Alaska Airlines To Launch Second Seattle-Asia Route With Seoul Service

Alaska Airlines will open its second long-haul transpacific route from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in September with flights to Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN), part of the airline’s plan to turn its SEA base into a transpacific gateway.

Following Alaska Air Group’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines last year, Alaska revealed plans to move some Hawaiian widebody aircraft to SEA to enable long-haul routes to Asia. The SEA-ICN service will be launched Sept. 12 and be flown 5X-weekly.

A Hawaiian Airbus A330-200 aircraft will be used on the SEA-ICN route. Alaska also said it plans to add a Boeing 787—also part of Hawaiian’s fleet—to the route.

Alaska had already set May 12 as the start date for flights between SEA and Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT). That route will be operated daily with an A330-200 aircraft.

Alaska currently operates no long-haul international routes and has no widebodies in its fleet. Some Hawaiian A330s and 787s, now used primarily to connect Honolulu Inouye International Airport (HNL) with Asia-Pacific destinations, will be moved to Seattle over time.

“With the combination of Alaska and Hawaiian, Seattle is transforming into the West Coast's new premier global gateway,” Alaska said in a statement. “By 2030, we plan to serve at least 12 nonstop international destinations with widebody aircraft from Seattle, including Seoul Incheon and Tokyo Narita.”

Hawaiian’s A330s are configured to carry 278 passengers, including 18 business-class seats. Its 787s are configured to carry 300 passengers, including 34 in business class.

Alaska previously said that the SEA-NRT route would replace Hawaiian’s HNL-NRT service, enabling the airline group “to right-size our capacity between Hawaii and Japan,” citing weaker leisure demand between the markets following the pandemic. Hawaiian will still operate 14X-weekly flights between HNL and Tokyo Haneda Airport.