~ by Maria Benner
We sold an oil painting on canvas to a couple that lives in Bellingham, WA, and the painting needed to be shipped there from Anchorage, AK. The problem was that the painting is 5ft x 4ft, and when Scott packaged it, the combined dimensions were just 4″ over the maximum size allowed by USPS, FedEx and UPS. So, we had to get quotes from other shippers like Matson, SpanAlaska, Lynden, etc. Again, there was a problem. They all asked what we wanted to ship, and then told us that they don’t ship original art. Okaaay, so we had to do more research. I checked with Alaska Airlines Cargo, and they don’t care if it’s an original oil painting, but then there was another problem. We could send the painting on a cargo plane to Seattle for a very reasonable rate, but in order for it to fly to Bellingham, we would need to apply for Known Shipper status with TSA, because that’s what you have to do in order to put cargo on a flight that also has passengers. This process would take a couple weeks, so we contacted our customers to tell them about the delay, and she told us that her uncle works for Alaska Airlines, and may agree to sign off on the shipment. Well, her uncle wasn’t very responsive. Probably because he was busy dealing with the Boeing Max 9 situation.
So, two weeks went by and we didn’t hear anything from TSA. Not being one to sit around and wait patiently, I started inquiring about our status. You cannot apply for Known Shipper status directly, a cargo carrier has to do it for you. We applied online through the Alaska Airlines Cargo website. TSA replied that they don’t talk to shippers directly, so I e-mailed Alaska Airlines, and they said TSA doesn’t tell them anything. About an hour later, we received an e-mail letting us know that our application had been approved! This was on Friday morning, and we still had time to mail the painting that afternoon. But nooooo, that would have been too easy.
Turns out we then had to create an account as a shipper with Alaska Airlines Cargo. Sounds easy enough, but after submitting the application online, we had to wait for it to be approved for several hours. So, we’d have to wait until Monday to mail the painting. Then I had to set up my username and password. There were problems with that too, because Alaska Airlines had just gotten a new computer system, and it was experiencing some glitches. After several e-mails back and forth with a cargo rep, I finally received the link to reset my password!
Finally, we could create the shipment online! But, for some reason we kept getting an error. The first customer service rep we called couldn’t figure out the problem and submitted a ticket for someone higher up the chain to help. We didn’t hear back for a couple hours, and as I mentioned earlier, I’m not the type to sit around and wait, so we called back, and this time the customer service rep figured out that the problem is that the plane from Seattle to Bellingham is not big enough to carry the painting! Turns out we didn’t have to wait two weeks to receive Known Shipper status after-all! I suppose it’s nice to have for future shipments though. So we called our customer and she was kind enough to agree to drive her truck to Seattle to pick up the painting.
We took the huge box to Alaska Airlines Cargo and made sure they put several “Fragile” stickers on it. We insured it for full value, crossed our fingers, and hoped for the best.
There is a tracking feature on the Alaska Airlines Cargo website, and we were able to track the painting’s every move. As I was checking its status the next day, I saw that it had been picked up by the customer, and then my phone rang. It was the customer service rep from Alaska Airlines calling to let me know the painting had been picked up. He said he had also been tracking it, and that this was the smoothest shipment he’s every seen. Our customer picked up the painting just a few minutes after it was unloaded.
We still couldn’t completely relax, because we didn’t know if the painting arrived in perfect condition. Our customers didn’t want to open it until the next day when they had more time. The next afternoon Scott received a text with a picture of the painting hanging in its intended place, above the fireplace where it fit absolutely perfectly. It arrived in perfect condition! We were all so happy! Thank you Alaska Airlines Cargo!
Real Art Is Better! 