Rome Is Alaska Airlines’ First Long-Haul Destination

Although there is still some time to wait before this flights activates, it will surely be a historical one for Alaska Airlines. Rome Fiumicino International Airport will be the first intercontinental destination for Alaska Airlines operated under its own brand.

What Makes This New Rome-Seattle Flight Interesting

Well, you can’t really tiptoe around it. This is a hugely important event for Alaska Airlines. The carrier up to a few months ago has only focused on domestic or short international services, exclusively operating its fleet of Boeing 737s. However, Alaska is now in a totally different ball game after taking over Hawaiian Airlines. It has set up long haul services to Australia and Asia, but only using the Hawaiian brand.

That is soon to change, with Alaska Airlines first intercontinental flight soon to become a reality. And they have decided to head out with a bang in announcing their first destination: Rome, Italy. The route will connect Alaska’s main hub in Seattle, Washington, to Rome Fiumicino international airport.

Clearly there are at least a couple things that make this a noteworthy launching flight:

• It is, as mentioned before, Alaska Airlines’ first proper long haul international flight under their own colors.
• The fact that currently the airline doesn’t own any long-haul capable aircraft and it has announced it will be using Boeing 787-9s to cover the route.

Now, that would mean that Alaska Airlines will need to include into its fleet several of these planes to make operating the flight feasible. Where will they come from? Two options:

• Internal transfer from Hawaiian, as the two carriers are working on acquiring a single air operator certificate. That would “only” require the Boeing 787s to be refitted and painted with Alaska Airlines interiors and livery.
• Come from new orders with the aircraft already set up to the carrier’s specs which would be the most efficient way to get this done without taking aircraft out of service.

Now, How and When Will The New Flight Operate?

We’re still waiting on the flight number for the new Seattle to Rome Fiumicino flight which will mark Alaska Airlines’ debut on long-haul services. What we do know is that the new route is scheduled to launch in May 2026, with tickets going on sale starting in September 2025.

The other information currently available includes the flight frequency – four times per week (flights every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in the Rome-Seattle direction), and the schedule:

• AS??: Departure from Seattle (SEA) at 6:00 PM, arriving in Rome Fiumicino (FCO) at 1:45 PM+1.
• AS??: Departure from Rome Fiumicino (FCO) at 3:45 PM, arriving in Seattle (SEA) at 6:00 PM.

Also still unknown is the configuration of the Boeing 787-9 that Alaska Airlines will use for its first long-haul flight from Rome to Seattle route.