Alaska Airlines is crossing the Atlantic for the first time. The carrier announced nonstop service from Seattle to Rome launching in April 2026, followed by routes to Reykjavik and London in May.

The European debut marks a significant strategic shift for Alaska, which has historically focused on West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, and Mexico routes. The expansion is partly enabled by the Hawaiian Airlines merger, which freed up wide-body aircraft for long-haul deployment.

The Seattle-Rome service will operate on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, offering Alaska's premium cabin alongside economy class. Rome was chosen as the inaugural European destination based on demand data showing strong unserved traffic from the Pacific Northwest to Italy.

Reykjavik appeals to the adventure-travel demographic that overlaps heavily with Alaska's existing customer base. London provides corporate and leisure connectivity to Europe's largest business hub.

The move puts Alaska in direct competition with Delta's Seattle international network. Delta has built Seattle-Tacoma into a major hub for Asia-Pacific flying, and Alaska's European push raises the stakes at the airport.