Cargo is unloaded and passengers step off a 737-400 combi in Anchorage.īefore Boeing combis joined our fleet in 1966, Alaska had a long history of carrying a mix of people and cargo – from cows to cars, and anything else they could fit through the doors of our aircraft. This horse is comforted as Alaska Airlines personnel ready its container for loading onboard the Boeing 737-400 freighter in Seattle. A special horse stall was created for the 737-200C. On a crisp, clear winter day in Anchorage, a pallet of cargo is about to be loaded onto an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400C. A freight pallet is loaded onboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-200C in Alaska. Cargo is unloaded from an Alaska Airlines 737-200 in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, with Mount Ballyhoo in the background. Alaska Airlines ramp service agents push a freight pallet into position onboard a Boeing 737-200 at SeaTac. Mid 1990s: As the sun sets in a pink glow, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-200 crosses the icy taxiway in Nome, Alaska. This combi was capable of carrying cargo as well as up to 111 passengers. 1982: A Boeing 737-200C is unloaded as the sun rises at noon in the winter skyline of Kotzebue, Alaska. In 1981, Alaska Airlines acquired the first of what would eventually become a fleet of nine Boeing 737-200QC combis – the QC stands for “quick change” because it featured a movable partition, which allowed it to add or remove seats based on how much cargo and how many passengers. Early 1970s: Supplies and materials are unloaded from an Alaska 727-100 “Combi” freighter onto a flatbed truck for transport to one of the many pipeline drilling camps in Prudhoe Bay, supporting exploration of oil and gas. All three jets were C models, built primarily as “combi” aircraft to accommodate passengers and cargo. 1964: Charlie Willis, president and first CEO of Alaska Airlines from 1957 to 1972, ordered three Boeing 727-100s. 1950s: A Douglas DC-4 is loaded with cargo. Early 1950s: A cow waits to be transported onto a Douglas DC-4, the “Starliner Matanuska,” at Paine Field. 1948: A BMW Isetta is loaded into a Douglas DC-4. “We will be able to continue to serve all of the communities we have served previously and we will be able to offer more lift, more capacity and run on a schedule that is ideal for our cargo customers.” The evolution of the combi Late 1940s: A flight attendant helps load cargo into a Douglas DC-3 through the doorway just behind the flight deck. “Although we are sad to see them go we are excited to bring these new freighters to the state of Alaska,” Berry said. They will have 20 percent more cargo capacity, and passengers will now fly separately in new Boeing 737s. The new 737-700 freighters are the first ever to be converted from passenger jet to cargo plane. “As we modernize our fleet we have to make those tough decisions and knew it was time to find new solutions.” “It’s bittersweet to see their run come to an end, but they were due to retire,” said Jason Berry, Alaska Air Cargo managing director. The combis will likely live out their remaining years as converted freighters with outside parties. One freighter is already actively in service up in Anchorage and two additional cargo planes are still undergoing the conversion process.Īll the new freighters are expected to be in service by the end of the year. Out with the old, in with the newĪfter a decade of demanding treks, the five 737-400 combis will be replaced by three dedicated 737-700 freighters. to have combi planes, so any flight crews that have had the opportunity to work on this plane are now a part of aviation history. From those locations, smaller airplanes usually deliver the cargo and passengers to dozens of nearby villages.Īlaska Airlines is the only major airline in the U.S. The Milk Run is a daily circuit of Alaska Airlines flights that leave Anchorage and stop about every 45 minutes to deliver goods to towns in Southeast Alaska. “It’s how a lot of communities in Alaska thrive and how the Lower 48 gets most of its seafood.” “The best part about these combis is they get sensitive cargo like fish to where it needs to go in plenty of time,” he said. Olson’s coolers of freshly caught silver salmon were stored in the front of the plane, and arrived to Seattle in time for them to still have that straight-off-the-boat taste, like they have every time, he said. On a special route coined “The Milk Run” (it’s literally how people get their milk), Flight 66 flew from Anchorage to Cordova to Yakutat to Juneau earlier this month.
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