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News
Alaska Airlines announces start date for Rome flights; Atmos Rewards bookings now open
Sean Cudahy is an aviation reporter covering news about airlines, frequent flyer programs and consumer travel issues.
November 13, 2025 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
Alaska Airlines will launch its first-ever nonstop flights from Seattle to Rome starting April 28, 2026, marking its entry into the European market.
The new service will operate daily during the peak summer season and utilize Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners featuring business-class suites with privacy doors.
Business-class passengers will receive lounge access and enjoy new amenity partnerships with West Coast brands, while all passengers benefit from seatback screens and refreshed onboard experiences.
Introductory round-trip fares start at $599, with Atmos Rewards redemptions available from 35,000 points one-way in economy, though award pricing varies by date.
What to consider
The Seattle-Rome route is summer seasonal, running through October each year.
Atmos Rewards redemptions use a fixed award chart with 'starting at' prices, but higher rates may apply once standard award space is filled.
There is no true premium economy cabin on these flights, though extra-legroom seats will be rebranded as 'Premium.'
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed look at the new onboard amenities, elite upgrade policies and how Atmos Rewards award pricing works for these long-haul flights.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Alaska Airlines has announced the start date for its first-ever flights to Europe — and tickets are now on sale.
The Seattle-based carrier revealed its new nonstop service between the Pacific Northwest and Rome will launch April 28, 2026.
The flights will usher in a new transatlantic era for Alaska, one that the carrier has been plotting ever since acquiring Hawaiian Airlines last year.
Alaska on Thursday also shared a few details about the “soft-product” services it’ll offer on its future long-haul international service, including Alaska Lounge access for customers who book its lie-flat business-class seats.
ALASKA AIRLINES
“These new routes mark a tremendous step in our global expansion and reflect our commitment to delivering a premium international experience from Seattle,” Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer of Alaska Airlines, said in a statementThursday.
Details: Alaska Airlines’ new Rome flights
It’s been several months since Alaska Airlines first revealed Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) as its first European destination from its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) home base.
But the carrier on Thursday finally revealed full itinerary details — and shared that the flights will actually operate daily (instead of just four times per week) during the peak summer season.
Here’s how the flight timing will shake out:
SEA-FCO: Departs at 5:30 p.m. and arrives at 1:15 p.m. (all times local)
FCO-SEA: Departs at 3:25 p.m. and arrives at 5:45 p.m. (all times local)
These Italy flights will be summer seasonal, so you’ll see the service run through October.
Alaska’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
There’s plenty of novelty around the plane Alaska will fly on its new European routes. After all, the carrier has historically operated a fleet of entirely single-aisle planes for years.
But starting in 2026, Alaska will fly the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its long-haul international routes out of Seattle — including these Rome flights — with a fresh global Alaska-branded livery.
The aircraft features 34 business-class suites with sliding privacy doors, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration.
Keep in mind that as part of the carrier’s new Atmos Rewards program, top-tier Titanium elite status members will get complimentary upgrades to these seats (pending availability, of course). They wouldn’t need to redeem an upgrade certificate — or points, for that matter.
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Alaska will rebrand Hawaiian’s Extra Comfort (extra-legroom) seats with its “Premium” designation.
We should point out, though, that these planes, despite being generally state-of-the-art, do not have a bona fide premium economy cabin.
Notably, these Boeing 787s will also bring seatback screens to the Alaska experience — something you won’t find on its Boeing 737s.
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
All of Hawaiian’s existing 787s (and those Alaska Air Group has on order) will eventually get Alaska Airlines branding.
Hawaiian, which continues to operate as its own brand, will use its legacy Airbus A330s for its longer routes — though Alaska executives have pledged to give those jets cabin upgrades, including in premium economy, in the coming years.
New global ‘soft’ product
For months, Alaska Airlines has been teasing a new global experience for its international service. That was necessary because the airline hadn’t previously had true long-haul flights to speak of.
Business-class passengers on Alaska Airlines’ transatlantic and transpacific flights will get Alaska Lounge access before departure.
The Alaska Lounge in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)'s N-Concourse. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
On board, the carrier will feature amenity collaborations with a handful of brands — with a strong West Coast emphasis.
Food, beverage and amenity partnerships include Salt and Straw, Straightaway Cocktails, Stumptown Coffee, Filson (for bedding in business-class, and blankets in coach) and Salt & Stone.
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At the risk of sounding like I'm doing a product plug (I'm not!), I got to sample the Alaska-Stumptown collaboration blend earlier this year after a visit to the company’s Seattle headquarters — and it was definitely a winner for this coffee connoisseur.
Booking
Alaska plans to offer introductory fares for its Seattle-Rome flights starting at $599 round-trip, which would be a steal between the West Coast and Europe.
Here's a fare I spotted for next August.
ALASKA AIRLINES
But keep in mind that you may also see much higher prices on some peak spring and summer travel dates.
I found Atmos Rewards bookings starting as low as 35,000 points one-way in economy. However, on many dates I checked, award pricing also ran quite a bit higher than that.
ALASKA AIRLINES
In some cases, you may still find more competitive Atmos Rewards award pricing via partner redemptions on American Airlines — granted, that’s with the hurdle of having to make a connection instead of flying nonstop.
Remember that Alaska prices its Atmos Rewards redemption rates via a fixed award chart. However, those are “starting at” prices: Once the standard award space fills up, the carrier frequently offers higher-priced awards as an alternative to simply blocking any further award bookings. That was certainly the case for many of the business-class redemptions I checked.
We’ll watch to see how Atmos Rewards award space and pricing pans out as Alaska Airlines continues to expand its global long-haul network.
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.
