Sign up for our newsletter and get our latest content in your inbox.
Alaska Airlines has crossed the Atlantic for the first time, launching a new nonstop flight from Seattle to Rome and opening the carrier’s first route to Europe.
The seasonal daily service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Rome Fiumicino began on April 28 and runs through October 23. With the launch of the route, Alaska is offering the first-ever nonstop connection between Seattle and Rome.
Photo: Ingrid Barrentine/Alaska Airlines
The new flight 180, operating on the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, departs Seattle at 5:30 p.m. and arrives in Rome at 1:15 p.m. the following day. The return service leaves Rome at 3:25 p.m. and lands in Seattle at 5:45 p.m.
Rome is Alaska’s first stop into Europe
The Rome launch marks a major shift for Alaska, which has long been a US domestic carrier. The airline first announced plans to turn its Seattle home into a global hub in 2024, following its merger with Hawaiian Airlines. In Asia, Alaska now serves Tokyo and Seoul, after taking over Hawaiian Airlines’ long-haul operations. In Europe, the airline has announced new flights to London and Reykjavik beginning this year.
Photo: Joe Nicholson/Alaska Airlines
Cirium data shows that Alaska will compete with Delta Air Lines on Seattle-Rome. Delta will offer limited seasonal service with 98 flights scheduled from May to October.
Alaska’s Seattle-to-London-Heathrow service will be a year-round route, with flights currently scheduled from May 21, 2026, through March of next year. It will compete directly with British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic which also offer SEA-LHR flights year-round.
Alaska has daily flights scheduled from Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) to Keflavik Airport (KEF) running as a seasonal route from May 28 through September 7. It will compete with Icelandair which offers year-round daily service.
A new route between Seattle and Rome opens up trade
Alaska celebrated the launch of the Rome route as a historic first milestone, strengthening travel and trade between Rome and the Pacific Northwest. The airline says the Rome route will also create one-stop connections between Hawaii and Europe through Seattle, giving Hawaii-based travellers a new path to Italy and providing Italian travellers easier access to the Hawaiian Islands.
Photo: Ingrid Barrentine/Alaska Airlines
“Launching our first flight to Europe is a significant step in executing our long-term growth strategy,” Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci said in the airline’s announcement. “Service to Rome expands how we connect our guests to the world, strengthens Seattle’s role as a global gateway and is made possible by our people who deliver safety, care and performance with every flight.”
Opening one of Seattle’s largest unserved international markets
Rome is also one of Seattle’s largest previously unserved international markets, according to Port of Seattle Commission President Ryan Calkins.
“Alaska Airlines’ new direct flight to Rome opens one of the largest unserved markets for SEA for both leisure and business travellers,” Calkins said. “Creating this new link between Italy and the Pacific Northwest will allow travellers on both sides of the connection to explore our shared passions for cuisine, culture, and natural beauty.”
April 28, 2026; SeaTac, Wash.; Alaska Air Group CEO and President Ben Minicucci speaks before the inaugural flight to Rome (FCO) from Seattle. credit: Ingrid Barrentine/Alaska Airlines
Ivan Bassato, Chief Aviation Officer, Aeroporti di Roma, welcomed the arrival of the new long-haul carrier and the connection Alaska provides to the Pacific Northwest.
“This new nonstop service to Seattle, the first-ever scheduled connection between the two cities, strengthens our position as a leading gateway between Europe and North America, particularly to the US Pacific region,” he said. “The route reflects our continued focus on growing high-value intercontinental connectivity that supports economic development, benefits local communities and enhances the competitiveness of Italy’s national economy.”
Alaska Boeing 787-9 debuts with ‘new’ business class suites
The airline is operating the Seattle-Rome route with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner originally acquired by Hawaiian Airlines. It features Alaska’s new global livery and the airline’s customisation of Hawaiian’s former Leihōkū Suites.
Photo: Alaska Airlines
The updated Alaska-branded aircraft is equipped with 34 international business-class suites in a 1-2-1 configuration and 266 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, including a Premium Class section offering extra legroom.
According to aeroLOPA data, Premium Class seats, located in rows 15 to 24 (ABC and GHJ) and centre seats in row 15 (DEF), have a 36″ pitch, compared to the 31” pitch standard in the Main Cabin.
Photo: Alaska Airlines
The airline has updated its business-class long-haul passenger experience to include multi-course dining inspired by the destination’s culinary traditions and a Salt & Straw dessert cart with customizable toppings.
Comfort items include new Salt & Stone amenity kits packed with travel essentials, as well as Filson bedding and pillows.
Premium Class passengers receive a Filson amenity kit, with blankets and pillows offered in both Premium Class and Main Cabin.
Photo: Alaska Airlines
Alaska says the same international business-class Suites experience is already available on flights between Seattle and South Korea, will be offered on Seattle-London Heathrow flights starting May 21, and will debut on Seattle-Tokyo flights this fall.
Photo: Alaska Airlines
As part of its premium upgrade, the airline will open an exclusive check-in lane at Seattle-Tacoma for passengers flying in its long-haul business-class suites and Atmos Titanium members. Alaska plans to introduce similar exclusive lanes “in Anchorage, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and internationally in London, Reykjavik, Rome, Seoul and Tokyo.”
Starlink WiFi coming to Alaska’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners
Alaska says its entire 787-9 Dreamliner fleet will be equipped with Starlink in-flight connectivity by this fall. The airline will offer free WiFi to Atmos Rewards loyalty program members, sponsored by T-Mobile.
More transatlantic flights ahead for Alaska
Alaska’s first Seattle-Rome flight marks the airline’s formal entry into the transatlantic market. The debut of Seattle’s first nonstop Rome service comes as the Alaska Air Group repositions itself from a traditionally domestic service to a global carrier, competing with major carriers on long-haul service.
Alaska’s Boeing 787 passenger experience supports that aim by providing a competitive and comfortable cabin product.
Featured Image: Joe Nicholson/Alaska Airlines
Sign up for our newsletter and get our latest content in your
inbox.