SEATTLE, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting tomorrow, Alaska Air Cargo expands its cargo lift capacity by 40 percent in the continental U.S. by utilizing the 71 Airbus aircraft that became part of the Alaska Airlines fleet as part of its merger with Virgin America. Alaska Air Cargo will utilize the belly space in these aircraft to provide customers with new shipping destinations and increased frequencies throughout the Alaska Airlines system.  

With millions of pounds of new aircraft capacity from coast-to-coast, customers can ship everything from fresh seafood to e-commerce purchases and other time-sensitive materials. Before the merger, Virgin America did not provide cargo service.

"Our goal is to create a hassle-free experience for our cargo customer and with additional capacity, we are delivering on that commitment," said Jason Berry, managing director for Alaska Air Cargo. "With our increased transcontinental connections originating across the west coast, we will be offering more frequency and reliability. Whether you are in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco or New York, you can count on Alaska Air Cargo to deliver."  

Alaska Air Cargo serves 93 destinations offering customers reliable cargo services and the competitive advantage of Alaska Airlines broad and enhanced flight network.

"I am very excited for the deployment of the Airbus fleet starting cargo service and can't wait to see what opportunities it brings," said Jennifer Parker, district manager for Lynden International.  "The increase in capacity across the network, and especially out of San Francisco, will help us develop our business and better service our existing customers. We can't wait to see what's ahead."

In addition to increased belly load capacity, Alaska Air Cargo recently upgraded their fleet to include three 737-700 retrofitted freighter aircraft. With the addition of a dedicated all-freighter fleet, Alaska Air Cargo provides reliable scheduled and drop-in service for 19 communities across Alaska; connecting them to the cargo hub in Seattle.

Alaska Air Cargo transports more than 170 million pounds of cargo annually—including seafood, mail and freight —and operates the most extensive air cargo operation on the U.S. West Coast of any passenger airline.

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 44 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 11 consecutive years from 2008 to 2018. Learn about Alaska's award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). 

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

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