A consumer watchdog group asked Alaska's attorney general Tuesday to investigate Alaska Airlines' recent purchase of the only business offering direct flights between Alaska and Hawaii. AkPIRG, which claims 1,600 members in Alaska, sent its request in a letter to state Attorney General Talis Colberg on Tuesday morning. Before state lawyers responded to AkPIRG's request, they would need to determine if the state has any enforcement power over antitrust matters involving Alaska Airlines, Tillery said. In 1999, the state settled an antitrust case with Safeway, the California-based grocery chain, requiring it to spin off seven Alaska stores as part of its takeover of Carrs, the state's biggest grocery chain at the time. State law prohibits anyone from buying a company — or part of a company — if the transaction significantly lessens competition or creates a monopoly in Alaska commerce. read more

Tags: alaska, find, state, alaska

Tags: Alaska charter boat, Kenai River, Pacific Northwest Fishing, fishing Olympic Penninsula