Haines would receive four to five ferries per week between May 1 and Sept. 30 under the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT)’s proposed summer schedule, released Jan. 25.

On the first and third weeks of the month, a ferry will dock in Haines Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On weeks two and four, the community will receive visits on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, with two different vessels docking in Haines on Sundays.

At a Tourism Advisory Board meeting last week, tourism director Steven Auch said the main concern he has with the schedule is the proposal to have both the LeConte, the upper Lynn Canal day boat, and the Matanuska operating on the Bellingham route, dock in Haines on the same day. Two ferries on every other Sunday “seems a little overkill,” he said.

DOT public information officer Sam Dapcevich said the doubling up of ferries is a byproduct of a schedule designed to allow passengers on the ferry from Bellingham to connect with the cross-gulf ferry in Juneau.

In a press release, DOT said the proposed ferry schedule balances budget constraints with service needs.

“The proposed schedule patterns are based on projections for funding considering the state’s fiscal environment, service demand (considering the continued COVID-19 pandemic) and the governor’s proposed FY22 budget,” the statement reads.

The draft schedule for Haines marks an increase in service compared to summer 2020. Last year, the department delayed the return to service of several vessels, citing health precautions and falling ticket sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Haines had one Juneau ferry per week until mid-June when sailings increased to twice per week. Haines began receiving four ferries per week in July.

Dapcevich said last year’s schedule was an anomaly. “This year, we expect our transition from the winter to summer schedule to be more comparable with years before COVID-19,” he said, adding that it’s too soon to say how the pandemic will impact summer ridership.

The Haines Borough is in the process of preparing feedback about the 2021 summer schedule to submit to DOT, according to Mayor Douglas Olerud.

Those who wish to comment on the proposed schedule have until Feb. 7 to do so in writing by emailing [email protected] or faxing (907) 228-6874. DOT will hold a teleconference for public testimony on Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. The toll-free number to participate is 1-515-604-9000, access code 279613. A full draft schedule can be found at http://alaska.gov/go/Z9GC.