Volume 27 | June 2023
New freighters, new tech, new recycling initiatives and summer routes.
New freighter conversion underway!
Our first new 737-800 freighter has completed the initial stage of its retrofit and heavy maintenance check, and the aircraft is now in Costa Rica, where Boeing teams are converting it from a passenger configuration into a dedicated freighter that can carry up to 50,000 pounds of cargo. When the three-month conversion process is complete, the freighter will be ETOPS-certified — approved to fly from remote Alaska communities nonstop to Seattle.
Our new freighter will carry 40% more weight and three times as many containers as one of our existing 737-700 freighters, and it is scheduled to enter service this fall. Next year, when a second 737-800 freighter conversion is completed, our fleet of five freighters will essentially double our current payload capacity.
Watch our project page for updates on the conversion.
Tech upgrade: iCargo on track for October launch.
We are updating the systems that power our entire cargo network — from booking to intake to tracking to delivery — and later this summer, you’ll get your first look at our new system. Ahead of the fall launch, we will be asking you to create your new account profile to login to iCargo. We will also offer tips and resources on how to use the new system. We are on track to launch iCargo in October. Here’s what you can look forward to in the new system:
- Self-service booking and account management
- Better shipment tracking
- Real-time visibility into the status of your cargo
- Integration of embargoes and station hours information into the booking process
- More efficient operations in our facilities, improving the ways we move your freight
We understand change is challenging, and we look forward to working with you through this transition. We also will be asking for your feedback as we continue to improve the new technology over time.
Watch our project page for updates.
Moving 50,000 lbs. of recyclables out of Nome.
This spring, Alaska Air Cargo launched a program to carry up to 50,000 pounds of recyclable waste each year out of Nome, Alaska, supporting cleanup efforts in rural communities along the Bering Sea and saving valuable water resources.
The recyclables — electronic waste items left over from used consumer goods — are collected from 16 communities around the region and packed onto pallets by members of the Alaska Native nonprofit corporation Kawerak, Inc., which is partnering with the cargo team in the project.
The pallets of recyclables will fly from Nome to Anchorage regularly during the spring-fall seasons, replacing pallets of water that have been used as ballast to level out the aircraft. Because the recyclables will replace water jugs that had been filled in Nome to create the ballast weight, this program also will save more than 6,000 gallons of local water each year — the equivalent of 20 days of water used by an average American family household.
New routes and network growth.
This summer, we’re expanding your options for nonstop shipping from coast to coast. We now have twice as many flights to Washington-Dulles (IAD) as we did last year, including a new nonstop route from San Diego (SAN), and more flights from San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and Seattle (SEA).
We also have more frequent flights connecting Seattle with Columbus (CMH), Cleveland (CLE) and Atlanta (ATL). And our Anchorage service is ready for the peak summer season with 11 nonstop destinations.
Check out our latest schedules.
ANC summer service.
| Chicago (ORD) | 2x daily |
| Denver (DEN) | 1x daily |
| Honolulu (HNL) | 1x daily |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | Up to 3x weekly |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 1x to 2x daily |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 2x weekly |
| Phoenix (PHX) | Up to 5x weekly |
| Portland (PDX) | 1x daily |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | Weekends |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 1x daily |
| Seattle (SEA) | Up to 23x daily |
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