We are celebrating the people at our cargo stations across the state of Alaska and the communities they serve. For other stories in this series, check out more People of Cargo.
STATION SPOTLIGHT: Cordova (CDV)
STATION TEAM FACT: Ten cargo-trained ramp and customer service agents keep the CDV station running. Station details
ALASKA LIFE FUN FACT: Mt. Eyak, Cordova’s ski area, operates one of the oldest single chairlifts remaining in North America.
When the Copper River salmon start flying, it’s all hands on deck at our Alaska Air Cargo station in Cordova (CDV).
Kasey Kinsman, manager of station operations, brings in his full team of ramp agents and customer service agents to work through the night on the mid-May season opener to get the first fresh salmon of the year onto a freighter and down to the lower 48 to eager diners as far away as Boston (BOS).
“I have a great team, and they love where they live,” Kinsman said. “They take pride in supporting the local fishery and the fishing community.”
This year, for the first time since 2007, the hardworking CDV team moved 1 million pounds of fresh Copper River salmon between the May 16 opener and July 1. A key assist came from our newly expanded freighter fleet with two larger 737-800 freighters that carried an average of 45,000 pounds of fish per flight. For some flights, the team moved the fish boxes using lighter boards instead of the heavier ULD containers, allowing for up to 47,000 pounds of fish on a flight. In addition to the extra freighters, the CDV team also loaded 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of fish in the belly of passenger aircraft during the six-week period.
“We had an amazing fishery this year, a commercial opener like we haven’t seen in years,” Kinsman said.
“When we needed lift, the cargo team was able to provide it, so it was just this perfect symbiotic relationship. We truly used every aircraft that touched down in CDV.”
Kasey Kinsman, manager of station operations, Cordova, Alaska
Extra freighters meant additional drop-in freighter stops could be scheduled to accommodate the large salmon run, while still preserving the normal freighter schedule serving communities across the state. Through July 1, the CDV team filled 23 extra freighters.
Aaron Pettingill, a lifelong fisherman who grew up in Cordova, started working as a ramp service agent this spring. He said it was eye-opening to experience the first haul of Copper River king and sockeye salmon and be a part of the team working together to preserve the cold-chain logistics and quality of the fresh fish. “It’s nice to see on the cargo side that the fish are being treated with so much respect,” he said.
A few weeks after the station team’s July barbecue celebrating the 1 million pounds achievement, Kinsman and Pettingill each took time to talk about the importance of cargo in Cordova, a community of about 2,400 where half the households include someone working in the fishing industry.
How important is fishing to the local economy?
Kinsman: “This is really a community that’s built around fishing. It’s about fish and supporting fish, whether that’s fish science or the Coast Guard vessel that we have in town. And more specifically, it’s Copper River salmon fishing. There is halibut fishing, and there’s some black cod. And we have some shrimp. But all of that is really secondary to Copper River salmon fishing.”
How special is Copper River salmon?
Kinsman: “Cordova has an exclusivity on fresh salmon. We are the first fresh salmon to hit the market. Any salmon you are getting prior to that had been previously frozen last year.”
What does it take to move the first fish when the season opens in the middle of May?
Pettingill: “Everybody was here that first night, working together to maximize the fish we could get on that freighter.”
Kinsman: “This is fish coming fresh off the ocean, minimally processed and ready to go. And within hours we’re getting it on an airplane. It’s the absolute middle of the night and it’s a tight connection, but we’re not going to move that plane until we get the fish that’s coming in.”
How does the cargo team at Cordova help the teams at other cargo stations?
Pettingill: “When we work, we’re not just thinking about Cordova. We’re also looking at outbounds for Yakutat (YAK) and Juneau (JNU), restacking the loads to make sure our sister stations are taken care of.”
What are some of the inbound shipments that are important for the local economy?
Kinsman: “We fly in the support pieces like big pieces of equipment that the processors need. If their filet machine is down and they need a part, it comes GoldStreak [Package Express], usually out of Seattle and sometimes out of Anchorage. If fishing vessels need any parts to get their vessel back into the water, that’s coming GoldStreak.”
Cordova is only accessible by plane, boat and the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system; what other products arrive by air freight that are vital for the community?
Pettingill: “We get produce for both grocery stores, and food and supplies for contractors working up here for the summer. These people who are building up Cordova and helping it thrive are depending on Alaska Air Cargo.”
Check the freighter schedule
