Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has been a chessboard between Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines for years.
Alaska Airlines is the hometown carrier, with a dominant domestic network and a loyal local customer base that gives it roughly half of the airport’s market share. Delta Air Lines has a smaller domestic footprint, but has spent more than a decade becoming the biggest international competitor from Seattle.
But Alaska is now pushing into that territory.
The airline launched its first-ever flight to Europe on Tuesday, flying a Boeing 787 Dreamliner 11 hours from Seattle to Rome. The seasonal flight will run through October 23 and is part of Alaska’s broader effort to bolster its transoceanic connectivity from the West Coast and Hawaii.
For customers, this means more choice on long-haul flights — and it could lead to better prices.
Alaska’s Rome route follows its 2024 merger with Hawaiian Airlines, which brought widebody aircraft, including Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A330s, into its fleet and accelerated its push into long-haul markets. The airline has more than a dozen more 787s on order.
Cirium data shows Alaska has about 2,300 scheduled flights from Seattle to Europe and Seattle to Asia in 2026, a nearly fourfold increase from 2025. The carrier launched Tokyo and Seoul service last year and plans to add London and Reykjavik in May; it expects to offer at least 12 international flights by 2030.
Almost all of Alaska’s new international routes overlap with Delta’s network. Delta, however, is reinforcing its own position. It will begin service to Rome in May, followed by Barcelona. It already serves London, Tokyo, Seoul, Amsterdam, Paris, Shanghai, and Taipei from Seattle.
“Delta is deeply committed to Seattle, and we look forward to expanding our global footprint with the launch of our latest international flights to Rome and Barcelona,” Jeff Arinder, Delta’s vice president for international network planning, told Business Insider. “With continued investments in our fleet and state-of-the-art airport amenities, including two new premier lounges in SEA, we’re providing a premium, elevated experience for Seattleites.”
Delta built its ultra-high-end Delta One Lounge in Seattle for its highest-status and highest-paying customers. It also has locations at New York-JFK, Boston, and Los Angeles, with plans for more.
Alaska did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Delta has strengthened its presence in Seattle since the 2010s by leaning into the city’s West Coast geography and building on the Pacific network and Tokyo hub it inherited through its 2008 merger with Northwest Airlines.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
It followed with investments in terminals, lounges, and corporate contracts, and added domestic connections to support international flying — steadily pulling high-yield business traffic into its global network and becoming the main global option in a market where Alaska did not operate long-haul flights.
Cirium shows Delta operated about 5,000 long-haul international flights annually from Seattle in the years leading up to the pandemic and is scheduled to operate nearly 6,000 in 2026.
“This is healthy competition,” aviation expert and former Alaska captain John Nance told the local NBC affiliate King 5 Seattle. “The question is, are there that many people who want to go nonstop between Rome and Seattle? I think there are, and I think Alaska has bet on that, too, as has Delta.”
Delta’s decision to match Alaska on the new Rome route underscores the competitive stakes in the market.
Data from the airport shows Delta holds about 25% of Seattle’s international market, compared with Alaska’s 15%, while the other top carriers each hold roughly 4%.
Google Flights data shows fares on Alaska and Delta vary widely — typically between $1,000 and $2,000 to Rome, Tokyo, London, and Seoul — with peak summer periods at the top of the range.
Alaska can now tap into booming premium demand
As Alaska pushes further into long-haul markets, it is also capturing the surging demand for premium cabins that comes with it.
The 787 operating the Rome service includes its new business-class suite with sliding doors, designed to compete directly with legacy carriers and attract premium travelers who have increasingly defaulted to Delta and other global airlines.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska’s A330s on the Tokyo route still feature older interiors, though a full retrofit is planned to begin in 2028.
The Boeing 737 Maxes flying the Iceland route will have Alaska’s usual domestic first class, but the lack of lie-flat options and seatback screens on the up to eight-hour journey could frustrate some flyers.
In its first-quarter earnings call, the airline said premium cabins continue to outperform economy, with premium revenue rising about 7% in 2025.
The premium-heavy Airbus A330neo and A350 planes that Delta flies from Seattle all have door-equipped business class and updated premium economy and coach cabins. Its previous-generation A330s are set to receive a retrofit over the next few years.
