Alaska Airlines’ global footprint is growing again. Last year, Career unveiled new services from Seattle, his hometown hub to three overseas destinations: Tokyo, Seoul and Rome. Now it’s adding two more envious landing spots.
Starting in spring 2026, Alaska will add a transatlantic route from Seattle. Every day, year-round flights to London and seasonal summer services to Reykjavik, Iceland. This is part of a massive international push after the airline acquired Hawaiian Airlines in September 2024 (the Hawaiian A330 and Boeing Dreamliner fleet is longer than what Alaska had in the fleet before the merger).
“Alaska realised that there was a real opportunity at Seattle’s home base,” travel expert Gary Leff, founder of Wing From the Wing, told Afar. “Customers don’t have to leave when they travel abroad, including Delta, the major competitor in that market.”
Service to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) operates on the 787-9 Dreamliner, with 34 enclosed suites with seating fully lying in business class, 79 premium economy seats in 79 legroom premium economy seats, 34 enclosed suites with 187 economic seats, and 187 economic seats (Hawaiians are promoted in 2024, but Hawaiians are the same plain). Meanwhile, the itinerary at Iceland’s Keflavik Airport (KEF) runs daily at 737 Max 8. This is a narrow body plane offering 12 recryers with a top-class cabin, 30 premium class seats and 115 economy seats.
Both flight routes will begin in May 2026, with the new Roman route in Alaska scheduled to debut in the same month (starting in May 2025 and Seoul will begin on September 12, 2025).
Alaska Airlines says it plans to provide at least 12 intercontinental flight routes from Seattle by 2030.
“The big winners so far in Alaska Airlines’ merger with Hawaiian are neither Alaska nor Hawaiian. It’s Seattle.” “Northwest Hub enjoys a new route to long distance destinations.”
Alaska has long had extensive partnerships with other airlines (customers can use Alaska Miles on One World carriers such as American Airlines and British Airways, as well as airlines with alliance carriers like Condor and Iceland) have acquired Widebody Fleet through the purchase of Hawaiian airlines.
“They are beginning to fill in route maps that serve customers fly, but they didn’t use them to take them,” Lev said. “London makes sense as it is one of the most profitable and important business markets in the world. Reykjavik is a destination that can be reached with the smaller Boeing 737 Max. It’s cheaper to fly, fewer passengers to make money, and it’s a summer seasonal route.”
In addition to the announcement of the new route, Alaska shared a new design for the colouring of the 787-9 aircraft. Instead of the Native Americans seen for ten years on the tail of the Alaskan fleet, the special edition of painting work, reserved for Alaskan long-distance dream liners, is a wavy band of deep blue and electric greens, echoing the Aurora Borealis and nods to the state of the same name in the career.
