Alaska Airlines is continuing its long-haul international expansion out of Seattle (SEA), announcing on Tuesday daily nonstop service to London-Heathrow (LHR) and seasonal nonstop flights to Reykjavik (KEF) starting next spring.
And they'll cross the pond to London with a new look. Following its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and the carrier's own Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the Seattle-based airline unveiled a brand-new, Alaska-branded paint job on those widebody jets with an Aurora Borealis theme and a “palette of deep midnight blues and lush emerald greens.”
Decked out with snazzy business class suites, those 787s are the fanciest jets in Alaska and Hawaiian's combined fleet and a crucial part of Alaska's long-haul ambitions. Alaska said it'll repaint the entire fleet with that new blue-and-green look by next spring. It's unclear whether the carrier is planning any changes to the interior of those Dreamliners.
But the bigger news is that Alaska is putting a pair of additional pins down on the other side of the Atlantic.
London & Reykjavik Calling
Sometime next spring, Alaska will begin nonstop flights from Seattle to London-Heathrow on the 787.
That new route will operate daily and year-round. It'll be a competitive route: Delta and Virgin Atlantic both operate near-daily flights from the Pacific Northwest hub. Alaska's Oneworld partner, British Airways, offers two flights a day to London. But Alaska's membership in the Oneworld alliance will help passengers connect onwards on British Airways – a partnership the airline expects “to deepen over time,” according to the release.
While the big 787 Dreamliners will fly to London, Alaska plans to use one of its 737-8 MAX narrowbody planes to fly to Reykjavik (KEF) next year. Starting sometime in the spring, the flights will operate daily through the summer. Icelandair already offers daily nonstop service to Reykjavik, with the route even extending into the winter months.
It's unclear exactly when both new routes will commence or go on sale.
Alaska is on a tear adding long-haul destinations to its network after its acquisition of Hawaiian last year brought widebody jets into the fold. The airline began nonstop flights to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) earlier this year and will add Seoul (ICN) to the map next month. Alaska previously announced Rome (FCO) as its first transatlantic destination, with service expected to begin in May 2026.
Alaska Airlines says it plans to serve 12 “intercontinental” destinations by 2030
Hawaiian A330 Refresh Coming
Finally, Alaska and Hawaiian confirmed they will retrofit Hawaiian's older A330 aircraft that currently flying between the mainland U.S. and the islands.
While the press release only committed to an update “over the next few years”, the airline promised “new interiors with updated lie-flat seats, a new premium economy cabin, and upgraded main cabin seats.”
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines just keeps adding long-haul destinations to its wish list, announcing service from Seattle (SEA) to both London-Heathrow (LHR) and Reykjavik (KEF) starting next spring – including flights to the U.K. on a jet with a brand-new look.
The airline's global expansion out of Seattle is expected to reach at least five total long-haul routes by next summer, with plans for up to a dozen by the end of the decade.
Featured image courtesy of Alaska Airlines
