Fishy Business: How Alaska Airlines Delivers Copper River Salmon

DALLAS - Yesterday, Alaska Airlines (AS) delivered the season’s first salmon to Seattle Tacoma Airport (SEA), marking a splashy beginning to the summer fishing season.

The first shipment of nearly 17,200 pounds of salmon was flown by Alaska Air Cargo, and is the first shipment of the season that stretches through September.

Copper River Salmon grow up to 50 pounds and travel over 300 miles from the ocean to reach their spawning grounds. The treacherous journey requires the fish to store extra energy in the form of fat, which is what creates the distinct flavor and texture of Copper River Salmon.

Alaska Airlines boasts its ability to transport the fish to arrive as fresh as possible to consumers, through its cool chain training program and seafood quality standards. 

The airline is able to keep seafood moving rapidly through its network and maintain a consistent temperature range, a key factor in freshness.

Alaska’s Salmon Thirty Salmon

Alaska not only maintains its strong connection to its namesake state through the transport of Alaskan salmon, but also operates a Boeing 737-800 painted in a distinct salmon livery.

The special livery, named “Salmon Thirty Salmon”,  was first introduced in 2005, and is painted on both sides with 129 foot-long salmon. 

The first aircraft to be painted in the special livery was a Boeing 737-400, N792AS, but was later repainted into the airline’s regular livery. Now, the second iteration of the livery, Salmon Thirty Salmon II, is painted on N559AS, a Boeing 737-800.

At the time of the unveiling of Salmon Thirty Salmon II, Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines' regional vice president of the state of Alaska said, "Not only will this special plane spotlight the best, most sustainable seafood harvest in the world, it will also remind us of the important role the seafood industry has on the Alaska economy. 

She continued, “On behalf of the 1,700 Alaska Airlines employees working in the state, we are also proud to safely fly the thousands of men and women who work in the seafood industry throughout the Last Frontier."

Featured Image: Alaska Airlines