Alaska Air Forwarding

What Alaska Air Forwarding does

Alaska Air Forwarding is a privately held air freight forwarder founded in 1965 (originally as a buying service for Alaska fishermen by Wayne Hendricks, later renamed Arctic Air Freight in 1969 and Alaska Air Forwarding in 1988 under Bill Ferrari and partner). The company operates from Tukwila, WA with offices in Anchorage and Dutch Harbor, and provides door-to-door shipping services to and from Alaska via a 500-agent partner network plus its own fleet of transportation.

The service mix includes air freight forwarding, heavy lift cargo (5,000-10,000+ lbs with no weight restrictions), remote Alaska delivery to bush communities such as Little Diomede, Kwigillingok, Chignik, and Dutch Harbor, and Haz-Mat handling supported by an on-staff professional. Tiered service levels span Next Flight same-day, Priority overnight, Standard 2-3 days, Economy 3-5 days, Hot Shot Regional, and Charter aircraft options, with intermodal combinations through the Freight Management Services division and international forwarding routed through sister company World Cargo International Services. Specialty verticals include commercial fishing (the original and primary segment), construction & engineering, entertainment & production, government (DOD and GSA approved, SCAC AKAW, Syncada-enabled), and just-in-time manufacturing/inventory shipments.

Revenue is generated on a quote-based transaction-fee model with pay-as-you-go billing across tiers and special tariff rates for ongoing shippers. Customer acquisition is sales-led via a 24/7 live phone line (800-426-0004), website quote forms, and inbound inquiries; insurance is coordinated through Fireman's Fund. The company has not raised institutional capital, employs 11-50 people, remains founder/operator-controlled (now under Bill Ferrari's sons since 2022), and reports no public revenue or profitability data.

Name

Alaska Air Forwarding

Legal name

Alaska Air Forwarding, Inc.

Website

https://alaskaaircargo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alaska Air Forwarding is a privately held, Seattle-based air freight forwarder founded in 1965 that ships time-sensitive cargo to and from Alaska for commercial fishing, construction, entertainment, government, and manufacturing clients, specializing in heavy-lift freight and remote bush-community delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Oversized / Out-of-Gauge & Heavy-Lift Air Freight (Aircraft Constraints, Special Handling) (TLACAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charter Air Freight Forwarding (Full/Part Charter, ACMI Brokerage) (TLACAAAC), Time-Critical & AOG (Aircraft on Ground) Specialized Forwarding (TLACAJAI), Air–Road Intermodal Forwarding (TLACAEAE)

Keywords

• Air freight forwarding
• Heavy lift cargo
• Remote Alaska shipping
• International freight services
• Logistics forwarding

Headquarters

HQ city

Tukwila

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Air Freight Forwarding Services: Primary revenue stream from air freight forwarding services shipping cargo to and from Alaska, including heavy lift cargo, remote Alaska shipping, and international freight through sister company World Cargo International.
2. Service Tiers: Multiple service levels including Priority (overnight), Standard (2-3 days), Economy (3-5 days), Next Flight (same day/next morning), Charter, Hot Shot Regional, and Intermodal services generating revenue through differentiated pricing.
3. Additional Services: Revenue from packing & crating, shipment consolidation, hazardous materials handling, insurance coordination (through Fireman's Fund), and nationwide/worldwide purchase order procurement services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Alaska Air Forwarding provides air freight forwarding services with specialization in heavy lift cargo and shipping to remote Alaska destinations. The company arranges domestic and international air cargo transport for commercial fishing, construction, entertainment, government, and manufacturing clients, operating from headquarters in Tukwila (Seattle), WA with additional offices in Anchorage and Dutch Harbor.

Product overview

Alaska Air Forwarding is a full-service air freight forwarder offering a comprehensive suite of shipping services to and from Alaska since 1965. The core product is Air Freight Forwarding Services, complemented by specialized modules including Heavy Lift Air Cargo (handling shipments with no weight restrictions), Remote Alaska Shipping (accessing areas like Little Diomede Island), International Freight Shipping via World Cargo International Services, and industry-specific services for Commercial Fishing, Construction & Engineering, and Entertainment & Production sectors. Additional offerings include Government Approved Freight Shipping, tiered Service Levels (Priority, Standard, Economy, Next Flight, Charter), Intermodal Shipping, and Shipment Tracking. The company operates its own fleet with a network of 500 partner agents throughout the United States and globally, providing door-to-door service with 24/7 live customer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Freight Forwarding

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered 4,200 lb motors to Cordova, Alaska within 48 hours
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• American Red CrossminorOthers · 1 December 2025Alaska Air Forwarding assisted the Red Cross relief effort for Typhoon Halong flood victims by shipping cots to shelters for displaced people in Western Alaska.
• World Cargo Alliance (WCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with World Cargo Alliance - one of the largest freight forwarding networks globally. Alaska Air Forwarding displays the WCA logo prominently on their website indicating a core partnership providing access to the global freight forwarding network.
• World Cargo InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister company and international division of Alaska Air Forwarding. Handles worldwide shipping services including ocean and air export/import from Seattle to Singapore and all points between. Specializes in project cargo and oversize/out-of-gauge shipments.
• At Sea Processors AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partnership supporting commercial fishing industry. Company originally founded in 1965 as a buying service for the fishing industry.
• Pacific Seafood Processors AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partnership supporting seafood processing industry in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Everts Air Cargo / Everts Air Alaska: Anchorage-based cargo airline serving Alaska with scheduled and charter lift, including heavy/oversized freight — a direct competitor for AAF's core air-freight book.
• Lynden Air Cargo: Alaska-based air cargo carrier and logistics provider serving remote communities, fishing, construction, and resource industries — directly comparable niche and customer base to Alaska Air Forwarding.
• Northern Air Cargo: Scheduled and charter air cargo operator specializing in Alaska and remote-area freight; overlaps with AAF on heavy-lift, charter, and remote-village deliveries.

Broad incumbents

• Expeditors International: Global air and ocean freight forwarder; relevant as a broad incumbent competitor for Alaska trade lanes and international cross-border freight moving through the same networks.
• FedEx Custom Critical / FedEx Trade Networks: FedEx's expedited surface/air and freight forwarding arms compete for time-sensitive and oversized shipments; broad incumbent in the freight arrangement space Alaska Air Forwarding also occupies.
• UPS Supply Chain Solutions (including UPS Air): Global integrator offering air freight forwarding and time-critical air services; competes for higher-volume, less-specialized Alaska-bound freight where customers trade off specialty for scale.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Top-tier global freight forwarder with strong airfreight and project-cargo capabilities; competes for international Alaska-related export/import and oversized project freight via sister company World Cargo International.
• Alaska Airlines Cargo: Largest scheduled belly-cargo capacity into Alaska via passenger flights; competes with AAF for general air freight but cannot serve heavy-lift or remote-village specialty the same way.

Emerging players

• Worldwide Express / Unishippers: Mid-market freight broker/3PL providing multi-modal services to SMBs; overlaps with AAF's small/medium shipper segment where customers may weigh tech-enabled quoting against AAF's human-service specialty.

Regional players

• Ravn Air Group / Grant Aviation Cargo: Regional bush carriers operating into remote Alaska communities — compete for last-mile remote freight and the same remote-village customer segments AAF serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AlaskaAirCargo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alaska-air-forwarding

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alaska Air Forwarding