Alaska Airways To Launch Seasonal Seattle-Reykjavik Route In 2026

Alaska Airways has introduced that it’ll function a seasonal path to Iceland subsequent 12 months, turning into its new longest narrowbody service. Originating at Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA), a key hub for the provider within the Pacific Northwest of the US, these day by day flights will serve Reykjavik Keflavik Worldwide Airport (KEF) day by day from late Could to early September.

The announcement coincides with Alaska Airways’ launch of onboard enhancements throughout its fleet of narrowbody twinjet airliners from the favored Boeing 737 household, and can see the provider group up with Icelandair to supply additional European connections. This providing will complement Alaska Airways’ plans to launch direct flights from Seattle to Europe itself subsequent 12 months, following its merger with Hawaiian.

Alaska Airways Will Land In Iceland Subsequent Yr

Alaska Airways confirmed in an announcement launched earlier at this time that Could 28 subsequent 12 months will see it begin day by day flights from Seattle to Reykjavik, with westbound companies on this route again to the Pacific Northwest beginning a day later. This seasonal route will run all through the summer time within the Northern Hemisphere, with the final east and westbound flights working on September 7 and September 8.

The provider will come up towards Icelandair on this route, with Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, exhibiting that the flag provider serves this hall not less than day by day all 12 months spherical. Regardless of this rivalry, the pair are enhancing their partnership by permitting prospects to ebook by means of tickets with a European connection. Kirsten Amrine, VP of Income Administration & Community Planning at Alaska Airways, defined that:

“The addition of Reykjavík expands Alaska’s world footprint, connecting our company with much more of the world by means of the elevated service they know and love. We’re excited to launch our new nonstop route subsequent summer time, bringing vacationers nearer to the pure magic of Iceland and offering a seamless gateway to Europe.”

The Partnership With Icelandair Is Mutually Useful For The Airways & Their Passengers

In an identical vein, the codeshare settlement will enable Icelandair passengers touring by itself flights to Seattle to ebook onward flights with Alaska Airways to home locations elsewhere within the US underneath the security internet of a single reserving with a protected connection. Icelandair President and CEO Bogi Nils Bogason explains that “this collaboration displays our shared dedication to service excellence.”

Alaska Airways’ partnership with Icelandair has lasted for 10 years, and, regardless of competing with one another on the path to Seattle, each carriers establish that it’s of their greatest pursuits to work collectively, fairly than towards one another. With this in thoughts, Alaska Airways’ firstclass flyers and elite standing holders “can even have entry to Icelandair’s Saga Lounge at Keflavík Worldwide Airport” for additional consolation.

Whereas free onboard WiFi is fairly laborious to come back by at most carriers today, Alaska Airways notes that this will probably be accessible as “a particular perk only for this route.” Because it occurs, the Boeing 737 plane working these flights can have lots to supply throughout the board, as at this time’s announcement coincided with the launch of a wide-ranging initiative to reinforce the passenger expertise on board these twinjets.

Alaska Airways Has Massive Plans For Europe Subsequent Yr

Icelandis an interesting vacation spot in its personal proper and as a transit hub between Europe and North America. Certainly, MBL quotes Guðmundur Daðir Rúnarsson, who serves because the Director of Enterprise and Improvement at Keflavik Airport, as saying that “the arrival of Alaska Airways demonstrates the attractiveness of Iceland as a singular vacation spot and the way highly effective the hub in Keflavík has turn into.”

Nevertheless, it’s not the one European vacation spot that Alaska Airways will probably be launching flights to subsequent 12 months. Certainly, it introduced in June that it might start flying to Rome in 2026 as a part of a long-haul enlargement additionally that includes Seoul and Tokyo.

Two months later, the provider additionally confirmed that it might be including London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to its rising portfolio of long-haul routes from Seattle subsequent. This launch coincided with the reveal of a surprising new livery that may adorn Alaska Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, based mostly on the Northern Lights.