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Alaska Airlines has been on a clip as of late, launching new routes to Europe and Asia with the new Boeing 787 Dreamliners that it acquired through its merger with Hawaiian Airlines. Now, without fanfare, Alaska Airlines quietly launched two new routes from its Seattle home.
Next year, Alaska will start seasonal service to Osaka and Papeete. Below, we'll share all the details, including how to book these flights — including using Atmos points.
Alaska's New Service From Seattle to Osaka
Starting on May 14th, Alaska Airlines will operate its new route with a Hawaiian Airlines A330-200 aircraft four times a week. One cool quirk about this flight from Japan is that you'll actually land 5-6 hours before you left Japan, so you get to relive some of the same day over again.
Seattle (SEA) to Osaka (KIX)
- Starting Date: May 14, 2027
- Days of Week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- Flight Times: depart 12:10 pm, arrive 4:00 pm (+1 Day)
Osaka (KIX) to Seattle (SEA)
- Starting Date: May 15, 2027
- Days of Week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
- Flight Times: depart 6:00 pm, arrive 12:20 pm
I'm all for this route. My husband and I just went to Japan for the first time this year, and now I can't wait to go back and experience more. I'm keen to try the route on Alaska's plane, as I wasn't too impressed with JAL's service from Seattle.
Alaska's New Service From Seattle to Papeete
About a month later, Seattle will start a route that Air Tahiti Nui abandoned not too long ago, with three-times-weekly service from Seattle to Papeete, Tahiti. This flight will also be operated using the Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200.
Seattle (SEA) to Papeete (PPT)
- Starting Date: June 11, 2027
- Days of Week: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
- Flight Times: depart 11:55 pm, arrive 7:20 am (+1 Day)
Papeete (PPT) to Seattle (SEA)
- Starting Date: June 12, 2027
- Days of Week: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
- Flight Times: depart 5:00 pm, arrive 6:00 am (+1 Day)
Here's to hoping Alaska has more success than Air Tahiti Nui did on this route. Personally, I think they will, since Alaska can sell tickets not only through Atmos
Using Hawaiian Airlines Planes
One interesting point here is that Alaska Airlines will operate these routes using Hawaiian Airlines' A330-200 aircraft instead of their new Dreamliner 787 planes. Alaska is scheduled to get a few more of those Dreamliners this year and the next, but since the delivery will be slower, it looks like they'll be using these aircraft in the meantime.
Also, since Papette (PPT) and Osaka (KIX) are routes both currently in service with A330-200 aircraft, if there was ever a need to do an equipment swap or service one, I would imagine it'll be easier to make those last-minute adjustments.
How To Book These New Routes
You can book these routes now, with both cash and points rates available.
Alaska doesn't seem to have loaded any business class saver availability on these routes yet. So, business class awards currently start at 150,000 points each way.
Economy flights are available for far fewer points, but since the A330-200 planes don't have any premium economy, that's all you can access. Alaska offers a Premium Class — but for now it's just a regular economy seat with a few extra inches of legroom.
If you want to fly these new Alaska routes without paying that much for business class, we recommend setting up award availability alerts with your award search tool of choice.
Related: Point.Me, Roame.Travel, PointsYeah: Which Flight Award Availability Search Tool Is Best?
If you need more Alaska Atmos points, check out these current offers on Alaska
$95
- Earn unlimited 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
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$395
- 3X points on eligible dining, foreign transactions, Alaska Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
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$70 for the company and $25 per card
- Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
- Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, shipping and local transit (including rideshare) purchases
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Bottom Line
More is better, and I'm excited to see Alaska Airlines launch these new routes. I'll admit that I was expecting to see new destinations instead of a rehash of two current destinations, but Alaska doesn't do anything blindly.
My guess is Alaska knows these routes would have demand based on current booking trends, much like London, Paris, and Athens.
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