Alaska Airlines launched daily nonstop service between Seattle and London Heathrow on Thursday evening with a gate celebration at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) that featured a string quartet, tea and scones, celebratory speeched and a ribbon cutting.
The new long-haul flight is on one of Alaska’s wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and is scheduled to depart SEA each day at 9:40 p.m. and arrive at LHR at 3:05 the next day.
The return flight to SEA leaves LHR at 5 p.m. and arrives at 6:50 p.m. the same day.
In addition to launching SEA to London service, the airline launched its first-ever transatlantic route to Rome last month and on May 28, it will begin nonstop service to Reykjavík, Iceland.
Before we made our way out to the gate for the London inaugural celebration, we stopped into Alaska’s new check-in lobby for Suites and Atmos Titanium guests.
After a calm, concierge-style check-in, passengers have a dedciated entry portal to the TSA security checkpoint and are escorted to the front of the lines.
Alaska is now offering similar dedicated Suites and Titanium member check-in lanes in London and will debut them soon at Reykjavik, Rome and at key Alaska hubs including Anchorage, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
New 2-level Alaska Airlines lounge at SEA
On Thursday, the Seattle-based carrier also shared some additional details about the new 2-story lounge it will open in late 2027 at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport as part of a major upgrade on Concourse C.
This new Alaska Lounge is slated to be the largest airline lounge at SEA and one of the largest in the country. Spanning more than 41,000 square feet with approximately 700 seats across two levels, the lounge will will feature showers, multiple bars, à la carte dining and chef-curated seasonal menus.
The main level will welcome Alaska Lounge members, day–pass guests and eligible First Class guests. The upper level will be dedicated to international long-haul travelers, serving Suites and lie-flat guests as well as eligible Atmos Titanium members traveling internationally.
