Alaska Airlines Delivers Season's First Copper River Salmon to Seattle at Daybreak
16 Maggio 2008 - 3:41PM
PR Newswire (US)
Airline to transport estimated 20,000 pounds of coveted fish by
day's end; high bidder donates 200,000 miles to charity for first
fish SEATTLE, May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alaska Airlines
delivered the season's first shipment of Copper River salmon to
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport this morning and expects to
transport about 20,000 pounds of the coveted fish by day's end. The
arrival of Copper River salmon is anticipated every year by seafood
lovers in a growing number of U.S. cities and points worldwide. The
high bidder in a special Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan(TM) auction
met the flight and received the ceremonial first salmon, along with
a travel and prize package plus other amenities. The online auction
benefits Alaska Airlines Charity Miles, and the winner chose the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center as his charity. Alaska
Airlines' Boeing 737-400 freighter touched down at Sea-Tac Airport
about 6 a.m. Pacific time with some 7,500 pounds of fish from four
seafood processors: Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Bear and Wolf Salmon
Co., Trident Seafoods and Copper River Seafoods. Three more Alaska
Airlines flights today will transport salmon from Cordova, Alaska,
to Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska. "There is so much demand for this
wild ocean fish that many of our flights out of Seattle will be
carrying Copper River salmon to markets around the country less
than 24 hours after it comes out of the water," said Glenn Johnson,
Alaska Airlines' executive vice president of airport services and
maintenance and engineering. "Almost 95 percent of the salmon
caught in the United States comes from Alaska, and Ocean Beauty is
one of the largest processors serving the state," said Tom
Sunderland, director of marketing for Ocean Beauty Seafoods. "We
are proud to be Alaska Airlines' partner in presenting the first
Copper River salmon to the charity auction winner." Alaska Airlines
plays a significant role in supporting the Alaska seafood industry,
which is recognized worldwide for its sustainable fishing
practices. Last year, the carrier flew more than 30 million pounds
of fresh Alaska seafood to the Lower 48 states and beyond,
including up to 1 million pounds of Copper River salmon. Together
with sister carrier Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines transports more
than 150 million pounds of cargo annually, including seafood, mail
and freight, and operates the most extensive air cargo operation on
the U.S. West Coast of any passenger airline. Last year, Alaska
Airlines introduced six retrofitted Boeing 737-400 aircraft to its
fleet. The freighter and five combination passenger/cargo aircraft
replaced the carrier's previous 737-200 cargo fleet. Alaska
Airlines and Horizon Air together serve 93 cities through an
expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and
Mexico. For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and
information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at
alaskaair.com/newsroom. DATASOURCE: Alaska Airlines CONTACT: Pam
Miller, +1-425-864-6485, or Caroline Boren, +1-206-392-5799, both
of Alaska Airlines Web site: http://www.alaskaair.com/
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