and the lease sale that was structured under that system. The Trump administration plan opened 82% of the reserve to oil leasing.
Plaintiffs in both the cases were in Gleason’s courtroom on Thursday arguing in separate hearings for injunctions that would bar previously protected acreage from being included in this week’s lease sale. The Nuiqsut plaintiffs argued specifically about the acreage within the right of way, while the Grandmothers Giving Goodness-Wilderness Society plaintiffs argued for blocking right-of-way acreage plus other acreage in the general area that had previously been off-limits to development.
A map shows the tracts within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska that are at issue in two lawsuits targeting the Trump administration’s management of the land unit. The orange tracts are in previously protected areas that were off-limits to leasing. Some tracts are within the Nuisuit Trialateral Inc. right of way and the subject of that organization’s lawsuit. A lawsuit filed by the Native organization Grandmothers Growing Goodness and The Wilderness Society is seeking to prevent leasing in all of the tracts colored orange. (Map provided by Layla Hughes, one of the plaintiff attorneys)
The Nuiqsut Trilateral Inc. right-of-way agreement protects about 1 million acres in the Teshekpuk Lake area, shown in thish map. The agreement, as signed in 2024, was to be in place for the entire lifetime of the Willow project, a period expected to last for decades. (Map provided by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management)
In her Nuiqsut ruling, Gleason said the right-of-way agreement conveyed a property right that appears to have been violated by the Trump administration’s cancellation of the right-of-way agreement, so that is enough irreparable harm to justify a preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs do not need to demonstrate any irreparable harm from the sale of oil leases, she said.
That makes this case different from past cases in which environmental and Native plaintiffs claimed irreparable harm from leases yet to be sold and developed, Gleason said in her ruling.
“Here, by contrast, the injury is the loss of Plaintiff’s real property rights— a harm that Plaintiff has already experienced and continues to experience,” she said in her ruling.
Additionally, the Nuiqsut plaintiffs have presented compelling arguments that the Trump administration acted illegally when it abruptly canceled the right-of-way agreement, Gleason said. The Nuiqsuit plaintiffs raised “serious questions” about public notice, agency responsibilities and other issues, the judge said, suggesting that they have a chance of winning their full case on legal merits.
Gleason had not ruled as of Monday afternoon on the injunction sought in the second lawsuit.
As planned by the Trump administration, this week’s lease sale offered territory in and near Teshekpuk Lake that has never before been put up for auction, as well as some territory that had been protected since 2012. In all, the geographic size of this week’s lease sale is bigger than most of the National Petroleum Reserve sales held since 1999.
A government attorney referenced last year’s sweeping tax and budget bill passed by Congress in their defense of the Department of the Interior’s decision to cancel the right-of-way agreement and put up new territory for oil and gas leasing.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” overturned protections in the petroleum reserve and mandated a series of lease sales to be held under the Trump management plan, Justice Department attorney Paul Turcke told Gleason during the Nuiqsut hearing on Thursday.
The Nuiqsut right-of-way agreement was announced by the Biden administration in 2024. Originally conceived by Kuukpik, it was negotiated in exchange for support from Nuiqsut entities and leaders for the Willow project. The Biden administration approved Willow in 2023, although with protective stipulations that included provisions from which the Nuiqsut right-of-way agreement stemmed.
Teshekpuk Lake, the biggest lake on the North Slope, and the surrounding lands support a caribou herd that bears the lake’s name, as well as hundreds of thousands of birds that migrate from as far away as Antarctica, along with other Arctic wildlife.
Texas Roadhouse is the most popular steakhouse chain in the country for good reason. Reviewers have one steak in mind that they say has maximum flavor.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
The weather is warming up, which means it’s time to swap out your muted black and gray pieces for something more fun and vibrant. The best way to give your look a playful pop of color this spring… E! Online (US) – Top Stories
Adrian Grenier is hoping to form an entourage of his own in Texas.
Whitney Leavitt might be dancing away from reality TV.
The weather is warming up, which means it’s time to swap out your muted black and gray pieces for something more fun and vibrant. The best way to give your look a playful pop of color this spring…