New US airline Northern Pacific Airways unveils its first Boeing 757 — and big ambitions
America’s newest airline is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Anchorage-based Northern Pacific Airways on Tuesday revealed its livery on its first Boeing 757-200 at hangar event in San Bernardino, California.
The most important thing about the livery, designed by Edmond Huot, is how it symbolizes Northern Pacific’s Alaska home, CEO Rob McKinney told TPG in an interview.
“I had really only left the designer with two instructions,” he said. “One is that I wanted to make sure everyone understood we're an Alaskan company and we're about Alaska and we care about Alaska. And then the other thing was I wanted to be cool and edgy, and I want it be one of those airplanes that when it taxis by everyone goes, 'ooh!'.”
Northern Pacific aims to be the Icelandair of the Pacific — selling stopovers in Anchorage as the airline brings travelers between the U.S. and Asia. It plans a low-cost carrier model that it expects to launch in the third or fourth quarter of 2022, McKinney said.
The airline is eyeing five destinations in the lower 48 states: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York and Orlando. In Asia, Northern Pacific hopes to operate to Tokyo, Seoul, Nagoya and Osaka.
Given that Japan and Korea are still closed to tourism, McKinney said his plans are fluid.
“Obviously we're going to have to pivot based on the timing of the reopening and, you know, there might be a pivot on timing. There might be a pivot on destinations, but, you know, that's just not something we can control, but this is a long lead time endeavor.”
The first of nine aircraft that Northern Pacific has acquired, registered N627NP, began its life in 1995 with USAir. The aircraft remained in service with USAir, which later became US Airways and then merged with American Airlines. It remained in service until American retired its fleet of Boeing 757s at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aircraft features fuel-saving winglets and Rolls-Royce RB211 jet engines.
Beyond the nine already secured, McKinney hopes to acquire another three 757s for the airline’s launch.
The airline is targeting a capacity of about 180 seats in its 757s. It’ll feature a three-cabin layout, with about 12 first class seats, as well as premium economy and economy class.
McKinney is currently CEO of Ravn Alaska, an airline purchased out of bankruptcy in 2020. Ravn operates regional turbo-prop flights around Alaska and is being used as a platform to launch Northern Pacific. Each carrier will operate as its own brand under the same operating certificate.
“Ravn Alaska is essentially the same air carrier as will be Northern Pacific,” he said.
The airline plans to use Ravn’s cryptocurrency-based loyalty program, FlyCoin, and assume its interline agreements. Most notably, Ravn currently partners with Alaska Airlines.
“You can either buy future travel with your cryptocurrency, or you can put it on the exchange and trade it to some other kind of cryptocurrency, you can trade it back into fiat money,” he said. McKinney said they’re hoping for an agreement that will even allow merchants at the Ted Stevens Airport in Anchorage to accept FlyCoin as a form of payment.
More: How a pilot shortage could leave travelers with higher fares and fewer options
One potential obstacle to Northern Pacific’s launch is the ongoing pilot shortage. McKinney said he plans to target pilots who were forced into early retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eventually, McKinney says he hopes to vertically integrate the pilot pipeline between Ravn, Northern Pacific and FLOAT Shuttle, another one of his aviation ventures.
“So you'll have from the right seat of a [Cessna] Caravan to the left seat of a Boeing going international, a one-stop shop for your whole career and we’ll be kind of our, our own pilot mill."
McKinney himself is a licensed pilot and has a love for the 757. He hopes one day to get a type rating that allows him to fly the jet.
“I will be sad if I end up going to my grave and I don’t have a 757 type and I ran a 757 airline,” he said.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.