Alaska Airlines Adds 2 New Long-Haul Nonstop Routes: See Schedules Now

James lives and breathes route development. Educated in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University and Cranfield University, James has a PhD in Airline Strategy and Economics. James was Market Opportunity Analyst at London Luton Airport and Chief Analyst at anna.aero. He taught airline strategy and economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for five years and has worked closely with multiple carriers on route and market intelligence projects. He is based near London, UK.

Alaska Airlines' move towards becoming a global carrier continues apace. Not long after the oneworld member disclosed more about its long-haul ambition, two new routes from the carrier's Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) hub have been announced.

Using Hawaiian Airlines' Airbus A330-200s, Alaska Airlines will begin flying from SEA to both Osaka and Tahiti. The addition of these places gives weight to the emphasis on growth being more about Asia-Pacific rather than Europe.

Alaska Airlines From Seattle To Osaka

On May 14, 2027, the carrier will lift off from SEA to Osaka International Airport (KIX). OAG data shows that the route, which will cover 4,380 nautical miles (8,112 km) each way, was most recently served by Delta Air Lines in 2019. The SkyTeam member originally had flights between 2010 and 2013, having inherited the route from Northwest Airlines.

Alaska Airlines' arrival will build on Hawaiian's long-standing operation from Honolulu to KIX. Booking data shows that SEA-KIX is not a big local market. In the 12 months to August 2026, only 27,000 round-trip passengers traveled, albeit entirely indirectly.

Nonetheless, it was SEA's largest unserved market in North Asia. Of course, Alaska Airlines' entry will grow the market nicely, and it'll gain a premium from those keen to have nonstop flights. That's just as well, as the average fare for SEA-KIX was 36% lower than from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), which is partly because of less premium traffic.

Alaska Airlines will be the second US operator to fly nonstop between the Lower 48 states and KIX next year. It'll coexist with United Airlines, which will fly from both its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and SFO hubs. When Canada is added, three North American operators will have flights to KIX, with Air Canada operating from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).

Like SFO and YVR, in particular, SEA is very well-placed geographically for connections across the US mainland and Canada, which will be vital in consistently filling Alaska Airlines' aircraft. Important targets include LAX (129,000 passengers), SFO (62,000), YVR (34,000), YYZ (31,000), New York JFK (25,000), Las Vegas (23,000), Chicago (19,000), and Portland (18,000). Many other places have 10,000+ passengers.

Alaska Airlines From Seattle To Tahiti

On June 11, 2027, Alaska Airlines will lift off from SEA to Tahiti, with three weekly overnight flights to the popular Pacific destination. They'll coexist with service from HNL, which has existed for a long time. Like SEA-KIX, flights from Washington state to Tahiti, served through Papeete's Faaʼa International Airport (PPT), have previously existed.

Air Tahiti Nui's flights from October 2022 through June 2023 only operated between PPT and SEA; it was a so-called terminator service. However, from June 2023 through January 2025, the route was extended to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG). Things changed again, with the standalone, terminator service returning until the route's cessation in January 2026.

In the 12 months to January 2026, data from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that Air Tahiti Nui had an unthinkably low load factor of just 39.3% (!). In comparison, the carrier filled 86.7% of seats to/from LAX, helped by Delta pulling off that market in June 2025.

Between September 2025 and August 2026, 36,000 passengers flew between SEA and PPT, encompassing part of when Air Tahiti Nui operated nonstop. The local traffic was a third larger than for SEA-KIX and with a 7% higher fare. Alaska Airlines is expected to grow the local market meaningfully and to capture a significantly larger share of it than Air Tahiti Nui did. That's just as well, as flying to many US cities via SEA will require a reasonable detour.

Alaska Airlines Now Has Nine Long-Haul Routes From Seattle

When writing on October 20 and subject to change, the carrier has now scheduled nine routes from SEA to Asia-Pacific and Europe in 2027. It'll operate to Athens (starts May 12, 2027; three weekly 787-9), CDG (begins May 25, 2027; five weekly 787-9), KIX (starts May 14, 2027; four weekly A330-200), and London Heathrow (daily 787-9).

Then there's Reykjavík Keflavík (daily 737 MAX 8), PPT (begins June 11, 2027; three weekly A330-200), Rome (daily 787-9), Seoul Incheon (daily 787-9), and Tokyo Narita (daily 787-9). Where could be next? Hong Kong has been speculated, while Sydney was hinted at earlier this year.