Alaska Airlines unveiled a new livery and routes.
London Heathrow is a new destination from Seattle, and the longest 737 route by a US airline.
The new design reflects Alaska's global ambitions after acquiring Hawaiian Airlines.
Alaska Airlines is flying transatlantic for the first time — and has unveiled a fresh livery for its new Boeing 787s to mark the new chapter.
In an announcement on Tuesday, the airline called the new design its "first-ever global livery," as it sets up more ambitious international routes following its $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines last September.
Alaska flies to destinations in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Until 1998, it also operated flights to eastern Russia.
The acquisition added four Boeing 787 Dreamliners to the airline's fleet, which have twin aisles and wide bodies. Another 13 are on order. Previously, it operated single-aisle jets designed for shorter distances.
Alaska's Dreamliners will first fly from Seattle to Seoul on September 12. Flights to Tokyo begin on January 7, followed by flights to Rome in the spring.
The airline also announced it will start serving Reykjavík, Iceland's capital, from Seattle next May. It will use the narrow-body Boeing 737 Max — making it the longest route with such an aircraft operated by a US airline.
Seattle and Reykjavík are about 3,600 miles apart, and flights take around 7½ hours. Daily flights on the route will be available during the summer season, but won't operate during the winter, when Iceland is less popular with tourists due to its shorter days.
By next spring, the airline will also operate a daily, non-stop service to London Heathrow, using a Boeing 787.
It takes about 9½ hours to fly from Seattle to the British capital, which Alaska calls "one of the most sought-after international destinations and business markets."
Unlike on a 737 Max, the 787's business class will have fully lie-flat seats with privacy doors.
That could be key for attracting new customers to Alaska for these routes, as premium options have become more important since the pandemic. While travel demand has been slow since the start of the year, many airlines have found that premium demand is still growing.
Northern lights livery
The new chapter for Alaska Airlines is also being reflected with a redesigned livery, its first update since 2016.
For the Boeing 787s, blue and cyan colors extend from the tail and across the white fuselage in a design the airline said is inspired by the northern lights. The horizontal stripe is also supposed to evoke the airline's classic liveries in the 1970s and 1980s.
"Our new 787 exterior embodies Alaska's transition to a global airline with beauty, grace, and a nod to our heritage," said Andrew Harrison, the airline's chief commercial officer.
"As we significantly expand to new destinations around the globe, we're eager for more and more travelers to recognize our new livery as being Alaska Airlines and appreciate the outstanding service we've long been known for," he added.
Some people were surprised that the smiling Inuit, known as Chester, was removed from the airline's livery. He has featured on the airline's tails since 1992 and has become synonymous with the brand.
However, only the 17 Dreamliners will be repainted, so he will still appear on most Alaska Airlines jets.
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