Alaska Airlines announces start date for Rome flights; Atmos Rewards bookings now open
Alaska Airlines is set to embark on a new chapter in its journey by launching its inaugural transatlantic flights to Europe, specifically to Rome. Scheduled to commence on April 28, 2026, the nonstop service from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport marks a significant milestone for the Seattle-based carrier. This expansion not only underscores Alaska’s ambition to broaden its global footprint but also follows its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, which has played a pivotal role in this strategic move. Alaska Airlines aims to provide a premium international experience, with Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Harrison emphasizing the importance of these new routes in enhancing their service offerings.
The flights to Rome will operate daily during the peak summer season, a change from earlier plans for a four-times-per-week schedule. The flight details reveal a convenient timetable, with departures from Seattle at 5:30 p.m. and arrivals in Rome at 1:15 p.m. (local time), while the return flight leaves Rome at 3:25 p.m. and arrives back in Seattle at 5:45 p.m. Alaska will utilize the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for these long-haul routes, a significant upgrade from its historically single-aisle fleet. The Dreamliner features lie-flat business-class seats and enhanced amenities, including access to the Alaska Lounge for business-class travelers. Notably, the aircraft will also include modern conveniences such as seatback screens, a first for Alaska’s fleet, and will showcase a fresh global livery that reflects the airline’s new identity.
In addition to the Rome flights, Alaska Airlines has plans to expand its international offerings further, with upcoming routes to London and Iceland. The airline is also introducing a revamped loyalty program, Atmos Rewards, which will provide elite members with complimentary upgrades to business-class seats, enhancing the overall travel experience. With introductory fares starting at $599 round-trip and award bookings available for as low as 35,000 points, Alaska Airlines is positioning itself as a competitive player in the transatlantic market. As the airline prepares for this exciting new venture, travelers can look forward to a range of unique onboard experiences, including collaborations with West Coast brands for food and beverages, making Alaska Airlines an appealing choice for those looking to travel between the West Coast and Europe.
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
statement
Thursday.
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.
Related:
How to reach Alaska Airlines elite status with just 1 card
The Coliseum in Rome. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
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.
These are the same beautiful, new Dreamliners that
Hawaiian Airlines debuted in 2024
and had ordered more of prior to the merger.
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.
Read more:
Alaska Airlines plots global expansion — with a little help from Portland, San Diego and Atmos Rewards
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
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.
Read more:
Alaska Airlines enters its intercontinental era with first-ever nonstop flight to Asia, operated by Hawaiian
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.
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
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.
Read more:
Alaska Airlines’ valuable points — and award chart — survive Atmos Rewards: ‘Not trying to hoodwink anybody’
Up next
Alaska expects to put
its flights to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR)
on sale soon. Those flights will operate year-round.
The carrier will also launch nonstop service to Iceland in 2026 with a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
