dailynewsnblog
After months of anticipation, the wait is almost over, with today (Sunday, April 26) marking just two days to go before 
Alaska Airlines launches its first European route. The transatlantic corridor in question will link its global hub at 
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) with Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) in Italy, with its development having prompted a retaliatory route launch from rival US carrier 
Delta Air Lines. Two more routes will follow.
Indeed, shortly after commencing operations on the Rome route, Alaska plans to further expand its European footprint this summer with the launch of flights to Reykjavík Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in Iceland and 
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the UK.
Alaska’s New Service Between Seattle & Rome
Alaska first announced its plans to serve Rome from Seattle last June, with tickets going on sale in November. Data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that following its launch on April 28, this route will be served daily throughout the summer season, with the last Rome-bound departure from Seattle on October 20. All in all, 176 rotations have been penciled in this year.
Departing from Seattle, Alaska flight 180 is scheduled to depart at 5:30 pm, arriving in Rome 10 hours and 45 minutes later, at 1:15 pm local time the next day. Meanwhile, the return leg (AS181) will depart Rome at 3:25 pm, with arrival back in Seattle scheduled for 5:45 pm local time, 11 hours and 20 minutes later. Alaska’s CEO Ben Minicucci said last June that the carrier is excited to launch the new route for its passengers.
“Our guests have been asking for an easy way to get to Italy for years, and we’re thrilled to provide it to people in the Northwest and beyond. Andiamo – let’s go!”
What’s It Like On Board?
As seen in the photo above, Alaska Airlines’ aircraft of choice for its new route between Seattle and Rome is the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. According to ch-aviation, the oneworld member currently has five of these modern widebody twinjets at its disposal (with an average age of 1.9 years old) and another five on order. Data from aeroLOPA, indicates the airline has configured them in a two-class layout with 300 seats onboard.
Of these, 34 are in the business class cabin, which occupies the space between the first and second doors. These flatbed seats are arranged in an angled four-abreast (1-2-1) configuration, with the window seats facing the window and the seats in the center pairs facing away from each other.
Meanwhile, the aircraft’s 266 economy class seats occupy the second and third sections of the cabin, and they are primarily laid out nine-abreast in the 787’s classic 3-3-3 configuration. However, traveling couples should make a beeline for rows 29, 33, 46, and 47, where one or both of the outer sections consist of just two seats instead of three. Of the 266 economy seats, 79 are designated ‘Premium Class,’ offering more legroom.
Same Seats, Different Branding: Alaska Airlines Unveils Boeing 787-9 Business Class Suites
It comes as the airline is set to launch Seattle–Rome flights and expand long-haul service worldwide.
Two More European Routes Are Coming
Alaska’s European expansion, which has also prompted Delta to launch a new route between Seattle and Rome, won’t stop at the Italian capital. Indeed, this summer will also see the carrier add Reykjavík to its network. These flights will commence on May 28 and run daily until September 7, using the 737 MAX 8. Icelandair also serves this route using this aircraft type.
Meanwhile, London will be Alaska’s only year-round destination, with the British capital served daily from May 21 onward using the 787-9. This will amount to a grand total of 225 rotations, offering considerable capacity on a route where Alaska faces stiff competition. Indeed, British Airways, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic all already serve this route.
