• Boeing has resumed the production of the 767 and 777 as it gets back online after a lengthy strike.
• Following the end of the strike, the aviation giant had already restarted 737 production.
• Boeing has had a troubled 2024 after a midair blowout in January shone a light on its quality control.

Boeing has resumed its production across its range of aircraft in the Pacific Northwest factories as it gets back online following its lengthy and costly strike.

The aviation giant, which had already resumed production of its 737 Max jets, has now restarted building the 767 and 777 models again, Stephanie Pope, Boeing's COO and the CEO and president of its commercial planes division, said in a LinkedIn post.

The news follows an announcement last week that Boeing would commit $1 billion to its 787 Dreamliner manufacturing plant in South Carolina.

"Our teammates have worked methodically to warm up our factories in the Pacific Northwest, using Boeing's Safety Management System to identify and address potential issues and ensure a safe and orderly restart," she wrote in the post.

The aircraft manufacturing giant hopes to ramp up production in what has been a difficult year. In January, an Alaska Airlines flight lost a door plug during a flight, injuring several passengers and resulting in an emergency landing.

The incident highlighted Boeing's production processes and led to questions about its quality control, which led then-CEO Dave Calhoun to resign.

Boeing was also hit with several lawsuits related to the Alaska Airlines incident, as well as facing renewed scrutiny over two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

Its problems were compounded when over 30,000 factory workers went on strike for nearly seven weeks beginning in September.

Boeing now has a backlog of around 5,400 commercial aircraft worth roughly $428 billion.

"We have taken time to ensure all manufacturing teammates are current on training and certifications, while positioning inventory at the optimal levels for smooth production," Pope said in the post.

"As we move forward, we will closely track our production health performance indicators and focus on delivering safe, high-quality airplanes on time to our customers," she added.

• I took a $6.50 ferry to Vashon Island, a scenic spot near Seattle.
• The ferry ride was only 20 minutes long and had beautiful views of the Puget Sound.
• I had a great time on the island and even attended a llama happy hour on one of its farms.

I love exploring the many beautiful islands in Washington state.

Recently, I planned a trip to Vashon Island, one of the largest islands in the Puget Sound, just south of Seattle.

To get there, I booked a 20-minute ferry ride from Seattle on the Washington State Ferry. My ticket to Vashon Island was only $6.50.

Here's what it was like taking the ferry and exploring the island.

I started my journey to Vashon Island at the Faunterloy ferry terminal in Seattle.

Unlike the area's Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island isn't accessible via a bridge. This means all visitors have to take a ferry ride and arrange their trip around the scheduled departure times.

Although the ferry can accommodate cars for an extra fee, I didn't bring one with me on this journey.

To get to the Fauntleroy ferry terminal in West Seattle, I took a couple of buses from the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. When I arrived, I bought a $6.50 ticket at a booth inside the tiny terminal.

Soon enough, the ferry arrived, and I boarded with the other foot passengers.

Though only about a dozen of us boarded the 1,200-passenger ship, I saw many cars waiting to get on the ferry.

Needless to day, I was glad to be a foot passenger.

The ferry had beautiful views of West Seattle.

The ferry had an open deck with no seats and an indoor sitting area with booths and wooden benches.

During the 20-minute ride, I admired evergreen-clad views of West Seattle and the Puget Sound area (a system of interconnected waterways off Washington's northwest coast).

I also noticed a snack bar stocked with chips and beverages, but I planned on having dinner soon, so I didn't grab anything while on board.

Sure enough, we soon arrived at Vashon Island's docks. Once we docked, I caught a ride to my lodging about 4 miles from the terminal.

The next day, I headed to happy hour at Vashon Llamas.

The following day, I visited a farm called Vashon Llamas, which offers a reservation-only llama happy hour for only $10.

The 90-minute happy-hour experience allows visitors to enjoy their own snacks and drinks, and pet llamas on the farm.

I loved feeding the llamas and talking to the farm's owner.

The happy-hour experience was adorable. One by one, llamas approached my table, and I got to pet them and feed them treats. For dessert, they munched on evergreen needles.

The farm's owner, Kelly, told me about how she transported her herd of 14 llamas from Wyoming to Vashon years ago, so even they have taken the Washington State Ferry.

Vashon Island is also known for its Oscar the Bird King sculpture, so I visited that, too.

While on the island, I also stopped at Oscar the Bird King, a large wooden sculpture by Danish artist Thomas Dambo that was installed in 2023.

To get there, I followed signs to the sculpture in Point Robinson Park, located on the east shore of Maury Island, which is connected to Vashon Island.

Overall, I had a great time on Vashon Island, and I'd definitely take the short ferry ride again.

Overall, I loved my visit to Vashon Island, and taking the ferry there was easy and cheap at only $6.50.

The people I met were friendly — and one local I met even drove me back to the ferry terminal after my three-night stay.

Visiting the island and dining with the llamas was a priceless experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something to do in the Seattle area.

This story was originally published on December 14, 2024, and most recently updated on December 16, 2024.

• My husband and I left our stresses of living in Seattle behind by moving to the suburbs.
• The tech boom raised Seattle's cost of living, making it hard for us to afford a home in the city.
• Now we enjoy having a close-knit community — and easy access to the city.

Growing up in a small town, I always thought the city was where I belonged. I moved to Seattle for college and loved the energy, the culture, and the endless entertainment opportunities.

But after a few years of struggling with some realities of city living — constant traffic, astronomical rent, and the never-ending search for a parking spot — I started to feel burned out.

Although I enjoyed living in Seattle, I decided to move about an hour away to the suburbs of Washington.

Now, I have the best of both worlds: I'm close enough to enjoy the perks of the city but far enough to escape its headaches.

Seattle's tech boom has made it even more expensive to live there

Seattle's population has grown by about 20% in the past decade, in part thanks to companies like Amazon and Microsoft setting up headquarters in the area.

Unfortunately, the influx of high-paying tech jobs has also driven up the cost of living.

When I lived in Seattle, rental costs ate up a lot of my income — sometimes up to 50%. Plus, online rental marketplace Apartments.com suggests the average rent in Seattle is about 30% higher than the national average.

Since renting in Seattle was already expensive, buying a house in the city felt like a far-off dream for me and my husband.

One of the biggest advantages of moving an hour away from Seattle has been our ability to find nice places to live within our budget.

Once we left, we were able to buy a renovated single-family home on almost half an acre outside the city for about half the price something similar might have cost in Seattle.

I love dealing with less traffic — and finding parking is much easier now

The Seattle metro area has some of the worst congestion in the US — and the busy, crowded streets made living in the city stressful for me.

I regularly spent hours of my day creeping down the freeway at 5 mph.

Sometimes, I'd lose track of time circling the block to find a parking spot near my destination — and if I had to park in a garage or lot, I'd pay upward of $20 for just a couple of hours.

In my town east of the city, I can pull right into my driveway, and I never worry about finding a spot at the grocery store, which is only 10 minutes from my house during rush hour.

Life outside the city offered tranquility my younger self didn't know I'd need

My gripes with living in Seattle may seem small, but they've had a big impact on my life.

Now, we live on a quiet street where the towns of Covington and Maple Valley meet, and suburban life blends with nature. We have ample space for a garden and hiking and biking trails minutes away.

The sound of nonstop city traffic has been replaced by birds and the occasional neighbor mowing their lawn. When we take our dogs for a walk, we cross paths with more families and fellow dog walkers than cars.

Our close-knit community is a welcome change from the anonymity I often felt in Seattle. I like that we know our neighbors and often chat with each other, which felt tough to do in a big city.

Although we don't have as many restaurants and events in the burbs, I'm still close enough to Seattle to attend concerts and sporting events, visit museums, or meet up with friends for dinner and a show.

I miss the city sometimes, but I'm happy I've found what matters to me most at this stage of my life.

• Alaska Airlines' merger with Hawaiian Airlines gives it access to long-haul Airbus and Boeing planes.
• The airline is pressuring mainline competition in Seattle with new nonstops to Asia in 2025.
• Japan's tourism boom makes it a strategic destination and I'm excited about the expansion.

Fresh off a $1.9 merger with Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines has big plans for using its new widebody planes with new routes to Asia.

The airline announced Tuesday plans to fly former Hawaiian Airbus A330 planes to Tokyo and Seoul from Seattle in 2025, utilizing operations infrastructure already in place under the newly acquired airline.

Seattle is a huge hub for Alaska, where it holds 55% of the domestic market — but its prior lack of overseas reach makes the Asia expansion a no-brainer.

Alaska chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison told The Points Guy that demand is stronger from Seattle than from Honolulu, where Hawaiian previously served Tokyo. Alaska can also take advantage of strong cargo and corporate demand from Seattle.

Leaving Seattle will also mean shorter flight times than from cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where United Airlines and American Airlines operate.

The expansion will also put pressure on competing Delta Air Lines, which already flies nonstop from Seattle to both cities.

Delta has been investing in its Seattle hub for years as it tries to take advantage of the city's West Coast location and poach business.

But Alaska's new routes, which Harrison said will grow to 12 by 2030, are likely to maintain and grow Seattle locals' loyalty to Alaska — and those across the country who need more one-stop options to Asia.

Alaska's incoming A330s are nice but lack premium economy

I'm thrilled about Alaska's international expansion.

Seattle may be far from my local New York airports, but flyers now have more choice across the Pacific — and likely beyond, depending on where Alaska's next 10 routes will lead.

Alaska said the merger wouldn't lead to immediate changes on board Hawaiian's aircraft, meaning the A330 I flew on in economy to Honolulu in November 2023 will offer a similar experience to those flying to Japan in 2025.

In my experience, the coach seats were well-padded, offered enough legroom for my five-foot-three-inch self, and had an adjustable headrest — a must for me to sleep in economy.

I also appreciated the rows were fit with only two seats on the sides closest to the windows. There were four in the middle sections.

My only gripe was the deep recline. While I loved the comfort it offered, it meant every passenger had to recline, or the person in front would cut into your space if you were sitting upright.

If you're inclined to rest or sleep, it's great. But if you want to sit more upright to watch a movie, expect to feel a little cramped and have a slightly annoying viewing angle to the screen.

The planes do not offer premium economy, but Harrison said the aircraft would be retrofitted to add the popular cabin in the coming years.

Delta may earn business in the meantime thanks to having premium economy already installed on its A330-900neos flying from Seattle to Tokyo.

Alaska's Asia-bound planes could also change once Alaska gets more of Hawaiian's undelivered Boeing 787 aircraft.

Business class on these planes represents a significant upgrade to that of the A330s, which don't offer the same privacy or direct-aisle access.

Travel to Japan is breaking records

Japan makes sense as Alaska's first long-haul destination. The nation's fall foliage, cherry blossom season, shopping, and myriad cultural and historical sites make it a tourist hot spot.

A September report from Mastercard Economics Institute showed a 153% increase in visitors from the US to Japan in the first half of 2024 compared to the same time in 2019. Travelers from Canada increased by 148%.

CNBC reported that Japan expects 35 million total travelers by the end of 2024, representing a 10% increase from 2019.

Crowds are so high that Japan Airlines is pushing travelers to use a bag delivery service to send luggage straight from the airport to their hotel or accommodation instead of carrying them on the train.

The boost is, in part, thanks to cheaper airfare — and Alaska's new route is likely to further lower prices out of Seattle.

Flights from the US to smaller Japanese cities have seen huge drops. Kayak data shows Sapporo fares are down 19%, Okinawa fares are down 17%, and Osaka fares are down 14% compared to 2023.

Japan Airlines' new free flight program may have helped, which comps domestic legs for many tourists who also book a roundtrip international flight to Japan on the same booking.