Alaska Airlines Delivers Season's First Copper River Salmon to Seattle at Daybreak

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.