Summer in the state of Alaska promises wild salmon runs, midnight sun — and more Alaska Air Cargo flights to the lower 48, Hawai‘i and around the world than ever before. 

Starting in June, our growing global network will reach 18 destinations nonstop from Anchorage (ANC), with brand-new twice-weekly flights to Boise (BOI) and weekly service to Boston (BOS), as well as the return of twice-weekly flights to Spokane (GEG) for the summer season. And because of increased demand in California, we are adding more frequent nonstop flights connecting Anchorage with Sacramento (SMF) and San Diego (SAN). 

As the fourth largest global airline in the U.S., our network also provides seamless one-stop connections between the state of Alaska and destinations around the world through multiple daily flights between Anchorage and our two global gateways — Seattle (SEA) and Honolulu (HNL), which serve destinations from Asia to the South Pacific to Europe. Our daily year-round service between Seattle and London (LHR) launched May 21, and this spring we became the first airline to offer nonstop flights between Seattle and Rome (FCO). 

“Our freighters and our widebodies now connect goods all around the world,” said Tony Dimeglio, managing director of operations for Alaska Air Cargo — the only U.S. airline with dedicated freighters connecting Alaska with the lower 48. 

“Whether it's Incheon or Sydney or Rome or London, or all points in between, we can connect those for you from communities in Alaska in a day and a half within our network.” — Tony Dimeglio, managing director of operations, Alaska Air Cargo

This year’s investment in new nonstop routes from Anchorage give shippers more options beyond Seattle to efficiently move freight from Alaska across the country. Other nonstop destinations from Anchorage include Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), Juneau (JNU), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis (MSP), New York (JFK), Phoenix (PHX), Portland (PDX) Salt Lake City (SLC) and San Francisco (SFO).  

Investments in infrastructure

As part of our ongoing commitment to the state of Alaska, where our freight service began more than 90 years ago, we are proud to serve 19 communities — most accessible only by plane or boat. We have also invested in several infrastructure upgrades this year to improve operations and support cold-chain shipping for the 30 million pounds of seafood we ship from Alaska every year. Infrastructure investments include: 
 

• New unit load device (ULD) loaders replacing forklifts to increase efficiency and protect shipments while loading and unloading aircraft. 
• New reliable delivery vehicles in Arctic communities, where our Alaska Air Cargo teams handle aircraft-to-door deliveries for large customers like grocery stores. 
• Warehouse improvements to optimize space and operations in Kodiak (ADQ) and Utqiaġvik (BRW). 
• New coolers in Seattle and Anchorage, along with refrigerated trailers in Anchorage to augment cooler space, to protect the quality of the millions of pounds of prize seafood and other perishables we ship every year. 

We’ve also invested in our Seattle warehouse to improve operations in our largest shipping hub, adding staff and streamlining communications for customers.   

“Alaska Air Cargo has tripled in size in the last two years,” Dimeglio said. “Our customers have gone through a lot with us through our recent integration with Hawaiian Air Cargo and technology upgrades, and we deeply appreciate them. Now, what we're doing is adding the infrastructure to best support this growth.” 

And as our global opportunities continue to expand, Dimeglio said he’s mindful that customers’ needs include everything from pallets of pristine Alaska seafood to one-time shipments for individuals, and our teams are proud to work with customers of all sizes to create personalized shipping solutions.  

“We spend a lot of time thinking about the small towns in the state of Alaska and how it will work connecting to places like Incheon — how we can communicate and what our fundamentals look like and how we can give the best service,” he said. “Alaska Airlines went to Asia and to Europe and brought Alaska with us. We haven’t forgotten who we are.” 

Other recent route expansions: 

Hawai‘i: In May, we restored seasonal service between Honolulu (HNL) and Burbank (BUR), providing another option for shipping between the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.  

Portland: This spring, we also launched new cross-country service connecting our growing Portland (PDX) hub with Baltimore (BWI), Philadelphia (PHI) and St. Louis (STL)  

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 About Alaska Air Cargo and Hawaiian Air Cargo 

Together, Alaska Air Cargo and Hawaiian Air Cargo reach 110-plus cargo destinations around the world, including cities across Asia, the South Pacific and Europe. With more than 90 years of experience carrying vital shipments to remote communities, our air cargo teams share deep connections to the communities where we live, work and fly.