Alaska Airlines Launches Tokyo Route In Seattle Hub Expansion

Alaska Airlines marked the first step toward utilizing its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) base as an international hub with the May 12 launch of daily flights to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT).

The SEA-NRT flights will be operated by a Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Alaska has an extensive U.S. domestic and near-international network, but had no access to widebody aircraft until its parent Alaska Air Group acquired Hawaiian in September 2024. A second transpacific route connecting SEA and Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) is slated to open on Sept. 12. The SEA-ICN route will be flown 5X-weekly with an A330-200. With the SEA-NRT route commencing, Alaska has added details to its plan to operate at least 12 long-haul international routes from SEA by 2030.

Under the merger, Alaska and Hawaiian are operating separate brands. The A330 being used to fly to Tokyo has been shifted to SEA from Honolulu Inouye International Airport (HNL), where Hawaiian's A330 fleet is based. The carrier has 24 A330-200 passenger aircraft in total. Hawaiian’s A330-200s are configured to carry 278 passengers, including 18 in business class.

The SEA-NRT service, with a flight time of around 10 hr. 30 min., will be branded as Hawaiian for now, but Alaska indicated this could change in the future.

“Onboard service will initially mirror the Hawaiian hospitality that Hawaiian Airlines [passengers] know and love, while Alaska develops a comprehensive, long-haul experience that will be deployed from Seattle in the future,” Alaska said in a statement. “The Airbus A330 fleet, based in Honolulu, remains a proud part of the Hawaiian Airlines brand as we invest in that aircraft’s future for flying to and from Hawaii. We’ll refresh the A330s in the coming years to provide a premium, modern global experience. This includes investments in seating, cabin interiors and onboard products and amenities.”

Hawaiian also has three Boeing 787-9 aircraft in its fleet with nine more of the type on order. Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci described the 787 as a “flagship” long-haul aircraft that “unleashes a world of possibilities of where we can fly to from Seattle.”

He added that points in Europe are "part of our plans to serve at least 12 international destinations with widebody aircraft from Seattle by 2030." Alaska specifically noted London is the top intercontinental passenger market from SEA.

Alaska said the “future of our international service from Seattle will be with our growing fleet of Boeing 787-9 aircraft as we lean into the strong presence of the Alaska brand in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest."

The long-haul emphasis for Alaska at SEA will be transpacific flying, with the airline viewing the airport as a rival to San Francisco International and Los Angeles International airports as large U.S. West Coast hubs serving Asian markets.

“Seattle is the closest connection point between the continental U.S. and Tokyo—7% closer than San Francisco and 13% closer than Los Angeles,” Alaska said. The airline added that “104 nonstop destinations across North America” feed into SEA, creating numerous one-stop connections to NRT.

“We’ve seen strong interest in our nonstop flights to Tokyo, with half of the tickets we’ve sold in the U.S. for flights to Narita originating from more than 80 cities outside of Seattle,” Alaska said.

“This is a monumental step for our hometown carrier Alaska Airlines,” said Ryan Calkins, commissioner of the Port of Seattle, which manages SEA.

Alaska will compete with Japan Airlines on the SEA-NRT route. All Nippon Airways and Delta Air Lines both fly between SEA and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). While Hawaiian’s HNL-NRT service has ceased in order to make way for the new SEA-NRT route, the airline will still serve HND from HNL.

Alaska noted that “Tokyo is the second-largest intercontinental market in Seattle for both business and leisure … In 2024, about 400 passengers traveled between Seattle and Tokyo in each direction every day, and that’s not including connecting flights, an indication of the popularity of the route.”