Alaska Airlines is finally making its first move across the Atlantic. On June 3, the Seattle-based carrier announced its first-ever European route: Seattle (SEA) to Rome Fiumicino (FCO), launching in May 2026. The new service will operate four times weekly using a Boeing 787-9, marking a major step in Alaska’s long-haul ambitions made possible through the recent merger with Hawaiian Airlines.
This announcement comes on the heels of Alaska’s inaugural transpacific service to Tokyo Narita, and before the upcoming launch to Seoul, South Korea. The first two long-haul flights from Seattle for the Alaska airlines group. Both made possible by using Hawaiian airlines slots and re-allocating the routes to Seattle and away from Honolulu where demand is down. Seattle-Tacoma has seen a massive boom in international flying in the last ten years and it’s increased even more post Covid. Seattle has seen new service this year from Philippine Airlines, Starlux, and Edelweiss this year alone. More service is to come with Lufthansa daily service Munich this summer and SAS return to Copenhagen.
With this move and flight to Rome, Alaska is signaling that it’s ready to compete in the long-haul international space—albeit cautiously.
Why Rome, and Why Now?
Rome might seem like an unexpected choice for a first European destination, but the data backs it up. According to DOT figures, 43,000 round-trip passengers flew between Seattle and Rome in 2024, making it the largest unserved European market from SEA. That’s a solid base of local demand, and with no nonstop competition, Alaska will enjoy a monopoly on the route—at least for now. Could Delta steal Alaska’s Thunder and launch another European flight from Seattle?
The route will likely be seasonal, targeting peak summer travel. Nothing in Alaska’s own press release hints at it being seasonal, but we see a huge fluctuatation of travel in the summer months which slow down in October. Other airlines typically cut service to Italy from Oct – April each year. Not to mention, At nearly 6,000 miles, it will become Alaska’s longest route. There are only a few longer flights from Seattle, behind Turkish Airlines’ service to Istanbul, Qatar’s Doha flight, Emirates Dubai service, and Singapore’s Singapore service.
The aircraft operating the route—a 300-seat Boeing 787-9—comes from Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines in 2024. While the two brands remain separate for now, they’re expected to operate under a single air operator’s certificate by late 2025. Service is set to be four times a week and tickets will go on sale this winter.
West Coast to Italy: Success or Flop
Despite strong demand, the U.S. West Coast remains under-served to Italy. Most airlines connect Italy via one-stop service with flights to Italy being from major east coast and Midwest hubs. Which shortens the flight distance and allows for greater 1-stop connectivity. In 2024, more than 670,000 passengers flew from the western U.S. and Canada to Rome via a connection—roughly 75% of total traffic. While new routes from Norse Atlantic (LAX–FCO) and United (DEN–FCO) have helped, there’s still a significant gap in service to Italy. Which could make this flight a huge success for Alaska.
Alaska’s Seattle–Rome flight will also benefit from feed traffic across its West Coast network. However, sometimes will require slightly longer routings, it can work. LAX-SEA-FCO is 6,642 miles. Actually a few hundred miles shorter than connections in ORD or JFK. The same is true for the California bay area as well and mostly true for Las Vegas and PhX too. I know I prefer west coast to Europe flights, as it allows time for a proper sleep. Cities like Vancouver (49,000 passengers/year to Rome), Phoenix (44,000), San Diego (33,000), Las Vegas (28,000), Salt Lake City (22,000), and Portland (21,000) all generate meaningful demand to Rome and could funnel passengers into SEA. The only issue will be once in Rome. There will be NO onward connection opportunities as the OneWorld alliance and Alaska have no partners in Italy.
We will know this time next year, how Alaska’s European ambitions are doing. With many people heading to Italy each year for vacation, there is great potential for success. Yet we also know that revenue per seat mile is going to be low for tourists to Rome vs business destinations. Is Alaska going to remain leisure focus or try to capture actual business markets? With west coast hubs, Asia and Oceania seem to make more sense than Europe. Can Alaska make a successful move into Europe? We’ve seen JetBlue bleed money into busy routes across the Atlantic and Boston and New York are much closer than Seattle.
Final Thoughts
Alaska’s entry into Europe is a bold but calculated move. I think it’s nepotism of the CEO. Sure, there is strong local demand, no direct competition, and a growing long-haul fleet via Hawaiian airlines. So the Seattle–Rome route has the potential to succeed. Yet it also could be a total flop a cost more to operate. Alaska has a history of cutting routes quickly and now allowing time for markets to mature. We’ve seen this after the Virgin America merger. Where Alaska has ended nearly every route from San Francisco that Virgin use to fly beside Northbound and Southbound connections.
This could be the start of a broader transatlantic push for Alaska Airlines or it could be their next flop. We shall continue to monitor Alaska’s international growth strategy and see what sticks and what flies away.
