Alaska Airlines' new South Korea flights now on sale

Alaska Airlines flyers will have a new way to get to Seoul, South Korea, this fall.

That's when the Oneworld alliance carrier will launch its planned nonstop service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Seoul's Incheon International Airport (ICN). Alaska will offer five weekly flights with a Hawaiian Airlines-operated Airbus A330-200 beginning Sept. 12.

The new route is part of a long-haul push by Alaska from its Seattle base. Daily flights to Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) begin May 12, and the airline promises to launch at least 12 long-haul destinations — including Seoul and Tokyo — from Seattle by 2030.

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Alaska plans to introduce one of the Boeing 787-9s that Hawaiian has on order on the new Seattle-Seoul route "soon."

The push is enabled by Alaska's merger with Hawaiian last year. While the two airlines continue to operate separately, Alaska plans to merge the latter into its own operations while keeping the Hawaiian brand for all flights that touch its namesake islands. Twin-aisle aircraft in Hawaiian's fleet will continue to serve both U.S. and long-haul destinations from Hawaii — but they also enable new intercontinental nonstops from Seattle.

"The fundamentals to be successful in this industry are relevance and loyalty," Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Airlines, said at an investor event in December.

Acquiring Hawaiian, he and his leadership team said, gave Alaska both more network relevance along the West Coast, where Hawaii is one of the top vacation destinations. It also expanded its Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan loyalty program with the addition of HawaiianMiles members.

The new long-haul nonstops from Seattle are just another way that Alaska is trying to increase its relevance to customers.

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The airline is also expanding its bases at both Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon and San Diego International Airport (SAN) with more flights and routes. In May, Alaska will connect Portland with both Eugene Airport (EUG) in Oregon and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), as well as San Diego with Rogue Valley International Medford Airport (MFR) in Oregon.

Alaska's international ambitions are not without risks. It faces a very competitive market in Seattle with Seoul already served nonstop by Asiana Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air (Korean Air recently acquired Asiana). Tokyo is served by All Nippon Airways, Delta and Japan Airlines. Most other major international destinations have at least one nonstop flight.

In September, Alaska is offering fares to Seoul for as low as $773 or 47,500 Mileage Plan miles one-way for economy. A business-class seat can be snagged for 250,000 miles one-way.

Below are the details of Alaska's new Seattle-Seoul nonstop:

• SEA-ICN: Departs at 3:25 p.m. and arrives at 6:50 p.m. the next day on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
• ICN-SEA: Departs at 8:50 p.m. and arrives at 3 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

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