Anchorage travelers, as a group, have an entirely different travel experience from residents of Bush Alaska. This doesn't just apply to the type of aircraft, availability of discounted airfares or to the number of people on the plane with you.
Travelers to and from Bush Alaska must contend with freight -- and lots of it. That's because there is no overhead bin on a Cessna 207 for you to stow your new vacuum cleaner. And the neighborhood store in Aniak may have some things you need at the spur of the moment -- but it costs much more than in Anchorage.
"I lived in Bush Alaska for 30 years," said Jim Hickerson, president of Hageland Aviation, a unit of Ravn Alaska. "When we flew to Anchorage, we always would dedicate one day to shopping."
Of course, shopping is just part of the issue. Then, there's finding boxes, taping them up and sending them out on air freight, via the post office or checked baggage.
While shopping is an important part of trips to Anchorage, many Bush residents come to the city for other reasons, such as the Alaska Federation of Natives conference or "March Madness" high school basketball championship, which runs March 14-21.
This year, Northern Air Cargo, Costco and Ravn Alaska have teamed up to offer a "Shop 'n' Ship Night" on Monday, March 16, from 3-7 p.m. Ravn is also offering a 10 percent discount off airfares for travelers coming to Anchorage for the basketball tournament.
Urban dwellers in Anchorage are often shocked at how much it costs to fly supplies to destinations like Hooper Bay, Shishmaref or Akiachak. Those of us who drive on paved streets may complain that IKEA doesn't ship to Alaska, but we can drive over to Carrs and pick up some fresh strawberries at a moment's notice. Off the road system, that supply chain breaks down in a hurry.
Margaret Rogers, director of cargo services for Northern Air Cargo (NAC), said the idea for a streamlined shipping service surfaced years ago. Then, fresh discussions began in advance of last October's AFN convention, the largest convention that Anchorage hosts all year. "We launched the first Shop 'n' Ship Night all of a sudden. We learned a lot and now I think we're better prepared," she said.
High school basketball is very popular in Bush Alaska. So it made sense to host the one-day event when a large number of rural residents were in Anchorage for March Madness.
Here's how it works: Shoppers go to the Costco at 330 W. Dimond Blvd. in Anchorage between 3 and 7 p.m. on Monday, March 16. Costco has huge, thick boxes available for this special event (48 inches long, 40 inches wide and 30 inches high). The boxes are big enough to fit four full-sized tires in, or 179 gallons of milk -- or any combination. Shoppers could choose to pack the boxes full of vanilla ice cream or other frozen goods and mark "frozen" on the outside. Both NAC and Ravn have cold storage for frozen goods.
NAC is offering a flat rate for the boxes, ranging from $299 to $349. Based on the airline's tariffs, this flat rate scheme makes sense for shipments of 350 pounds or more. And, just to give you an idea of the size, Rogers said the heaviest box last October was 900 pounds. "We had fun doing the crush tests on these triple-walled boxes," said Rogers. "Finally, at 550 pounds, they started to buckle," she said. "They are very sturdy!"
Rogers said there is no other "flat rate" program like this with NAC. Hickerson said that Ravn has discounted its per-pound rates by about 8-10 percent. The actual rates vary from town to town, based on distance, he said.
Clearly, the incentive is to stuff the boxes full of essentials until there's not any more room. Once shoppers get to Costco, they load the big box onto one of the heavy-duty carts and wheel it around the store. Shoppers must be members of Costco to participate, and membership forms will be available. At the cash register, representatives from NAC and Ravn will check for alcohol, tobacco and hazardous materials. Of course, you cannot ship alcohol to dry villages.
Once shoppers buy everything, the box is packed, taped and loaded on to the waiting NAC truck. Shoppers receive one receipt for their merchandise and one for the air freight. NAC and Ravn claim the boxes will arrive at their final destination within six days. After checkout, there's no need to accompany the box to the airport or stand in line at the post office.
While the big boxes will fit comfortably on NAC's 737s, Hickerson of Ravn reserves the right to break down the boxes at the hub airports before shipping them on to the final destination on smaller planes. Depending on passenger or freight loads, the big boxes may not fit.
NAC ships from Anchorage to Barrow, Deadhorse, Unalakleet, Nome, Kotzebue, St. Mary's, McGrath, King Salmon, Dillingham, Bethel and Aniak. From those rural hubs (except Dillingham, King Salmon or McGrath), Ravn will take the boxes that need to go to the other villages. According to Hickerson, Ravn flies to more than 100 communities around the state.
Of course, Costco is not the only store frequented by rural shoppers. But this innovative, store-to-airport event offers rural residents a new spin on the concept of the "big box store." Further, these travelers will save some time and money in the process.
Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based marketing consultant, serving clients in the transportation, hospitality, media and specialty-destination sectors, among others. Contact him by email at zoom907@me.com. You can follow him on Twitter (@alaskatravelGRM) and alaskatravelgram.com. For more information, visit alaskatravelgram.com/about.