dailynewsnblog
Next month will see one of the most exciting route developments in recent years finally occur, when Alaska Airlines operates its inaugural flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in the US state of Washington to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) in Italy. This will mark a key step forward for 
Alaska Airlines as it continues to grow following its merger with Hawaiian, and, later this year, two more European routes will be added.
Indeed, following Rome Fiumicino Airport’s April launch, May will subsequently see Alaska Airlines also operate its first services from Seattle to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the United Kingdom and Reykjavík Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in Iceland. Let’s take a look at what to expect from these flights.
When In Rome
According to present scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Alaska Airlines will operate its inaugural flight on the new route from Seattle to Rome on April 28, 2026. These seasonal services will subsequently run throughout the summer on a daily basis, with the last rotation currently penciled in for October 23. Alaska Airlines’ aircraft of choice on this route will be the widebody 
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
At the time of this route’s initial announcement last June, Alaska Airlines was set to be the only carrier serving it. However, its newfound presence on the corridor between Seattle and Rome prompted Delta Air Lines to react within weeks by adding four weekly flights of its own on this route. Per Airline Geeks, these will commence on May 6 using Airbus A330-900s. Commenting on Alaska Airlines’ European growth, Andrew Harrison, its CCO, said:
“These new routes mark a tremendous step in our global expansion and reflect our commitment to delivering a premium international experience from Seattle. We’re elated to connect the Pacific Northwest to more of the world.”
London Calling
As it happens, Rome won’t be the only European destination served from Seattle by Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner widebody twinjets this year. Indeed, hot on the heels of its Italian launch, May 21 will see the oneworld member fly from Seattle to London Heathrow for the first time. Much like the Rome flights, these services will operate on a daily basis, but differ in the sense that they will run all year round, rather than seasonally.
This route also differs in the sense that there is already a great deal of existing traffic for Alaska Airlines to compete with. Indeed, fellow oneworld member and UK flag carrier British Airways also plies this route, as do SkyTeam giants Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. Still, the daily deployment of a 300-seat aircraft clearly speaks to Alaska Airlines’ confidence in the route’s demand, and it also benefits from serving connecting traffic in Seattle.
According to present fleet data made available by Seat Maps, of the 300 seats on board Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, 34 can be found in the jet’s business class cabin. These flatbed seats are laid out four-abreast in an angled 1-2-1 configuration, with every single seat benefiting from direct aisle access. Meanwhile, the jet’s 266 economy seats (of which 72 have extra legroom) are laid out in the standard 3-3-3 configuration.
Experience London: Alaska Airlines’ New Heathrow Route Explored
The first flight will depart from Seattle on May 21.
Short & Sweet
Alaska Airlines’ third and final European route launch this year will see it link Seattle with Iceland’s Reykjavík Keflavík International Airport. Unlike the Rome and London services, it plans to serve this corridor with a narrowbody, namely the Boeing 737 MAX 8. These twinjets have a total of 161 seats on board: 16 in business class (known as first class when the type is used on domestic routes) and 145 in economy (of which 30 have extra legroom).
This seasonal route will be the last of the three to start, with its first flight taking off on May 28. Thereafter, it will operate daily, albeit for a shorter period than the seasonal Rome service, with its final rotation on September 7. Competition comes from Icelandair, which also uses narrowbody twinjets on this route.
