Check out Alaska Airlines' new 'Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II' design

The new 'Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II' design for an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800. The new 'Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II' design for an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800. Photo: Alaska Airlines Photo: Alaska Airlines Image 1 of / 54 Caption Close Check out Alaska Airlines' new 'Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II' design 1 / 54 Back to Gallery

One of our favorite airplane paint jobs was Alaska Airlines' "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon," rolled out in 2005. Sadly, Alaska repainted that Boeing 737-400 in its traditional Eskimo scheme last year.

But an even bigger fish is set to take off this fall, Alaska Airlines and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute announced Monday. "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II" will be a Boeing 737-800 with a nearly 129-foot king salmon.

"In addition to sporting the glimmering image of a wild Alaska king salmon like the original 'Salmon-Thirty-Salmon,' the new design is about nine feet longer and also features fish scales on the winglets and a salmon-pink colored 'Alaska' script across the fuselage," Alaska Airline said in a news release.

To mark the occasion, we've brought back our gallery of unusual airplane paint jobs (see that above).

"This airplane celebrates Alaska Airlines' unique relationship with the people and communities of Alaska and underscores our air transport commitment to the state's seafood industry," Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines' regional vice president of the state of Alaska, said in the release. "Because the new design will be featured on a larger 737-800, this 91,000-pound king will boldly promote the world's finest seafood from the Hawaiian Islands to Boston and beyond."

About half of the country's total seafood catch comes from Alaska fisheries, according to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. Last year, Alaska Airlines flew nearly 25 million pounds of seafood from Alaska to markets in the United States, Mexico and Canada, often delivering the catch within 24 hours.

"Alaska Airlines has a long history of supporting the Alaska seafood industry, and this special plane celebrates that commitment," institute Executive Director Ray Riutta said. "We're proud to partner with the state's hometown airline."

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