Alaska Airline’s new cargo-in-cabin 737-900

(CNN) — The worldwide pandemic has created a new aviation pattern regarded as “preighter” flights, in which airlines retrofit their passenger cabins to keep deals rather of passengers, to maximize their total cargo ability.

With the holiday break season approaching, Alaska Air Cargo has joined the fray, introducing an Alaska Airlines 737-900 passenger aircraft with seats that now serve as stowage containers. Alaska’s retrofitted plane’s cargo flights initial took off in late November.

Alaska Air Cargo enlisted HAECO Cabin Alternatives, a division of HAECO, a world-wide business that provides plane engineering and servicing companies, to retrofit a one Alaska airlines passenger aircraft for cargo-only flights. HAECO Cabin Alternatives models have also been used by Cathay Pacific.

Alaska Air Cargo's Load Agents insure packages are stowed safely in the passenger cabin of their retrofitted 737-900.

Alaska Air Cargo’s Load Brokers insure packages are stowed safely in the passenger cabin of their retrofitted 737-900.

Courtesy Alaska Air Cargo

In accordance to a push release, “Our groups have been performing considering the fact that spring to determine the most secure and most productive procedures to maximize our cargo capacity,” mentioned Torque Zubeck, handling director of Alaska Air Cargo. “HAECO’s style and design will allow for us to optimize the obtainable space, boost our cargo ability and secure the provide chain by connecting vital cargo to the communities we provide throughout this public wellbeing crisis.”

Each and every reconfigured 737-900 flight can have up to 30,000 pounds, together with storage in the aircraft’s belly, filling “the major cabin passenger seats with an extra 13,500 lbs of cargo on major of what a passenger-only cargo flight can carry.”

The crew for these flights incorporates two pilots and two Cargo Load Brokers who, as said in the push release, “supply oversight of loading, ensure suitable tagging, cargo integrity, give hearth suppression if necessary, and make guaranteed cargo is safe and protected inside of the in-seat bundle stowage method.”