Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 passenger jets parked at C Concourse gates at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Alaska Airlines will offer new nonstop flights from Seattle to Europe, adding to its growing list of intercontinental destinations from its hometown.
The new destinations — Athens, Greece, and Paris — mark Alaska’s sixth and seventh nonstop long-haul routes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and are part of the carrier’s long-term goal to turn Seattle into a “global gateway,” with plans to introduce at least 12 new trans-Pacific routes by 2030.
Since announcing that plan in December 2024, Alaska has added nonstop flights from Seattle to Tokyo-Narita, Seoul, London, Rome and Reykjavik.
The ambitious expansion plan is fueled in part by Alaska Air Group’s recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, which added a fleet of widebody planes and new resources to Alaska’s arsenal. Alaska Air Group now includes Alaska, Hawaiian, regional carrier Horizon Air and ground support company McGee Air Services.
The first routes added to Alaska’s Seattle offerings — Tokyo-Narita and Seoul — tapped into Hawaiian’s widebody fleet, which can fly farther than Alaska’s previously all-narrowbody fleet, and the infrastructure Hawaiian had already set up at those airports. Since then, Air Group has continued to grow its fleet of widebody planes with new deliveries of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
Alaska announced its Athens and Paris expansion and began selling tickets Thursday.
Alaska is picking its new routes based on customer demand, said Eric Edge, vice president of brand and marketing at the SeaTac-headquartered airline. Paris and Athens are among the cities that are most requested and most searched for by Alaska customers.
There’s a lot more to come, but these are the most in-demand cities that we’re excited to service,” Edge said.
Both routes announced Thursday will be seasonal.
The nonstop flight to Athens International Airport will operate three times per week and will be available from May 12 through October. The flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport will operate five times per week and will be available from May 25 through October.
Once up and running, Alaska will be the first airline to offer nonstop service from Seattle to Athens, the airline said Thursday. With a trip that lasts over 13 hours, it will be the longest route Alaska has ever flown, the company said.
Both routes will be operated with Alaska’s fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Alaska aimed to pay homage to the new destinations when picking the route’s flight numbers, the company said in a news release Thursday. Flight AS196 to Athens is a nod to the city’s history as the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, while flight AS136 to Paris represents the city’s 136 museums.
The new routes are further fueling a turf war between Alaska and Delta, the carrier that accounts for the second-highest share of passengers flying to and from Sea-Tac airport.
Just as Alaska has announced its international expansion plans, Delta has been ramping up its international offerings, including some routes that directly compete with Alaska’s new offerings. Most recently, Delta announced it would add a nonstop flight from Seattle to Tokyo-Narita, matching a route Alaska added last year.
Asked about the competition, Edge said Alaska’s recent growth — seven new intercontinental routes in less than two years — speaks for itself.
“To have that kind of momentum, as an airline, is super exciting,” Edge said. “There’s only one hometown airline, and that’s us.
Also on Thursday, Alaska announced a new, multiyear partnership with Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. As part of the campaign, Darnold will appear in Alaska’s commercials and billboards. Select flights will also be renamed “Flight 1414,” a nod to Darnold’s jersey number, and passengers onboard will receive an automatic 1,414 points through Alaska’s loyalty program, Atmos Rewards.
“Seattle has already made me feel at home, and partnering with Alaska is a great way to celebrate the city and the people who make it special,” Darnold said in a statement. “What I like about this campaign is that it brings together football, Alaska employees, local fans and the places this airline is helping connect Seattle to around the world.”