Alaska Airlines embargoes Nome-bound freight ‘til further notice

Empty shelves at Nome’s grocery stores last week bore witness to a severe backlog of freight that didn’t make it to Nome for the holidays.
Starting last week, Alaska Air Cargo has stopped accepting new freight in Anchorage until their cargo backlog is cleared. Last week, Alaska Airlines cancelled two passenger flights: one due to a mechanical issue and the other because of crew. Freighter cancellations during the same week were caused by unexpected mechanical problems, while the previous week’s freighter cancellations were due to weather, Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tim Thompson told the Nugget. He said that two out of the five freighters are out of service due to mechanical issues.
Alaska Airlines implemented the embargo for priority and general cargo not only to Nome but also the other bush hubs of Dillingham, Kotzebue, Bethel and Utqiagvik, according to Thompson.
The embargo began December 17 and was to last through December 21, but was extended to an unspecified time. “We are currently taking it day by day and have no set date. We will open all freight options as soon as possible,” Thompson said in an email to the Nugget. 
Only GoldStreak packages and live animals will be accepted.
“This embargo enables us to prioritize moving existing freight already at Alaska Air Cargo facilities to these communities,” Thompson said.
Asked how Alaska Airlines prepares for added capacity during the holiday season and the increased shipping demand, Thompson said that Alaska Airlines prioritizes perishable freight, followed by “hard” freight and bypass mail. “Due to unexpected maintenance and weather, we’ve made the decision to rotate the freighter fleet to minimize impact. Where possible, we will belly-load freight on passenger aircraft, though this option is limited,” he said.
Other cargo airlines have stepped in to bring goods to Nome. Gideon Garcia, Vice President of Cargo Operations with NAC said that “all air carriers try to help out when things happen,” referring to the Alaska Airlines embargo on freight. Garcia said NAC saw higher than normal volumes of freight and that they have added extra flights. NAC is one of the four major aircraft carriers to move freight and mail throughout Alaska, including priority and bypass mail. He said NAC has one flight per day to Nome and if it so happens, just as on Tuesday morning, that it couldn’t fly to Nome due to ice fog, NAC would try to get in the flight later in the day.
As for Alaska Airlines, Thompson said that the freight restrictions will be lifted once the current backlog has been cleared. “We apologize to our customers who are impacted by the embargo,” he said.