Alaska Airlines upgrades Seattle-Tokyo route with Hawaiian’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are making a big change on their flights between Seattle and Tokyo.
Starting in January, it’ll be Hawaiian’s beautiful new Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating the route between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Narita International Airport (NRT).
For travelers flying between the two cities, it's a significant upgrade from Hawaiian’s older Airbus A330 currently flying between the Pacific Northwest and Japan: This shift will swap in a new, state-of-the-art cabin with business-class suites for the older product found on board Hawaiian’s legacy long-haul fleet of planes.
It'll also give Alaska Air Group (the parent company of Alaska and Hawaiian) a more competitive onboard product with chief Seattle rival, Delta Air Lines, on these transpacific flights.
It won't be good news for every Hawaiian route, though: A spokesperson confirmed the airline will be shifting one of its existing Dreamliners off another route to upgrade SEA-NRT.
A transpacific upgrade
Alaska and Hawaiian merged late last year, and promptly announced plans to launch a global gateway at Seattle, Alaska’s home base.
I tagged along in May when the airlines launched their long-haul era with Tokyo service operated by Hawaiian.
As exciting a moment as it was for the company, though, the A330 flying the route definitely wasn’t the star of the show itself, with older seats and a 2-2-2 configuration up in the business-class cabin that’s a far less alluring product than the one Hawaiian debuted on its brand-new fleet of Dreamliners last year.
But things will change right off the bat in 2026, the company said Tuesday.
Between early January and mid-April, passengers flying between Seattle and Narita will get the Hawaiian Dreamliner complete with 34 Leihoku suites featuring sliding privacy doors — not to mention an overall updated experience in the main cabin.
All-new experience on the horizon
Alaska and Hawaiian didn’t share what the aircraft plans are for the Tokyo route beyond April.
That may be by design.
Earlier this spring, I reported the company is planning to unveil an all-new flagship international experience for its long-haul routes.
The plan, Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci told me, is for all long-haul international routes out of Seattle (including the Tokyo one) to be operated by Alaska — not Hawaiian.
It’s not clear when Alaska might take over the Tokyo flights from its new sister airline, but expect this route to see more change in the future, in the form of a new onboard experience.
Alaska already announced it will be operating Dreamliner flights to Rome starting in May 2026.
Booking Hawaiian’s Dreamliner to Tokyo
In the meantime, if you’re hoping to use points and miles to book Hawaiian-operated flights between Seattle and Tokyo for early next year, you have a couple of options:
- Use miles from your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account, or transfer points to your Alaska account at a 1:1 ratio from Bilt Rewards.
- Use remaining miles in your HawaiianMiles account, though transfers from a number of partner programs to HawaiianMiles have ended (including from American Express).
Keep in mind, you can also still move miles seamlessly between your Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles accounts, for now.
New loyalty program next month
But big changes are coming on the loyalty front for these newly merged airlines, too. In the coming weeks, Alaska Air Group is planning to announce an all-new joint loyalty program that will serve both airline brands.
Suffice to say, it’s a time of big change at Alaska and Hawaiian, and many more developments are on the horizon.
Hawaiian adds additional wintertime flights
Hawaiian is also adding additional domestic and international flights to and from its Honolulu base during the peak winter season.
The changes include:
- Daily service from Honolulu to Sydney between Dec. 18, 2025, and Jan. 31, 2026 — up from five weekly round trips.
- A fifth daily flight between Honolulu and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during the peak Thanksgiving (Nov. 21-Dec. 1) and winter holiday (Dec. 19, 2025-Jan. 6, 2026) travel rushes.
- A fourth daily Hawaiian-operated flight with a large, wide-body jet between Honolulu and Seattle between late-November and mid-April. That’s on top of two daily round trips flown by Alaska.
“We’re excited to offer our guests more options to connect with loved ones or enjoy a warm winter getaway,” Alaska Vice President of Revenue Management and Network Planning Kirsten Amrine said in a statement Tuesday.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.