Alaska Airlines has entered Europe for the first time, launching nonstop service to Rome last week with a nearly brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that Hawaiian Airlines debuted in 2024. The flight marked a new line in the carrier’s history, but the bigger signal from Seattle was what Alaska says it still lacks: a true premium economy cabin.
CEO Ben Minicucci said that section is “the true piece that’s missing,” even as the airline starts its first European service. The Rome aircraft carries private suites in business class and an all-new soft product, but its seat map also shows branded “Premium” seats that are really coach seats with extra legroom, the same label Alaska uses on its Boeing 737s. Hawaiian did not install an international-style premium economy cabin on the Dreamliners, and Alaska now says it wants that product because it has become a boon for major carriers. Minicucci said it expects premium economy to be “one of the most popular products on long-haul” and “one of the most profitable products on long-haul,” adding: “And so we're excited.”
The timing matters because Alaska is trying to make its long-haul future look more like a global carrier’s, not just a domestic airline’s. Along with the Rome launch, the company said it plans to start outfitting premium economy recliners on its 787s beginning in 2028. It also said Hawaiian’s older Airbus A330s will get new business-class suites and premium economy for the first time, with those retrofits slated to begin in 2028 as well. For travelers, that means Alaska’s next wave of international flying is being built around the cabin mix that now drives revenue and loyalty on the longest routes.
There is still a gap between what Alaska is selling now and what it says it wants to sell next. The current 787s flying to Rome have the “Premium” label on coach seats with extra legroom, not a true premium economy cabin. That makes the launch a milestone, but also a placeholder: Alaska has gone global before it has finished building the product it says will define that global role.
The same pattern is showing up on the ground in Seattle. Alaska is planning a 40,000-square-foot premium lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on the C Concourse, a space that would be more like American Airlines’ Flagship Lounge or United Airlines’ Polaris Lounge than a standard Alaska Lounge. The lounge would likely be aimed at business-class flyers and perhaps top-tier Atmos Rewards members, underscoring how the airline is trying to match its international network with a more exclusive airport experience. Rome may have opened the door, but the airline’s real test is whether it can deliver the premium journey it is now promising from gate to cabin.
