Alaska Airlines Lands World's Largest King Salmon
02 Ottobre 2005 - 12:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
'Salmon-Thirty-Salmon' Aircraft Underscores Carrier's Role in
Transporting Alaska Seafood SEATTLE, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Alaska Airlines today landed the world's largest king salmon --
stretching nearly 120 feet and weighing in at more than 140,000
pounds -- at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The
"Salmon-Thirty-Salmon," sporting the glimmering image of a wild
Alaska king salmon, is among the world's most intricately painted
commercial airplanes. Complete with shiny scales, a dorsal fin and
gills, the livery on the Alaska Airlines 737-400 passenger aircraft
is the result of a dedicated team of 30 painters working nearly
nonstop for 24 days. The airplane symbolizes the critical role
Alaska Airlines plays in transporting fresh Alaska seafood to the
continental United States and beyond. The paint scheme was produced
in partnership with the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board (AFMB),
which promotes the export of Alaska seafood. "This airplane
celebrates Alaska Airlines' unique relationship with the people and
communities of Alaska and underscores our air transport commitment
to the state's seafood industry," said Gregg Saretsky, Alaska
Airlines' executive vice president of marketing and planning.
"Alaska seafood is more popular than ever, and Alaska Airlines is
proud to play a role in getting much of it from the waters of
Alaska to dinner tables across the country in record time." This
year, Alaska Airlines will fly more than 30 million pounds of
seafood from Alaska to markets in the continental United States,
Mexico and Canada. Streamlined flight schedules and
state-of-the-art storage facilities allow much of that seafood to
travel from Alaskan waters to market and restaurant destinations
anywhere in the United States in less than 24 hours. "Alaska
Airlines has a long history of serving the Alaska seafood industry,
and this special plane celebrates that commitment in dramatic
fashion," said Bill Hines, AFMB's executive director. Hines noted
that about half of the United States' total seafood catch comes
from Alaska fisheries and that Alaska is considered the world's
leader in sustainable management of its seafood resources.
Transporting more than 150 million pounds of cargo annually,
including seafood, mail and freight, Alaska Airlines operates the
most extensive air cargo operation on the U.S. West Coast. The
company recently announced a transformation plan for its cargo
operation that will increase the capacity of its cargo fleet by
more than 50 percent, largely in response to the growing demand for
fish transportation out of the state of Alaska. "At a time when the
airline industry is facing unprecedented challenges, Alaska
Airlines sees great opportunity in the expansion of its cargo
operation," said Matt Yerbic, Alaska's managing director for cargo
services. "The major investments Alaska Airlines is making in cargo
will better position our company to serve the growing cargo needs
of the state of Alaska, as well as other customers along our
extensive route system in the United States, Canada and Mexico."
This year the carrier finalized a $15 million contract to retrofit
five of its 737-400 aircraft to cargo configurations, including one
all-cargo airplane and four passenger-cargo "combis." The first
converted cargo aircraft is scheduled to start service in spring
2006. The "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon" aircraft was greeted in Seattle by
thousands of Alaska Airlines employees, guests and dignitaries
during a salmon homecoming event at the airline's maintenance
hangar. The aircraft will fly its first regularly scheduled
passenger flight tomorrow from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska, where
it will receive a similar homecoming welcome. Following its stop in
Anchorage, the aircraft will continue its Sunday route with stops
in Cordova, Yakutat and Juneau, Alaska. Beginning on Monday, the
aircraft will fly passenger routes along the West Coast, connecting
destinations as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico. The
aircraft also will fly east to Denver, Chicago and Dallas/Fort
Worth, becoming an important tool to promote wild Alaska seafood.
The "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon" aircraft features an original design by
Mark Boyle, a Seattle-based wildlife artist who is also a
recognized leader in the livery design of commercial aircraft. The
project required three times as many hours to paint as the normal
livery, using Mylar paint to create an iridescent look and
airbrushing techniques to make the fish painting appear three
dimensional. The aircraft received its new livery at Goodrich
Aviation Technical Services of Everett, Wash., with painting
provided by Associated Painters and design managed by Teague
Associates. The 737-400 aircraft has been in Alaska's fleet since
1997 and was originally scheduled to be re-painted with Alaska's
traditional Eskimo livery. Alaska's fleet includes four other
themed aircraft, two featuring the airline's alaskaair.com logo and
two commemorating the carrier's partnership with Disneyland
Resort(R). Based in Anchorage, Alaska, the Alaska Fisheries
Marketing Board is a private, non-profit organization created by
Congress in 2003 to increase the marketability and value of Alaska
seafood products. Alaska Airlines and sister carrier, Horizon Air,
together serve 88 cities through an expansive network throughout
Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. For reservations visit
alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska
Airlines/Horizon Air newsroom at http://newsroom.alaskaair.com/ .
DATASOURCE: Alaska Airlines CONTACT: Amanda Tobin, +1-206-392-5134,
or Caroline Boren, +1-206-392-5799, both of Alaska Airlines Web
site: http://www.alaskaair.com/
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