Seattle’s Next Big Overseas Routes Will Fly Under Hawaiian’s Name

Alaska Air Group is putting its Hawaiian brand to work from the Pacific Northwest. Starting next spring, Hawaiian Airlines will fly from Seattle to Osaka, Japan, four times a week beginning May 14, and to Papeete, Tahiti, three times a week beginning June 11. Both routes are planned year-round and will use Airbus A330-200 aircraft with business and economy cabins.

The pitch is simple: Hawaiian already flies to Osaka and Tahiti from its Honolulu hub, so travelers and crews know the destinations. Travel Weekly reports that Hawaiian will be the only airline offering nonstop service on each of the two Seattle routes, which matters in a market where long-haul competition is usually fierce. Members of the Atmos loyalty program get free Starlink Wi-Fi on board.

The announcement is part of a broader push. Once the new flights start, the group expects nine transoceanic routes from Seattle next summer, four of them to Asia. Alaska Airlines already flies long-haul from the city to Tokyo, London, Rome, Seoul and Reykjavik, with Paris and Athens planned for summer 2027, and the company has said it wants at least 15 long-haul routes from Seattle by 2030.

Alliance plumbing is moving in parallel. Alaska has agreed to join Oneworld joint ventures across the Atlantic and the Pacific, though those deals still need approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation and other competition regulators. Fares and full schedules were not part of the announcement, so the real test will be pricing once seats go on sale.

Sources: Travel Weekly