Alaska Adds Two New Europe Flights As It Continues on International Growth Path

Alaska Airlines’ transformation into a long-haul international carrier is picking up speed.

Less than two years after parent company Alaska Air Group’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines gave it the wide-body jets needed to fly long-haul routes, the Seattle-based airline is adding two more European cities to its map: Paris and Athens.

Both routes will launch in May 2027, giving the airline five nonstop destinations in Europe from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The flight to Athens will be the first nonstop link between Greece and Seattle (and Alaska’s longest-ever flight) while Paris puts the carrier directly up against Delta and Air France on an already competitive route.

The additions aren’t just about giving Seattle travelers more ways to get to Europe. They’re part of Alaska’s much bigger effort to turn Sea-Tac, where it has long dominated domestic flying, into a global hub spanning Europe and Asia.
And that effort is remarkably new. Alaska Air Group’s first long-haul flight from Seattle, to Tokyo Narita, took off on May 12, 2025, using Hawaiian Airlines aircraft; Seoul followed on September 12. Alaska didn’t cross the Atlantic until April 28, 2026, when it launched Seattle to Rome. London followed on May 21, and Reykjavík on May 28.

By May 2027, an intercontinental network that effectively didn’t exist two years earlier will connect Seattle nonstop with seven cities across Europe and Asia.

“In the last year or so, Alaska has been following the JetBlue model, ramping up long-haul international service to top leisure destinations en route to building itself as a true global network carrier out of Seattle,” Willis Orlando, a travel expert with flight deal tracking site Going.com, told Afar.

The shift was made possible in large part by Alaska Air Group’s $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, completed on September 18, 2024. Hawaiian brought an existing fleet of wide-body aircraft and decades of experience flying longer international routes—capabilities Alaska could use to reach well beyond its traditional network in the western United States, Mexico, and Central America.

“When they acquired Hawaiian Airlines they got widebody aircraft and long-haul flying experience,” Gary Leff, founder of the View from the Wing aviation blog, told Afar. “They’re moving that to Seattle, which has a local market and [demand] to support Europe and Asia.”

The new Seattle–Athens flight will be Alaska’s longest ever

Alaska will begin flying between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Athens International Airport (ATH) on May 12, 2027, becoming the only nonstop flight between Seattle and the Greek capital. The seasonal route will operate three times a week through October and will be the longest flight Alaska has ever operated at just around 12 hours in each direction.

“Athens is particularly interesting, as it will have a monopoly on that route out of Seattle and actually it will be one of the only nonstop routes to Athens out of the West Coast,” Orlando said. “It’s a bet on leisure demand, but I’m guessing a good one.”

Flights will depart Seattle at 4:30 p.m., and will arrive in Athens at 2:20 p.m. the following day. In the opposite direction, flights will leave Athens at 4:20 p.m., and arrive in Seattle at 6:55 p.m. the same day.

The timing and limited schedule are also a way for Alaska to test just how much appetite there is for such a long, leisure-heavy route without committing to daily or year-round service. As Leff put it, “Operating Athens three times weekly and Paris five times weekly only during peak summer is a relatively low-risk way to see how this works.”

Paris puts Alaska up against Delta and Air France

When Alaska begins flying from Seattle to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) on May 25, 2027, it will be adding a route already served by Delta Air Lines and Air France. Alaska plans to fly it five times a week through October, departing Seattle at 5:25 p.m. and landing in Paris at 12:25 p.m. the next day. Return flights will leave Paris at 2:25 p.m. and arrive in Seattle at 3:50 p.m.

“Paris is a large, proven market, but Alaska will compete directly with both Delta and Air France,” Leff said.

That competition is significant because Delta has invested heavily into developing Seattle as a global hub. Alaska, meanwhile, has long had an enormous base of loyal customers in the Pacific Northwest but has historically relied on partner airlines when those travelers wanted to go much farther afield.

“This picks a fight with Delta, which has spent years trying to make Seattle its West Coast international gateway,” Leff said. “Alaska doesn’t want to simply cede Seattle’s premium international customers to Delta.”

That could ultimately be good news for travelers, particularly if additional competition leads to more seats or better fares on the transatlantic routes. Orlando said Alaska’s expansion suddenly gives Seattle fliers who already use the airline domestically another choice when traveling abroad—and puts pressure on Delta to respond.

Both of the new 2027 routes will be flown on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners outfitted with Alaska’s new international product, including lie-flat business-class suites. Travelers in all cabins will receive amenities from Filson and Salt & Stone, and Atmos Rewards members will have access to complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi as installation continues across the fleet.

The airline also has plenty of room left on its route map. Alaska says it plans to operate at least 12 long-haul international routes from Seattle in the coming years, with five more intercontinental destinations expected by 2030.

That expansion could also make Alaska more appealing from a loyalty perspective. Said Leff, “Doing this doesn’t just expand the airline, it gives them something compelling to offer their loyalty customers and their credit card cardholders.”

Tickets for the new Athens and Paris flights are already on sale.