Alaska Airlines reveals Seattle routes to Athens and Paris for summer 2027

Athens service begins 12 May 2027 with three weekly Boeing 787-9 flights
Paris service begins 25 May 2027 with five weekly flights
Athens becomes first West Coast direct connection to Greek capital
Management targets 12 intercontinental destinations from Seattle by 2030
Alaska carried 50.7pc of Sea-Tac passengers in 2025

Alaska Airlines has announced it will launch nonstop flights from Seattle to Athens and Paris in May 2027, opening the Pacific Northwest’s first direct link to Greece and carrying its long-haul challenge to Delta Air Lines into an established Delta and Air France market. The Athens service, beginning 12 May 2027, will operate three weekly Boeing 787-9 flights through October, becoming both the longest route Alaska has operated and the only direct connection between the West Coast and Athens. Paris follows on 25 May with five weekly flights through October, entering a market already served by both Delta and Air France.

Alaska began its rapid long-haul expansion from Seattle with service to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon, deploying aircraft and operating expertise gained through its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, before turning to Europe with the first Seattle-Rome nonstop and then adding London Heathrow and Reykjavík. London service began in May 2026 with daily flights on its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, giving Alaska an early measure of whether its strong local following can produce sustained premium demand in Seattle’s largest corporate intercontinental market. Management has set a target of at least 12 intercontinental destinations from Seattle by 2030.

Alaska carried 50.7pc of all Sea-Tac passengers in 2025 compared with Delta’s 24.1pc, but the order reversed in international traffic where Delta held 24.8pc against Alaska’s 14.7pc. The Paris timetable will permit same-day connections from Honolulu through Seattle. Delta has not announced a fresh response to Alaska’s Athens and Paris expansion, but its conduct elsewhere suggests Alaska’s plans will be answered with some form of retaliation, as demonstrated after Alaska unveiled Rome when Delta added competing Seattle-Rome service and introduced Barcelona.

Chief Executive Ben Minicucci shared the airline flies where guests aspire to go, and Athens and Paris have been high on that list for years.