Alaska flies inaugural 787 to Rome

Alaska Airlines flew its first-ever Europe flight on April 28, launching nonstop Boeing 787-9 service between Seattle and Rome. (news.alaskaair.com) The inaugural flight, AS180, departed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 5:35 p.m. Pacific and arrived at Rome Fiumicino at 1:17 p.m. local time on April 29, according to Alaska’s flight-status page. (alaskaair.com) Alaska said the route is the first-ever nonstop connection between Seattle and Rome, and the first direct Seattle-Italy service in the airport’s history. (news.alaskaair.com) (aviationweek.com) The airline will operate the flight daily on a seasonal schedule through October 23, 2026, using a long-haul Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Alaska opened sales for the route in November and said Rome would be part of its Seattle international gateway buildout. (news.alaskaair.com 1) (news.alaskaair.com 2) The Rome launch also marks Alaska’s formal expansion into Europe after years of building a broader long-haul network through its combination with Hawaiian Airlines. Alaska said the flight debuts its new international business-class suites at the same time. (news.alaskaair.com) (prnewswire.com) Alaska’s own status page listed the aircraft capacity at 299 seats on the inaugural Rome departure, including 33 seats in first class, with one first-class seat still available after check-in. (alaskaair.com) The scheduled block time is just under 11 hours westbound and eastbound timings vary by direction, with the return flight AS181 set to leave Rome at 3:25 p.m. and land in Seattle at 5:45 p.m. the same day, local times. (news.alaskaair.com) (aerotime.aero) For Alaska, the Rome flight turns a long-announced plan into an operating route: Seattle now has a nonstop to Italy, and Alaska now has a scheduled foothold in Europe. (news.alaskaair.com 1) (news.alaskaair.com 2)