AKST — Alaska Standard Time
See what AKST means, where it is used in the United States, how it relates to AKDT, and compare it with other time zones.
Countries: United States
How to Convert AKST to Other Time Zones
Open the AKST converter page: Visit https://www.xconvert.com/time-converter/akst-time-zone to load the visual comparison grid with Alaska Standard Time (AKST) already shown. This page is useful when you are scheduling a call with a team in Anchorage or Juneau, planning a flight connection through Seattle, or coordinating logistics with fishing, energy, tourism, or government contacts in Alaska.
Add comparison cities with the “+ Add City” button: Click “+ Add City” and search for cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and London to compare AKST against major finance, media, and international business hubs. For example, Alaska companies often need to line up with West Coast operations, federal contacts on Eastern Time, or overseas partners in Europe for shipping, resource projects, and remote team meetings.
Drag across the grid to select a meeting window: Click “Select” if needed, then drag across the AKST row to highlight a time range in purple; you can resize it with the left and right handles or move the whole block by dragging the center. For example, selecting 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM AKST shows 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific Time, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern Time, and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in London during standard-time alignment, which helps confirm whether an Alaska morning works for mainland U.S. and European participants.
Export the selected time range for sharing: Once a range is selected, use the export options for ICS download, Google Calendar, Gmail, Copy to clipboard, or Share link. This is especially practical for sending a confirmed meeting slot to a distributed team, sharing a charter schedule, or making sure everyone sees the event automatically in their own local time without manually converting AKST.
About Alaska Standard Time (AKST)
AKST stands for Alaska Standard Time. Its exact offset is UTC-09:00, meaning AKST is 9 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time; when it is 12:00 PM UTC, it is 3:00 AM AKST.
AKST is used in the United States, specifically across most of the state of Alaska during the standard-time part of the year. Major cities and communities associated with this time zone include Anchorage, Fairbanks, Eagle River, Badger, Knik-Fairview, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan, covering population centers tied to state government, air cargo, tourism, fishing, military activity, and oil and gas support services.
AKST is the standard-time counterpart of AKDT, which stands for Alaska Daylight Time. The difference between them is one hour: AKST = UTC-9 and AKDT = UTC-8. In practical terms, when Alaska observes daylight saving time, clocks move forward by one hour and the abbreviation changes from AKST to AKDT.
Compared with other major North American time zones, AKST is 1 hour behind Pacific Standard Time, 2 hours behind Mountain Standard Time, 3 hours behind Central Standard Time, and 4 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. That means when it is 9:00 AM in Anchorage on AKST, it is 10:00 AM in Los Angeles, 12:00 PM in Chicago, and 1:00 PM in New York, which is important for same-day business calls and shipment cutoffs.
The same UTC-09:00 offset can also appear under other abbreviations such as GAMT, HDT, and V, but those labels apply in different regional or military contexts. For most civilian users searching for Alaska local time, AKST is the relevant abbreviation.
AKST and Daylight Saving Time
Although the page data lists DST: false for the abbreviation itself, Alaska Standard Time is the non-DST winter time used when daylight saving is not in effect. In the United States, most of Alaska does switch seasonally between AKST (UTC-9) in winter and AKDT (UTC-8) in summer.
In 2026, Alaska switches from AKST to AKDT on Sunday, March 8, 2026, when clocks move forward from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM local time. It switches back from AKDT to AKST on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when clocks move back from 2:00 AM to 1:00 AM local time.
This seasonal change affects meeting planning, flight itineraries, and operating hours. A call booked for 9:00 AM Alaska time stays at 9:00 AM locally, but its relationship to London, New York, or Seattle changes after the March and November transitions, so teams working across time zones should always check the selected date in the converter’s top date picker.
For example, during AKST, Alaska is 4 hours behind Eastern Standard Time, but during AKDT, Alaska is 4 hours behind Eastern Daylight Time while the exact overlap with Europe can shift around March and late October because U.S. and European DST transition dates are not always the same. That gap matters for industries such as cruise scheduling, aviation, seafood exports, and remote engineering teams that coordinate with offices outside Alaska.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does AKST stand for?
AKST stands for Alaska Standard Time. It is the standard-time designation used for most of Alaska during the part of the year when daylight saving time is not active, and its exact offset is UTC-09:00.
This means AKST is nine hours behind UTC and four hours behind Eastern Standard Time. If you are scheduling calls with Alaska-based contacts in cities like Anchorage or Fairbanks, AKST is the label you will typically see in winter.
Is AKST the same as AKDT?
No, AKST and AKDT are not the same. AKST is UTC-9 and represents Alaska’s standard time, while AKDT is UTC-8 and represents Alaska’s daylight saving time.
The one-hour difference matters for calendars, flights, and business meetings. If someone says a meeting is at 2:00 PM AKDT, that is one hour later than 2:00 PM AKST in absolute UTC terms, so you should always confirm which abbreviation is being used.
Which cities use AKST?
AKST is associated with major Alaskan cities and communities including Anchorage, Fairbanks, Eagle River, Badger, Knik-Fairview, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. These places cover a wide range of economic activity, from state administration in Juneau to cargo and aviation in Anchorage and tourism and maritime operations in Southeast Alaska.
Because Alaska is geographically large, confirming the city still matters for travel and logistics, but these principal cities generally follow the Alaska time system. For practical scheduling, AKST is the common winter reference for most populated areas in the state.
What is the UTC offset for AKST?
The UTC offset for AKST is UTC-09:00. In other words, you subtract nine hours from UTC to get Alaska Standard Time, so 18:00 UTC becomes 9:00 AM AKST.
This offset makes Alaska one hour behind the U.S. Pacific time zone during standard time. That difference is useful when planning mainland-Alaska calls, because a 9:00 AM meeting in Anchorage corresponds to 10:00 AM in Los Angeles and 1:00 PM in New York during standard-time periods.
When does AKST change to AKDT?
In 2026, AKST changes to AKDT on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 2:00 AM local time, when clocks move forward to 3:00 AM. Alaska then returns to AKST on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 AM local time, when clocks move back to 1:00 AM.
These dates are important for recurring meetings and travel bookings. If you schedule a weekly call with Alaska participants and people in Europe or the continental United States, the local clock time may stay the same in Alaska while the international time difference shifts for several weeks around DST transition periods.
Is AKST used only in the United States?
For normal civilian timekeeping, AKST is used in the United States, specifically in Alaska. The abbreviation is tied to U.S. time-zone usage rather than being a broad international standard used by multiple countries.
That said, other abbreviations can share the same UTC-09:00 offset, including GAMT, HDT, and V, but those are different labels with different regional or military meanings. If your focus is Alaska travel, state business, or local scheduling, AKST is the correct term to use.
How far behind New York is AKST?
AKST is 4 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. So when it is 9:00 AM AKST in Anchorage, it is 1:00 PM in New York during the standard-time season.
This gap is especially relevant for federal coordination, investor calls, healthcare administration, and customer support teams working between Alaska and the East Coast. An Alaska afternoon can push into early evening in New York, so many companies aim for Alaska morning slots to preserve overlap.
Why should I check the date when converting AKST?
You should check the date because Alaska switches between AKST and AKDT, and other regions do not always change clocks on the same dates. A time conversion that is correct in January may be wrong in March or October if one side has already entered or left daylight saving time.
Using the converter’s date picker helps avoid mistakes in cross-border scheduling. This is particularly important for airlines, cruise operators, remote software teams, and suppliers coordinating with both Alaska and international partners where one-hour errors can affect departures, handoffs, and live meetings.