Alaska Airways and Hawaiian collectively launch new nonstop flights from Seattle to Tokyo

Make method for Alaska Airways on the worldwide stage.

9 months after the Seattle-based service acquired authorities approval to amass Hawaiian Airways, I used to be on board Monday as the 2 airline manufacturers — now operated by one dad or mum firm — labored collectively to launch nonstop service from Alaska’s Pacific Northwest dwelling base to Tokyo.

Touching down Tuesday at Narita Worldwide Airport (NRT), the flight ushered in a brand new period for Alaska, a longtime domestic-focused airline that solely ventured as far outdoors the U.S. as its fleet of narrow-body Boeing 737s would take it.

The brand new flight will provide vacationers a brand new solution to get to Japan with factors and miles. And, with extra nonstop worldwide locations within the works, the route will doubtless function the launching pad for a worldwide growth that Alaska expects will take the mixed service to a dozen long-haul locations by the tip of this decade.

Inaugural Japan service

There was some irony within the pomp and circumstance surrounding Monday’s inaugural flight from Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) to Narita, to make sure. In spite of everything, a number of airways already fly nonstop to Tokyo from Seattle, from Delta Air Strains to All Nippon Airways and Japan Airways; Hawaiian has additionally flown between its dwelling state and Japan for years.

Nonetheless, this flight held additional that means.

When Alaska Air Group first introduced plans to amass Hawaiian Airways in December 2023, a part of the imaginative and prescient was to turn into a real world airline. Among the many alternatives Alaska noticed in its Honolulu-based counterpart: Hawaiian’s fleet of bigger, wide-body planes — and its orders for extra of them within the years to come back.

In latest months because the merger, we have seen Alaska and Hawaiian work to combine their loyalty packages and behind-the-scenes operations. They even moved gates at main hubs to be nearer to at least one one other.

Executives noticed the launch of a worldwide gateway at SEA as a key step in that evolution that now has the 2 manufacturers — beacons in America’s forty ninth and fiftieth states — now rising collectively because the nation’s fifth-largest service.

“It is surreal for me to see how a lot our development has been,” Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci mentioned, talking earlier than the flight.

On the airport

From the outset, Hawaiian will function this new worldwide service between Seattle and Narita on a route that, uniquely, will not contact Hawaii in any respect — in contrast to a lot of the routes it has operated in its historical past.

For passengers checking a bag (or checking in) on the airport, that meant this journey began on the Hawaiian ticket counter in Seattle.

Although there’s now one dad or mum firm behind Alaska and Hawaiian, the 2 airways will nonetheless function as two separate manufacturers — very similar to KLM and Air France do in Europe, regardless of sitting underneath one company umbrella.

The melting pot that’s this mixed airline operation actually began to turn into apparent as soon as I handed by safety.

As a Hawaiian business-class passenger on Monday’s flight, I acquired entry to the Alaska Lounge, opting to go to the spacious N-concourse outpost closest to the gate.

Forward of the early afternoon departure, company may select from a breakfast buffet or go to the full-service espresso and cocktail bars — the latter of which supplied up a Narita Banana concoction ($9) curated for the inaugural flight.

Exterior the window sat the Hawaiian A330 scheduled to fly the Tokyo route.

Overlooking the plane, I bumped into Anchorage, Alaska, native Matthew Sandoval, a self-described Alaska “tremendous fan” who as soon as had his tenth birthday celebration at an Alaska gate — and since then has been on extra of the service’s inaugural flights than he can rely.

“Cincinnati, Columbus, Belize, Fort Myers, Jackson Gap, Anchorage, JFK,” he rattled off. “This one’s positively completely different.”

Inaugural festivities

Down on the gate, passengers and passersby discovered all of the pomp and circumstance you’d count on from an inaugural flight, from decor to meals and leisure.

Following a taiko drumming efficiency and a standard Hawaiian blessing, Alaska and Hawaiian executives reduce the ribbon that signaled it was time to board.

At their seats, passengers discovered a number of extra tokens commemorating the flight, from a bag tag to a porcelain chopsticks holder.

Onboard product

Hawaiian’s A330 flying this route nonetheless sported all the touches you’d count on on a Hawaiian airplane, from cabin crew members in traditional Hawaiian shirts to an inflight security video that confirmed surroundings from the Aloha State accompanied by ukulele music.

It is also a extra legacy cabin expertise general, with the growing older product a bit evident within the financial system and Further Consolation sections of the plane.

Whereas the business-class cabin does provide lie-flat seats, they’re organized in a 2-2-2 configuration that is misplaced competitiveness in a world of suites and common direct aisle entry.

To be clear: The power to lie down and sleep on an extended flight beats any coach seat by an extended shot.

However, in contrast with a few of the newer lie-flat merchandise I’ve flown, the pods in Hawaiian’s A330 entrance cabin definitely are much less fashionable, spacious and personal — they usually lack lots of the bells and whistles you’d discover on Hawaiian’s personal Boeing 787 Dreamliner that debuted nearly a yr in the past.

That mentioned, there could also be an plane improve on the horizon.

“We’re very excited that over time, we are going to shift our worldwide flying right here in Seattle to 787 Dreamliner plane,” Joe Sprague, the brand new CEO of the Hawaiian Airways model, mentioned Monday.

One other bit of stories: Executives advised these Dreamliner flights from Seattle to Tokyo — and different long-haul locations — could finally be operated by Alaska itself, not Hawaiian.

Inflight Starlink a ‘plus’

Simply essentially the most spectacular characteristic on board this Hawaiian A330: the quick, free Starlink Wi-Fi that was out there from boarding. Hawaiian has been the one U.S. service to supply Starlink service — although United Airways is ready to debut the expertise this week.

Enterprise-class expertise

Up entrance, I settled into my seat in Row 2 with the help of a flight attendant, who added a mattress cowl to my seat, providing a bit extra padding forward of the in a single day journey.

Hawaiian’s cabin crew members additionally introduced round an amenity equipment “buffet” of types, permitting you to seize the merchandise you wished within the tote bag the airline supplied.

Following a predeparture glass of Champagne, a water cannon salute from Seattle’s first responders and a just-behind-schedule takeoff, HA Flight 823 was on its solution to Asia.

Inflight eating

At cruising altitude, the inflight meal service allowed passengers to select from a Hawaiian Fusion or Japanese menu for dinner.

I selected the latter, and located the roasted hen with umami sauce alongside steamed white rice and miso soup to be the spotlight of the inflight service — although the cheesecake for dessert did not harm, both.

I additionally loved the ginger scallion hen and chow enjoyable noodles that appeared about 90 minutes previous to our touchdown at Narita — an arrival that got here at 4:53 p.m., after 10 hours and 45 minutes within the air.

The right way to e-book Hawaiian’s new Seattle-Tokyo flight

Vacationers hoping to e-book the brand new Hawaiian-operated, Alaska Air Group flight from Seattle to Tokyo have a number of choices.

• You possibly can redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles or HawaiianMiles miles. Consider, you may shift your miles seamlessly between the 2 packages over the subsequent couple of months, forward of the launch of a brand new, joint loyalty program encompassing each airline manufacturers. So e-book your award flight by whichever program provides the perfect redemption.
• Vacationers who must up their Mileage Plan account steadiness can switch Bilt Rewards Factors to Alaska at a 1:1 ratio.
• For now, you may switch American Specific Membership Rewards factors to HawaiianMiles after which (if you’d like) transfer these miles over to Alaska Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio — although you might wish to act sooner somewhat than later for those who’re going this route.

Needless to say you too can use Alaska miles to fly throughout the Pacific on quite a lot of Oneworld alliance associate airways too, together with nonstop flights from the U.S. to Tokyo on each Japan Airways and American Airways.

Seoul is subsequent … then Europe

Wanting forward, Alaska’s long-haul ambitions in Seattle go far past Tokyo.

TPG already reported Hawaiian-operated flights to Seoul, South Korea, will begin later this yr. On Monday, the service confirmed Europe flights will start throughout the second quarter of 2026.

It hopes to launch 12 worldwide long-haul locations from its SEA hub by 2030.

However do not count on a 3rd world hub for the manufacturers (past Seattle and Honolulu) anytime quickly. “No less than for the foreseeable future it will all be Seattle-centric,” Minicucci informed me. “Past that, we’ll see.”

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