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Alaska Airlines plots global expansion — with a little help from Portland, San Diego and Atmos Rewards
Sean Cudahy is an aviation reporter covering news about airlines, frequent flyer programs and consumer travel issues.
November 9, 2025 • 8 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Alaska Airlines is undergoing significant changes, including a merger with Hawaiian Airlines, a new loyalty program and expanded international routes.
The carrier is increasing its presence at San Diego and Portland airports, aiming to become a key connecting hub and responding to strong loyalty engagement.
New long-haul destinations such as London, Rome and Iceland are set to launch in 2026, alongside the introduction of Alaska-branded twin-aisle aircraft.
Alaska's expanded network and valuable mileage redemptions are attracting travelers from beyond its traditional West Coast base.
What to consider
Hawaiian Airlines will continue to operate as a distinct brand for flights to and from Hawaii, with future fleet and livery decisions still in progress.
Alaska's Asia routes from Seattle are currently operated by Hawaiian but will transition to Alaska branding in the coming years.
Travelers may find more options to connect to Asia and the South Pacific via Honolulu rather than traditional West Coast gateways.
What you'll miss from the article
Insights into Alaska's competitive strategy, future fleet plans and how the integration with Hawaiian could impact route choices and loyalty value.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
From shaking up its West Coast hubs to charting a new path as a global airline, it’s a time of big change for Alaska Airlines.
Alaska Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner with the carrier's new global livery. ALASKA AIRLINES
What else could be on the horizon?
Earlier this year, TPG had the chance to sit down with Alaska Air Group’s top network planner to talk routes, hubs and stiff competition in the Pacific Northwest.
Here’s what we learned.
Loyalty and connections driving San Diego, Portland push
Alaska made one thing really clear last month when it added 13 new routes and slashed seven from its West Coast hubs: The carrier is clearly bullish on San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Oregon's Portland International Airport (PDX).
During the first half of 2026, Alaska’s total departures from SAN will be up a whopping 50% compared with 2025, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
They’ll be up 14% year over year out of PDX.
A model Alaska Airlines aircraft at the company's headquarters in Seattle. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
What’s behind that push?
In Portland, it’s about becoming a true connecting hub, with many more one-stop itinerary options than ever before, said Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning.
“What I’m really excited about there,” Amrine explained, “is just how many new ‘connect-the-dots’ we’ve been able to do.”
“We see really good credit card returns from guests down there,” Amrine said.
San Diego International Airport (SAN). ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Airlines view both as a sign of brand strength and a signal that adding more flights could be a worthwhile investment.
“As we’ve put capacity into those markets,” Amrine added, “it’s responded very well.”
Not just a West Coast airline
Elsewhere, Alaska believes that its increasingly global route network is attracting more customers from well beyond its traditional strongholds in California and the Pacific Northwest.
After all, you can now board an Alaska Airlines plane in Raleigh, North Carolina; Tampa; or Pittsburgh and reach Japan or South Korea in one stop — without ever setting foot on a partner’s aircraft.
That fact, Amrine said, has broadened the appeal of an airline that historically catered most to travelers on the West Coast.
“It’s not just people coming from Portland and Victoria [in British Columbia] and places that are more in our wheelhouse,” Amrine said. “It’s definitely coming from east of the Rockies as well.”
There may be more to it than just geographic appeal, too.
Priority check-in line for Atmos Rewards status members at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Alaska continues to offer some of the best-value mileage redemptions of U.S. airlines, including on partners like American Airlines. That means even passengers who don’t normally fly Alaska have found value in its Atmos Rewards program, boosting the national relevancy of the nation’s fifth-largest carrier.
All of Alaska’s recent moves have combined to generate plenty of buzz in its hometown. They’ve also seemingly reignited a long-simmering turf war in the Pacific Northwest with one of its top rivals.
The move was reminiscent of the highly competitive early days of Delta making Seattle a hub, when the two carriers often duked it out for market share in the region.
“We expected that,” Amrine said of Delta’s moves.
Alaska Lounge entrance at the North Concourse at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
“But where we sit is, we’re the hometown carrier,” she continued. “And we expect that over time, as we have a larger international portfolio, we see the opportunity just to win back much of the travel that we’ve lost to Delta because we [previously] didn’t have that.”
Hawaiian currently operates Alaska Air Group’s Asia routes from Seattle. But those will eventually become Alaska-branded flights.
Hawaiian’s older Airbus A330s will remain a staple of its long-haul network, but the carrier will give those planes a much-needed cabin upgrade in the coming years — including premium economy.
Beyond that?
Amrine expects nearly all of Alaska Air Group’s flights to and from the Aloha State will be on Hawaiian-branded aircraft. Could that mean Hawaiian-branded Boeing 737s?
“We’ve been clear that for flying within or to [or] from the state of Hawaii, that will have the Hawaiian livery on it,” she said. “We just need to figure out what planes do we want to paint to have the right subfleets.”
Headed to Sydney or Tokyo? Try connecting in Hawaii
Finally, I asked about the future of Hawaiian’s international network. Remember, Hawaiian serves a range of transpacific destinations from its home state: Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea, among them.
In the short term, Amrine doesn’t anticipate new international Hawaiian routes. Instead, she said the carrier is focused on integrating the Alaska and Hawaiian networks to support its new long-haul flying.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
She believes more travelers will opt for a connection in Honolulu instead of the West Coast on their way to Australia, New Zealand or Asia — all destinations Hawaiian serves from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
“If you draw a line from Seattle to Sydney it basically goes over Hawaii,” she said. “There’s people who may prefer to connect in Hawaii versus down in L.A. It’s basically the most direct route that you can get.”
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
