In 2017, Alaska Airlines will phase out its five Boeing 737-400 “combi” planes that move cargo and passengers primarily around Alaska.
The five combi planes have flown around the state — Seattle is the only stop they make Outside — since 2007. Each has space for 72 passengers in the back half of the plane and 6,000 pounds of cargo in the front. These planes were introduced to the fleet to replace several 737-200s, offering the ability to carry 20 percent more cargo and passengers.
They will be replaced with three Boeing 737-700s, which will be converted from all-passenger planes to freighters. It’s part of a broader plan to phase out all 26 of the 737-400s in the Alaska Airlines fleet and move toward more fuel-efficient planes.
The work to retrofit those three 700s will start in February. The change is meant to improve the airline’s cargo service in Alaska.
“It will allow us to offer a cargo schedule that better serves the cargo needs of the communities we serve in the state of Alaska,” said spokeswoman Halley Knigge.
She said, however, that the change isn’t driven by heightened demand for air cargo services within the state.
Alaska Airlines Senior Vice President of Communications Joe Sprague told the Associated Press earlier this year that the move is “an opportunity for us to step up our game from a cargo standpoint.”
These flights currently operate among Anchorage, Ketchikan, Kotzebue, Bethel, Juneau, Sitka, Nome and Seattle. Combi flights between cities in the southern part of the state are more frequent than those to cities like Kotzebue and Nome.
Knigge said because the transition is still far off, it’s not yet clear how schedules and passenger service might be affected.
Alaska Dispatch News
Southwest Airlines 31 overruns runway at Nashville
NASHVILLE, TN (KTRK) —
A Southwest Airlines flight from Houston to Nashville went off the runway this evening.
It happened at around 5:30pm at Nashville International Airport. A tire had either blown or collapsed. Three ambulances responded as a precaution.
It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was injured.
The FAA released a statement tonight, which reads, “Southwest Airlines 31, a Boeing 737 aircraft, rolled off a taxiway into the grass and got stuck while taxiing to its gate at Nashville International Airport at 5:30 pm Central Time. Passengers left the aircraft via stairs and were bussed to the terminal. The flight just landed from Houston Hobby Airport. The FAA is investigating.”
ABC 13
Emergency crews responded to a Southwest Airlines Jet that rolled off the taxiway at Nashville International Airport.
According to the Nashville fire department, the plane rolled off the taxiway after landing Tuesday evening. Three people were taken to the hospital, according to the Nashville Fire Department.
The plane was en route to Nashville from Houston Hobby Airport.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines said that 133 passengers and five crewmembers were on-board the aircraft. The accident happened at about 5:30 p.m. as the plane was approaching the gate.
“The safety of our customers and employees remains our primary focus, ” the airline said in a statement Tuesday evening.
NBC DFW
Southwest Airlines flight 987 has wing canoe issues
SAN ANTONIO — A Southwest Airlines flight has made an emergency landing in San Antonio after a part on the wing appeared to be at an “irregular angle.”
The airline said flight 987 from Austin to Harlingen landed safely in San Antonio with no injuries to the 109 passengers and five crew members.
Southwest says it has removed the aircraft from service for further inspection.
The problem part is what is called a “flap track canoe fairing,” which is a canoe shaped piece attached to the underside of the wing that reduces drag.
Another aircraft was deployed to fly the passengers on to Harlingen about two hours late.
CBS News