Alaska Airlines and the Seattle (SEA) airport announced a first for both this week: Nonstop flights to Rome (FCO) beginning in 2026.
The brand-new route, announced in a press release from Alaska Tuesday, will be both the airport's first-ever nonstop flight to Rome and Alaska and Hawaiian's first nonstop flight to Europe. Alaska previously announced its plans to fly across the other pond to both Tokyo-Narita (NRT) and Seoul (ICN).
Alaska's flight to Rome is scheduled to take off sometime in May 2026, with flights expected to go on sale later this fall. At the outset, the flights will operate four times a week on Hawaiian's fancy new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners with the Leihōkū Suites lie-flat seats in the front of the plane.
It'll be Alaska and Hawaiian's third long-haul destination from Seattle after beginning flights to Japan last month and a nonstop route to Seoul set to begin Sept. 12.
From Aer Lingus to Turkish and Virgin Atlantic, plenty of carriers fly to Europe and beyond out of Seattle … but not Alaska, the airport's largest carrier. Its recent merger with Hawaiian Airlines has brought widebody planes into the fold to make that a reality.
So, why start with Rome? Many airlines start out with bigger hubs like Amsterdam (AMS), London-Heathrow (LHR), or Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) for their first forays across the pond. According to a release from Alaska Airlines, Rome is “one of the most-requested destinations for Mileage Plan members” and is the largest European destination not already served by nonstop flights from Seattle.
“Rome has been at the top of our list ever since we announced our new global gateway out of Seattle,” said Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Airlines in release. “Our guests have been asking for an easy way to get to Italy for years, and we're thrilled to provide it to the people in the Northwest and beyond.”
There could be more to it than customers clamoring for a nonstop to Italy.
For starters, securing the slots to fly to those larger European cities can be a major headache. Plus, Alaska might be trying to beat its primary competitors in the Pacific Northwest – Delta Air Lines – to the punch with a nonstop.
Delta already flies from Seattle to London, Amsterdam, and Paris – plus a handful of cities over in Asia. By flying to Rome instead, Alaska can have the route to itself.
Alaska will use its more than 100 connecting destinations in Seattle to fill planes to Rome with travelers from across the country. Clearly, they also hope to attract some Europeans looking to visit the West Coast and beyond. In the release, Alaska touted connecting through Seattle as one of the most direct ways to fly from Europe to Hawaii.
If you want the heads up when flights go on sale, you can register at alaskaair.com/rome.
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines will fly nonstop to Rome (FCO) for the first time starting in 2026, the airline announced.
The flight will be the airline's first foray into Europe and Seattle's first-ever flight to Italy.
