That is Chris Sloan in the cockpit of the Salmon-30-Salmon at Deadhorse / Prudhoe Bay Airport. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com
If you are an airline livery buff, then the Alaska Airlines Salmon-30-Salmon livery is probably on your top ten list (at least it should be). I have seen the outside of the aircraft a few times, but never got to actually fly in it. Recently, Chris Sloan with Airchive.com shared some photos of the interior and I was excited how it had a sea-theme to it and wanted to share.
Alaska Airlines “Salmon-30-Salmon” Boeing 737-400 Flight Deck. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com
From Airchive.com:
Alaska Airlines “Salmon-30-Salmon” Boeing 737-400 Cabin The “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon,” sporting the glimmering image of a wild Alaska king salmon, is among the world’s most intricately painted commercial airplanes. Complete with shiny scales, a dorsal fin and gills, the livery on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400 passenger aircraft is the result of a dedicated team of 30 painters working nearly nonstop for 24 days. The Boeing 737-400 aircraft has been in Alaska Airlines’s fleet since 1997 and was originally scheduled to be re-painted with Alaska’s traditional Eskimo livery. It was relaunched as “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon” in 2005. Salmon-30-Salmon in reference to a fluke incident that occurred March 30, 1987. After departure from Juneau, Alaska, a Boeing 737-200 hit a fish dropped by a Bald Eagle. Unlike many logojets, the “Salmon Jet” cabin features logo designs inside, in this case various forms of edible Alaskan sea life on the overhead bins. Alaska Airlines’s Boeing 737-400s feature 12 first class and 132 economy seats. These photos were taken on a Summer 2011 flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and Barrow.
Plaque in the salmon-30-salmon. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
The overhead bins have sea creatures. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
In case you do not know what kind of animals these are, they give you their names. Image: Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.
Alaska Airlines New Salmon-Thirty-Salmon, which will be put in service in the fall 2012. Image from Alaska. CLICK FOR LARGER.
The original Salmon-liveried 737 was painted over last year, but soon, the new Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II will be unveiled in Anchorage. Alaska Airlines tells AirlineReporter.com that the new aircraft will have a similar plaque, letting passengers know that they are on the world’s largest fish, but the sea creatures on the overhead bins will not be returning.
-
-
Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400 Combi (N764AS) arrives at Sea-Tac.
-
-
After landing, the captain brings out the lucky salmon.
-
-
24,300 pounds of salmon are unloaded from the Boeing 737-400 Combi.
-
-
The Chefs are ready to cook up the Salmon.
-
-
The Salmon-3-Salmon Boeing 737 (N792AS) was present to watch the event.
-
-
The salmon get fileted right after de-planing.
-
-
Judges try the different salmon dishes.
-
-
Medals are handed out – everyone is a winner.
All photos done by Tad Carlson/NYCAviation – Click any for larger view.
Today Seattle welcomed Alaska Air Cargo’s Boeing 737-400 Combi (N764AS), containing 12 tons of Copper River Salmon, which is a favorite of fish connoisseurs.
One lucky fish was donated by Ocean Beauty Seafood to be cooked up for Alaska Airline’s second annual Copper Chef Cook Off Competition. The large fish was carried off the plane by the captain and in the open market it would be worth about $1000.
Three Seattle area restaurants, Anthony’s, Elliott’s Oyster House and SkyCity at the Needle, did their best to wow the VIP judges. At the judging table were Jay Buhner, Seattle Mariner Hall of Famer, Mike Fourtner, deckhand on the F/V Time Bandit on the Discovery Channel’s ’œThe Deadliest Catch’ and Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of marketing.
Local Seattle celebrity John Curley provided humor and commentary while the cooks had 30 minutes to cook their best salmon. Although all three restaurants created delicious dishes for the judges and guests, Anthony’s held on to their title as Best Copper Chef of 2011.
The three recipes prepared for the Copper Chef Cook-off are available to download on Alaska’s website and fish lovers are encouraged to share their own favorite salmon recipes on Twitter, using the hashtag #CRsalmon.
Along with Alaska employees and invited media, Alaska MVP members who donated 75,000 miles to the Make-a-Wish foundation were invited to celebrate the arrival of the salmon and get a taste of each recipe.
Alaska Airlines is no stranger to flying seafood. Last year, they flew more than 22 million pounds of Alaskan seafood to the continental US, including almost 350 tons of Copper River Salmon.
“We’re proud to bring this prized, wild Copper River salmon to the Lower 48 and points beyond,” said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of marketing. “With enhanced food quality procedures and additional flights to support the Alaska seafood industry, we are going the extra mile to deliver fresh seafood throughout the country.”
This story was a joint effort between AirlineReporter.com and NYCAviation.com
