Alaska Airlines has announced a start date for one of its most anticipated new international routes.
The Seattle-based carrier on Tuesday revealed that its new nonstop service from the Pacific Northwest to London will launch May 21, 2026 — just ahead of Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season.
These new flights to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) will come just weeks after Alaska Airlines makes its debut on the continent with Rome service that’s set to begin in late April.
When to go: These are the best times to buy an international flight
Heathrow flights were set to go on sale right away on Tuesday. That includes Atmos Rewards redemptions for customers hoping to book a flight to Europe for next summer on points.
Alaska Airlines' international push
Adding London (and Rome, among other long-haul international destinations) is a major shift for Alaska Airlines.
The airline historically operated only domestic and short-haul international flights with its fleet of Boeing 737s and regional jets.
But after acquiring Hawaiian Airlines in 2024, Alaska gained access to a brand-new fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners that Hawaiian had ordered before the merger.
Alaska will fly one of those new 787-9s featuring the new international livery the carrier is set to unveil in the new year on its London route.
The planes sport 34 lie-flat business-class suites with sliding privacy doors — the same swanky “hard product” that Hawaiian debuted in early 2024.
While Alaska Airlines’ flights from Seattle to Rome will only operate during the warmer months, the carrier’s service to London will operate all year.
London is one of the world’s top business travel markets and a major hub for the Oneworld alliance, which Alaska Airlines is part of.
As part of its new London service, Alaska teased an “anticipated deepening of their alliance” with fellow Oneworld members British Airways, which calls LHR home, and American Airlines.
Details: Alaska Airlines' new London service
Here’s how the itinerary will shake out for Alaska’s new London service to and from its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) home base — again, launching May 21, 2026.
- SEA-LHR: Departs at 9:40 p.m. and arrives at 3:05 p.m. the next day (all times local)
- LHR-SEA: Departs at 5 p.m. and arrives at 6:50 p.m. (all times local)
Booking Alaska Airlines flights with points and miles
The best way to book Alaska Airlines flights with points and miles is to use its Atmos Rewards program — the joint loyalty program it launched with Hawaiian Airlines in August.
If you don’t have a stash of Atmos Rewards points in your account, note that the program is a 1:1 transfer partner with Bilt Rewards.
Checking redemptions right out of the gate on Tuesday morning, I found economy awards on Alaska's new flight starting at 30,000 Atmos Rewards points one-way. Seats in the carrier's business-class cabin, though, sat at 150,000 points on many summer 2026 dates.
Should any business-class seats go unsold, Alaska has promised to upgrade its top-tier Atmos Titanium status members into the front cabin — pending availability, of course.
Looking ahead
Alaska Airlines plans to launch at least a dozen new long-haul international routes from Seattle by 2030, the carrier has said repeatedly.
That includes Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea, flights that kicked off earlier this year aboard Hawaiian Airlines, though those flights will be onboard Alaska-branded planes starting at some point next year.
Starlink Wi-Fi update
Alaska also shared one bit of news on Tuesday about its plan to add high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi to all its planes.
The Starlink service should start appearing on its Dreamliner fleet by next fall, the carrier announced.
Once live, Alaska plans to make its Starlink Wi-Fi service free to all Atmos Rewards members, matching connectivity already offered on most of Hawaiian’s long-haul planes.
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