Alaska Airlines will add nonstop service from Seattle to Athens and Paris in May 2027, expanding its European network to five destinations and intensifying competition with Delta Air Lines.
Seasonal flights between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Athens International Airport (ATH) will begin May 12 and operate 3X-weekly through October. The 6,181 mi. (5,371 nm) route will become the first nonstop connection between the cities, the only nonstop Athens service from the U.S. West Coast and the farthest route Alaska has ever operated.
Service to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) will start May 25, operating 5X-weekly through October. Alaska will compete directly with Delta and Air France, which both serve the route nonstop. Delta currently operates daily using Airbus A330-900neos, while Air France offers 5X-weekly service with A350-900s. Frequencies fall to 4X-weekly and 3X-weekly, respectively, during winter.
Sabre Market Intelligence data shows Paris was Seattle’s third-largest European O&D market in 2025, generating approximately 108,500 two-way passengers. Demand fell 17.4% from about 131,500 in 2024, although the average base fare increased 4.9% to $806.
Athens is a smaller but growing market. Approximately 35,600 two-way passengers traveled between Seattle and the Greek capital in 2025, an increase of 21.8% year over year. Athens ranked as Seattle’s 10th-largest European O&D market and the second largest without nonstop service after Barcelona, which Delta began serving in May 2026.
The additions form part of Alaska’s effort to transform Seattle into a long-haul hub following its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines in September 2024. The transaction gave Alaska access to Hawaiian’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft and provided the widebody fleet needed to expand beyond its traditional domestic and short-haul international network.
Alaska entered the Seattle-Europe market in April, launching service to Rome Fiumicino, London Heathrow and Reykjavik Keflavik, Iceland. OAG data shows the carrier is offering 116,483 departing seats to Europe this summer, giving it an 11.4% share of the market. That makes Alaska the second largest European operator at SEA behind Delta, which has a 27.7% share.
“As we build to more than 12 international long-haul routes from Seattle in the coming years, we’re giving travelers more ways to connect to the world,” Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci says.
Overall, airlines are offering approximately 1.02 million departing seats from Seattle to Europe this summer, up 14.7% from summer 2025. Alaska’s arrival and Delta’s new Barcelona and Rome routes have increased the number of nonstop European services from 15 to 19.
Once Athens and Paris launch, Alaska will serve seven intercontinental destinations from Seattle. Alongside its five European routes, the carrier operates to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon. Delta also serves Seoul and this month announced a new Tokyo Narita route.
The planned expansion comes despite near-term financial pressure from higher fuel prices. Alaska Air Group reported a second-quarter loss of $76 million, compared with a $172 million profit a year earlier, as fuel costs increased 86%. However, revenue rose 9% to $3.6 billion, supported by strong demand and improving corporate bookings.
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