Alaska Airlines enters its intercontinental era with first-ever nonstop flight to Asia, operated by Hawaiian
Editor's Note
Make way for Alaska Airlines on the global stage.
Nine months after the Seattle-based carrier got government approval to acquire Hawaiian Airlines, I was on board Monday as the two airline brands — now operated by one parent company — worked together to launch nonstop service from Alaska's Pacific Northwest home base to Tokyo.
Touching down Tuesday at Narita International Airport (NRT), the flight ushered in a new era for Alaska, a longtime domestic-focused airline that only ventured as far outside the U.S. as its fleet of narrow-body Boeing 737s would take it.
The new flight will offer travelers a new way to get to Japan with points and miles. And, with more nonstop international destinations in the works, the route will likely serve as the launching pad for a global expansion that Alaska expects will take the combined carrier to a dozen long-haul destinations by the end of this decade.
Inaugural Japan service
There was some irony in the pomp and circumstance surrounding Monday's inaugural flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Narita, to be sure. After all, multiple airlines already fly nonstop to Tokyo from Seattle, from Delta Air Lines to All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines; Hawaiian has also flown between its home state and Japan for years.
Still, this flight held extra meaning.
When Alaska Air Group first announced plans to acquire Hawaiian Airlines in December 2023, part of the vision was to become a true global airline. Among the opportunities Alaska saw in its Honolulu-based counterpart: Hawaiian's fleet of larger, wide-body planes — and its orders for more of them in the years to come.
In recent months since the merger, we've seen Alaska and Hawaiian work to integrate their loyalty programs and behind-the-scenes operations. They even moved gates at major hubs to be closer to one another.
Executives saw the launch of a global gateway at SEA as a key step in that evolution that now has the two brands— beacons in America's 49th and 50th states — growing together as the nation's fifth-largest carrier.
"It's surreal for me to see how much our growth has been," Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci said, speaking before the flight.
At the airport
From the outset, Hawaiian will operate this new international service between Seattle and Narita on a route that, uniquely, won't touch Hawaii at all — unlike most of the routes it has operated in its history.
For passengers checking a bag (or checking in) at the airport, that meant this trip started at the Hawaiian ticket counter in Seattle.
Even though there's now one parent company behind Alaska and Hawaiian, the two airlines will still operate as two distinct airlines — much like KLM and Air France do in Europe, despite sitting under one corporate umbrella.
The melting pot that is this combined airline operation really started to become obvious once I passed through security.
As a Hawaiian business-class passenger on Monday's flight, I got access to the Alaska Lounge, opting to visit the spacious N-concourse outpost closest to the gate.
Ahead of the early afternoon departure, guests could choose from a breakfast buffet or visit the full-service coffee and cocktail bars — the latter of which offered up a Narita Banana concoction ($9) curated for the inaugural flight.
Outside the window sat the Hawaiian Airbus A330 scheduled to fly the Tokyo route.
Overlooking the aircraft, I ran into Anchorage, Alaska, native Matthew Sandoval, a self-described Alaska "super fan" who once had his 10th birthday party at an Alaska gate — and since then has been on more of the carrier's inaugural flights than he can count.
"Cincinnati, Columbus, Belize, Fort Myers, Jackson Hole, Anchorage, JFK," he rattled off. "This one's definitely different."
Inaugural festivities
Down at the gate, passengers and passersby found all the pomp and circumstance you'd expect from an inaugural flight, from decor to food and entertainment.
Following a taiko drumming performance and a traditional Hawaiian blessing, Alaska and Hawaiian executives cut the ribbon that signaled it was time to board.
At their seats, passengers found a few more tokens commemorating the flight, from a bag tag to a porcelain chopsticks holder.
Onboard product
Hawaiian's A330 flying this route still sported all of the touches you'd expect on a Hawaiian plane, from cabin crew members in classic Hawaiian shirts to an inflight safety video that showed scenery from the Aloha State accompanied by ukulele music.
It's also a more legacy cabin experience overall, with the aging product a bit evident in the economy and Extra Comfort sections of the aircraft.
While the business-class cabin does offer lie-flat seats, they're arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration that's lost competitiveness in a world of suites and universal direct aisle access.
To be clear: The ability to lie down and sleep on a long flight beats any coach seat by a long shot.
But, compared with some of the newer lie-flat products I've flown, the pods in Hawaiian's A330 front cabin certainly are less modern, spacious and private — and they lack many of the bells and whistles you'd find on Hawaiian's own Boeing 787 Dreamliner that debuted just about a year ago.
That said, there may be an aircraft upgrade on the horizon.
"We're very excited that over time, we will shift our international flying here in Seattle to 787 Dreamliner aircraft," Joe Sprague, the new CEO of the Hawaiian Airlines brand, said Monday.
Another bit of news: Executives suggested those Dreamliner flights from Seattle to Tokyo — and other long-haul destinations — may ultimately be operated by Alaska itself, not Hawaiian.
Inflight Starlink a 'plus'
Easily the most impressive feature on board this Hawaiian A330: the fast, free Starlink Wi-Fi that was available from boarding. Hawaiian has been the only U.S. carrier to offer Starlink service — though United Airlines is set to debut the technology this week.
Business-class experience
Up front, I settled into my seat in Row 2 with the assistance of a flight attendant, who added a mattress cover to my seat, offering a bit more padding ahead of the overnight trip.
Hawaiian's cabin crew members also brought around an amenity kit "buffet" of sorts, allowing you to grab the products you wanted in the tote bag the airline provided.
Following a predeparture glass of Champagne, a water cannon salute from Seattle's first responders and a just-behind-schedule takeoff, HA Flight 823 was on its way to Asia.
Inflight dining
At cruising altitude, the inflight meal service allowed passengers to choose from a Hawaiian Fusion or Japanese menu for dinner.
I chose the latter, and found the roasted chicken with umami sauce alongside steamed white rice and miso soup to be the highlight of the inflight service — though the cheesecake for dessert didn't hurt, either.
I also enjoyed the ginger scallion chicken and chow fun noodles that appeared about 90 minutes prior to our landing at Narita — an arrival that came at 4:53 p.m., after 10 hours and 45 minutes in the air.
How to book Hawaiian's new Seattle-Tokyo flight
Travelers hoping to book the new Hawaiian-operated, Alaska Air Group flight from Seattle to Tokyo have a few options.
- You can redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles or HawaiianMiles miles. Keep in mind, you can shift your miles seamlessly between the two programs over the next couple of months, ahead of the launch of a new, joint loyalty program encompassing both airline brands. So book your award flight through whichever program offers the best redemption.
- Travelers who need to up their Mileage Plan account balance can transfer Bilt Rewards Points to Alaska at a 1:1 ratio.
- For now, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles and then (if you want) move those miles over to Alaska Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio — though you may want to act sooner rather than later if you're going this route.
Keep in mind that you can also use Alaska miles to fly across the Pacific on a variety of Oneworld alliance partner airlines too, including nonstop flights from the U.S. to Tokyo on both Japan Airlines and American Airlines.
Seoul is next ... then Europe
Looking ahead, Alaska's long-haul ambitions in Seattle go far beyond Tokyo.
TPG already reported Hawaiian-operated flights to Seoul, South Korea, will start later this year. On Monday, the carrier confirmed Europe flights will begin during the second quarter of 2026.
It hopes to launch 12 international long-haul destinations from its SEA hub by 2030.
But don't expect a third global hub for the brands (beyond Seattle and Honolulu) anytime soon. "At least for the foreseeable future it'll all be Seattle-centric," Minicucci told me. "Beyond that, we'll see."
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