Fresh off their merger, the combined Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines announced Tuesday nonstop flights from Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) starting in May and Seoul (ICN) come next October – the first international long-haul routes from its Seattle hub and the first stage of a major global expansion for the growing airline group.
Flights from Seattle to Tokyo will operate daily starting May 12, 2025 – and they’re already available for sale. Details about the route to Seoul are scant, but the flight is scheduled to begin sometime in October 2025, with fares available for purchase sometime next year. Both are expected to be flown on Hawaiian-branded Airbus A330s, at least initially.
Alaska dominates in Seattle (SEA) and has won over flyers up and down the West Coast, yet its domestic focus has meant it’s lacked a way to get customers overseas. It’s a critical weakness that Delta has exploited as it set up its own hub in the Pacific Northwest, offering several nonstops to Europe as well as Asian destinations like Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai (PVG), and a brand-new route to Taipei (TPE).
With Hawaiian’s widebody planes now in the picture, that’s finally changing. And while the airlines are starting with just Tokyo and Seoul, executives said they plan to fly to “at least 12 nonstop global destinations” by 2030 as more state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners come into the fold.
“For us, Seattle is the biggest connecting complex on the West Coast,” Alaska Airlines Group CEO Ben Miniccuci said in a pre-recorded interview on The Air Show podcast. “It’s not a big leap for us to say we should be flying international out of Seattle. We have this huge loyalty here.”
With tons of domestic flights flying into Seattle each day, Alaska is banking on filling planes across the Pacific Ocean with connecting passengers. And those two cities are a natural place to start: Hawaiian already flies its Airbus A330s from Honolulu (HNL) to both Japan and South Korea.
“Flying to Asia just makes a ton of sense for us out of the gate. We’re starting with Tokyo and Seoul, but that will build over the next three to five years,” Minicucci said in the interview.
Delta currently flies from Seattle to both Seoul and Tokyo – though its flight heads to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) located closer to town, as does All Nippon Airways’ own nonstop from Seattle. Alaska’s Oneworld partner carrier Japan Airlines also already serves Seattle to Tokyo-Narita.
After a surprising merger announcement last winter, Alaska acquired the long-struggling Hawaiian Airlines in a nearly $2 billion transaction that closed earlier this year. Both airline brands will continue running separately … at least in name. But Alaska is calling the shots and will shift some of Hawaiian’s widebody planes over to Seattle to start up nonstop service across the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian’s existing service between Honolulu and Tokyo-Haneda will continue. Plus, the airline will still fly to Osaka (KIX) and Fukuoka (FUK).
New long-haul routes from Seattle aren’t the only big changes in the works. The combined airline conglomerate is ramping up flights to Hawaii from Seattle, San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), Portland (PDX); talking about setting up a high-end airport lounge in Seattle catering to international travelers; and even mulling a premium travel credit card.
None of that will sit well with Delta, which has spent the last decade establishing itself as the country’s top premium airline while building inroads in Seattle. The airline industry is incredibly cutthroat: Carriers relish defending their turf and delight in finding ways to undercut. It’s not a question of if Delta will respond – it’s a matter of what form that response will take.
Minicucci made clear that the newly combined Alaska-Hawaiian is up for the challenge.
“Our view is Seattle is our hometown. It’s our hub,” Miniccuci said. “We will never give up Seattle to anybody.”
