Alaska Airlines adds nonstop service to Rome, expanding global vision

Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) will start flying non-stop from Seattle to Rome four times a week beginning May 2026 as part of the carrier’s plan to transform its Seattle hub into the “West Coast’s new premier global gateway.”

As the most popular European destination not currently served by non-stop from Seattle, Alaska’s (NYSE:ALK) flights to Italy’s capital are a “meaningful addition” to Alaska’s network, and has been “at the top of the list ever since the global gateway out of Seattle was announced,” CEO Ben Minicucci said.

Serviced by a Boeing (BA) 787-9 Dreamliner, Rome will become the third widebody, international route served out of Alaska’s (NYSE:ALK) Seattle hub in addition to Tokyo and Seoul.

Separately, at an airline industry conference in New Delhi this week, Minicucci said he expects the carrier to post a profit this year even though airfares continue to be pressured by soft travel demands.

“We’re filling airplanes, just not at the yields we’d like,” Minicucci was quoted by Reuters while at the IATA event.

The company recently pulled its FY25 guidance due to macroeconomic uncertainty and set the low end of its Q2 profit forecast 34% below the $1.54 consensus forecast despite an improvement in cost pressures.