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Just before 6 pm local time on Tuesday evening, Alaska Airlines flight #180 lifted off from Seattle to cheers of applause from the passengers. This flight would be one of many Alaska flights to depart Seattle that day. But this departure marked the launch of a new era for the Seattle-based airline: Alaska Airlines' first-ever flight to Europe.
The mood on board was festive. AvGeeks, Alaska Airlines flight attendants and employees, and a few confused vacationers packed every single seat. The CEO of Alaska Airlines, his family, and invited media occupied much of the brand-new “Suites” business class cabin — although we would only hear from the CEO in the brand-new safety video played before the flight.
This flight perfectly encapsulated the airline's current transitional state. Despite departing from Alaska Airlines' headquarters in Seattle, the Boeing 787-9 aircraft originally hailed from Hawaiian Airlines — still sporting the “HA” aircraft registration — but sported Alaska's new global livery. The Hawaiian Airlines crew — now operating under the Alaska umbrella — handed out Alaska-branded amenities.
Pomp and Circumstance
Inaugural flights are always a great excuse for a party. And Alaska made sure to take advantage of this opportunity. Our N16 gate was packed with media, photo spots, and goodies. The airline even left the gates on either side empty to let the festivities take over the entire wing of the terminal.
Passengers and curious travelers could snag a handmade cannoli and a cup of gelato — although the gelato was all claimed before I even arrived at the gate. In the Alaska Lounge upstairs, other passengers reported Italian pizza was being served.
Onboard, each economy seat was stocked with an Alaska-branded bag of goodies. The airline printed special inaugural flight bag tags along with a “SEA nonstop to FCO” handout with Italian phrases on the back. But there were also a couple of eclectic amenities: A mini metal cup with a straw and a bottle of olive oil — which was thankfully right at the 100 ml limit for carry-on liquids.
After pushing back, pilots held the aircraft for the assembled local media to get all the photos they wanted. Then, we rolled toward a water cannon salute on the way to the runway.
Then, well, everyone settled into the reality of a long, nearly 11-hour flight from Seattle to Rome.
It wouldn't be until the approach into Rome that the cabin crew made an announcement thanking all passengers for their friendliness and excitement about this new service.
Upon landing, passengers applauded and cheered once again. But after that, the arrival in Rome was… well, rather ordinary. No water cannon salute, no balloons, no “SEA to FCO” branding. The only sign that this was an inaugural flight was a cluster of media capturing photos and videos of the aircraft's gate arrival.
Passengers simply disembarked to fight their way through the newly launched European Entry and Exit System (EES) process.
Alaska's New Boeing 787-9 Product
This flight launched Alaska's brand-new onboard product — both in “Suites” business class and in economy. Unfortunately, I was only able to grab a short peek into business class during boarding. And indeed, the new Suites product looks amazing. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to fly and review it shortly!
As mentioned above, Alaska Airlines' CEO, his family, and invited media filled the front. So, I checked out the economy experience.
As on almost every Boeing Dreamliner, seats are arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration.
Most seats are arranged with 31 inches of pitch. While that's not generous, legroom is surprisingly decent due to the slimline seats.
In the front economy cabin, most rows on either side of the aisle are labeled “Extra Comfort” onboard but sold by Alaska as Premium Class. These seats promise 4 more inches of pitch — plus priority boarding and complimentary spirits during meal service.
Each economy seat has an 11.5-inch in-flight entertainment screen loaded with a substantial amount of entertainment.
Stay tuned for my full photo tour of the Alaska Airlines 787-9 economy cabin.
Onboard Food & Drink
While the service and amenities are often different on inaugural flights, the food and drink are likely a good indication of what's to come on the route.
The departure meal service started a little over an hour after takeoff. Economy passengers had a choice between “chicken and pasta,” and my wife and I got one of each. Both meals were served with a side salad (with “Lite Caesar” dressing), a plastic-wrapped cold bread roll (with butter), and a Salt & Straw ice cream.
Beer and wine were advertised as complimentary. When I asked if I could get a can of Straightaway Oregon Old Fashioned, the flight attendant served me one without charge. Not sure if that will be the policy going forward, though.
Between meals, economy passengers could get snacks and drinks from the rear galley. From chickpea puffs to fruit gummies, the options were surprisingly high-quality.
A little more than 2 hours before landing, flight attendants passed through to serve a breakfast of “eggs or pancakes.” I opted for the egg dish and found it was a bit more “potato” than “egg.” The main hot dish was accompanied by a yogurt, a muffin, and a tray of grapes.
Drink options included at least coffee, tea (Jasmine, English breakfast, or peppermint), or juice (cranberry cocktail or orange juice).
Overall, this was a solid economy food-and-drink setup for a long-haul flight.
Final Thoughts
This new route to Rome is just the first of three European routes Alaska plans to launch this spring and summer, with London Heathrow and Reykjavik following in May. Further long-haul expansion is planned as Alaska and Hawaiian continue integrating their widebody fleets and receive more Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
That excitement showed in just how many Alaska Airlines flight attendants and employees were on this flight. I shared a row with a young flight attendant who was using his “positive space” ticket credits to be on this flight. In the galley, I spoke with a 41-year veteran flight attendant who paid cash to be on this flight. She noted that she was originally part of a reportedly 1,600-person waitlist to be on this flight before deciding she wouldn't risk missing it.
On this flight, Alaska Airlines delivered a solid experience — from a friendly crew to a well-stocked in-flight entertainment system and good food and drink. After this experience, I'd certainly fly Alaska overseas again — and look forward to doing so on another new route.
