Alaska Airlines is making the final touches in preparation for the launch of its first-ever transatlantic long-haul flight from Seattle to Europe with the start of a summer seasonal route to Rome, Italy, which will take off early on Tuesday evening.
Flight AS-180 (which, until about a month ago, was being used for a 45-minute hop from Spokane to Seattle) will depart SeaTac International Airport at around 5:30 pm on April 28 for the overnight flight to Rome Fiumicino Airport.
The flight will use one of Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which still has the original Hawaiian Airlines interior but has been repainted in the new Alaska ‘Global Livery’, which features Northern Lights-inspired paintwork on the tailfin and body.
While Alaska Airlines is already operating long-haul, intercontinental flights to Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan, the route launch on Tuesday marks a totally new era for the carrier.
Rather than simply taking over destinations that were previously served by Hawaiian Airlines before they merged, Rome is the start of Alaska’s own global expansion.
The aim is to turn Seattle into a new global hub, with 12 international, long-haul destinations set to be launched within the next four years. Up next is London Heathrow, which is set to launch on May 21, and then Reykjavik, Iceland, from May 28.
The other long-haul destinations that Alaska Airlines plans to launch in the next few years remain a mystery… well, maybe.
In preparation for the launch of its new route between Seattle and Rome, the carrier just released its first-ever in-flight safety video, which features well-known locations in Seattle as well as global destinations around the world.
Destinations highlighted in the video included London, Rome, Tokyo, Seoul, and Sydney. All destinations that Alaska Airlines already serves or plans to serve, except for Sydney.
It’s not like Alaska Airlines included a whole plethora of other destinations in the video, so the inclusion of Sydney would strongly suggest that the carrier plans to announce its intention to serve the Australian city at some point in the near future.
Presumably, Alaska Airlines could serve Rome as a northern hemisphere summer seasonal route and Sydney as a southern hemisphere summer seasonal route. The Rome route is set to end on October 23, 2026, so a potential flight from Seattle to Sydney could open up shortly after this.
Given that Alaska Airlines is currently using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that were originally delivered to Hawaiian Airlines, the plane interiors are geared towards a leisure-oriented market.
Alaska Airlines has just 34 Business Class suites available on these planes, no Premium Economy cabin, and a massive Economy cabin, featuring 266 seats. With the push towards more premium experiences and premium cabins driving transatlantic ticket sales, Alaska Airlines may need to consider this configuration sooner rather than later.
By the Fall, however, the entire Alaska Airlines Dreamliner fleet will be outfitted with fast and free Starlink internet, giving the airline a competitive edge over even the likes of United Airlines, which is concentrating its Starlink rollout on narrowbody aircraft.
