Alaska Airways made headlines yesterday when it introduced that subsequent yr will see the provider make its first forays into the transatlantic market. Certainly, from the spring of 2026, the airline plans to fly immediately from its hub at Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) to London Heathrow (LHR) in the UK and Reykjavik Keflavik (KEF) in Iceland, which has generated a lot pleasure.
What’s notable about Alaska Airways’ selection of routes for its transatlantic adventures is the truth that each of them are already served by main carriers from the US and Europe, that means that the airline can be plunged right into a relatively aggressive atmosphere. This can require a superb steadiness on the subject of plane.
Seattle To London Is An Immensely Aggressive Route
Arguably the bolder of Alaska Airways’ first two European routes is the transatlantic hall from Seattle to 
London Heathrow Airport. Whereas the British capital metropolis attracts loads of demand, each as a transit hub and as a vacation spot in its personal proper, Alaska Airways will face stiff competitors on this route. Certainly, Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, exhibits that it’s already served by three carriers.
On the US facet of issues, Delta Air Traces hyperlinks Seattle with London every day utilizing Airbus A330-900 plane from the A330neo collection, as does its UK-based SkyTeam accomplice Virgin Atlantic. In the meantime, British Airways serves the route twice day by day, with one rotation utilizing the Boeing 777-300ER and the opposite utilizing one in all three 787 variants, relying on the day. Commenting on the vacation spot, the airline says:
“The route presents an alternative choice to these searching for extra flight instances, larger premium seat capability, and the flexibility to earn and redeem priceless miles on Alaska’s award-winning loyalty program. Alaska’s growth into the London market, facilitated by strengthened collaborations with American Airways and British Airways, presents vital alternatives. These alliances are anticipated to deepen over time, providing even larger worth and connectivity to customers.”
Alaska Airways Is Focusing on Connecting Site visitors On The London Route
As such, with 4 flights a day already linking Seattle and London in every path, sceptics would possibly marvel if there can be ample demand to fill a fifth within the type of Alaska Airways’ upcoming day by day providers. It is a notably urgent matter once we think about that British Airways is likely one of the provider’s 
oneworld companions, that means that the presence of each airways on the route might danger cannibalization.
With that being stated, as has been talked about, each Delta and Virgin Atlantic are additionally members of the identical alliance, specifically SkyTeam, and these carriers appear to coexist in concord on this route, so it actually could be carried out. Based on Alaska Airways, the Boeing 787-9 plane with which it plans to serve London may have 34 lie-flat enterprise class seats, making the provider a worthy selection for premium friends.
In any case, the provider is assured that it will likely be capable of make the route work, even on a comparatively massive widebody just like the 787-9, as it can attraction to connecting visitors. It says that it “will join friends all through the West Coast to London and different locations served by Alaska’s intensive accomplice community,” in addition to offering “friends in Alaska and Hawai’i with conveniently timed connectivity.”
One other Lengthy-Haul Narrowbody Route For Iceland
The opposite transatlantic route that Alaska Airways is presently set to launch within the spring of 2026 hyperlinks Seattle with Reykjavik Keflavik Airport. This facility has lengthy confirmed to be a well-liked stopover for friends touring between Europe and North America, whereas additionally being a vacation spot in its personal proper as a gateway to Iceland.
Alaska Airways will serve this route with the 
Boeing 737 MAX 8 as usually as day by day in the course of the peak summer season season. At current, knowledge from Cirium exhibits that Icelandair has a monopoly on this hall, with its Airbus A321LR narrowbodies working 3 times a day in every path. Nevertheless, there’s one key distinction.
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Ben Minicucci
Particularly, Icelandair strongly targets transit visitors, with its flights from North America to Keflavik timed for onward connections to Europe. Then again, Alaska Airways will extra seemingly be aiming to serve point-to-point visitors, because it would not have any alliance companions in Iceland who might supply such transit alternatives. Its Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets have both 159 or 161 seats in a two-class configuration.
