Alaska Air Cargo Enhances Seafood Shipment Services

Prized wild seafood from the state of Alaska will arrive as fresh as possible at grocery stores and restaurants across the nation, thanks in part to a new quality control program at Alaska Air Cargo designed to keep seafood shipments cold. Alaska Air Cargo is one of the first air carriers to implement a special training program for employees who handle perishables such as fresh Alaska seafood.

These strict seafood quality standards require employees to pass an annual food quality course. Defined by the seafood industry as "cool chain," the program is used by processors and shippers to ensure a temperature-controlled environment for proper food handling. The goal is to keep the seafood moving expeditiously throughout its journey on Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air and maintain temperatures between 32 and 40 degrees for fresh fish from the time it leaves the water to when it arrives at stores and restaurants.

"Preserving the quality of fresh seafood from the bountiful waters of the state of Alaska and delivering it to cities throughout our expansive route network is our top priority," said Joe Sprague, vice president of Alaska Air Cargo. "Our seafood partners can be confident their shipments will receive the attention they deserve when they choose Alaska Air Cargo."

Training and program materials were created by Alaska Air Cargo based on material used by seafood processors throughout the state of Alaska and was provided by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and Ocean Beauty Seafoods, LLC.

"Alaskan salmon are shipped thousands of miles to markets and restaurants all over the world, and this program provides first-class treatment throughout the journey and helps to preserve the natural attributes of seafood," said Jan Koslosky, director of supply chain management for Ocean Beauty Seafoods, LLC.

Under the "cool chain" program, Alaska Air Cargo employees and ramp agents will receive computer-based training for proper seafood handling. By implementing the cool chain program, Alaska Air Cargo is following industry standards set forth by the seafood industry. Features of the program have been incorporated with a service called Priority Perishable Express to ensure that perishable shipments have priority handling and receive special attention.

Alaska Air Cargo operates the most extensive air cargo operation on the U.S. West Coast of any passenger airline. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Traditional Network Carriers (tie)" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 North America Airline Satisfaction StudySM. For reservations, visit alaskaair.com or alaskacargo.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.