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It’s a brand new international period at Alaska Airways.
As soon as a West Coast airline that flew (principally) home routes on single-aisle planes, the Seattle-based provider is shortly rising its community of long-haul worldwide flights.
And on Wednesday, Alaska christened the aircraft — and the all-new look — it is going to sport on its intercontinental routes.
Inside a hangar close to Seattle, Alaska unveiled the primary Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner delivered by Boeing adorned with its personal branding.
And it’s a design vacationers have by no means seen earlier than: a shimmering blue and green-colored tail impressed by the northern lights outstanding in Alaska’s namesake state.
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SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
“This can be a historic day for us,” Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci mentioned, standing within the shadow of the brand new aircraft.
Alaska enters its twin-aisle period
It’s additionally a day the corporate had deliberate for ever since its 2024 acquisition of Hawaiian Airways.
As a part of that merger, Alaska had its eyes on the brand-new 787-9 plane Hawaiian had ordered years earlier — long-haul succesful jets that Alaska noticed as key to realizing its worldwide ambitions.
With the brand new aircraft available, Alaska received’t waste any time sending it to a far-flung vacation spot.
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This 787 will make its transpacific debut on Thursday on a flight from Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) to Seoul, South Korea.
Within the coming months, you’ll see extra planes look similar to this one, too.
The provider already has just a few 787s that had been delivered to Hawaiian previous to the merger, and Alaska plans to repaint these jets with its personal livery (Alaska and Hawaiian, regardless of sharing one dad or mum firm, proceed to function as separate airline manufacturers).
The Alaska model may also be on all future Dreamliners delivered to the corporate. That features 5 new bigger 787-10 jets Alaska ordered on Wednesday as a part of a blockbuster 110-aircraft buy from Boeing.
Among the many routes this new aircraft is slated for: Alaska’s soon-to-launch flights from Seattle to Rome (April 28) and London (Might 21).
What to anticipate on board Alaska Airways’ new Boeing 787-9
What is going to vacationers discover on board Alaska’s new Dreamliner?
For now, count on nearly the identical exhausting product Hawaiian rolled out on this plane lower than two years in the past, proven beneath.
That features the 34 business-class suites organized in a 1-2-1 configuration and outfitted with sliding privateness doorways.
Learn extra: On board Hawaiian Airways’ 2024 inaugural flight on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Alaska is updating just a few beauty touches contained in the cabin straight away to make it really feel rather less like a Hawaiian Airways flight, together with deploying a brand new temper lighting scheme.
Later this yr, the provider plans to introduce a number of recent “mushy product” companies that’ll be a staple of its new flagship long-haul expertise transferring ahead.
Premium economic system plans confirmed
Past that, premium economic system is coming.
Minicucci on Wednesday confirmed the provider is planning to outfit its 787s with the spacious, mid-cabin recliners which have turn out to be desk stakes for any international airline however, notably, aren’t on these Dreamliners.
“All that’s within the works proper now,” Minicucci advised TPG, noting that Alaska hopes to debut the brand new premium economic system product by 2028.
Plane upgrades coming to Hawaiian Airways, too
Whereas Alaska is taking up the 787s Hawaiian ordered pre-merger, the provider is planning a giant funding in long-haul planes that can proceed to fly below the Hawaiian branding.
Beginning in 2028, the Honolulu-based provider will see its Airbus A330 cabins retrofitted with new business-class seats and a premium economic system cabin.
That’s on high of main airport upgrades in Hawaii that the corporate introduced earlier this week.
How one can e-book Alaska Airways flights with factors
To e-book Alaska Airways flights with factors, you will need to have an account with the provider’s Atmos Rewards program, which can also be the loyalty program for Hawaiian.
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