A rendering of an Alaska Airlines 787-9.
Alaska Airlines has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), paving the way for the carrier to launch its planned Seattle-London service in May 2026.
Documents filed with slot coordinator Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) in the UK confirm the airline has obtained a daily slot pair through a leasing agreement with Oneworld partner American Airlines, allowing Alaska to begin daily service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and LHR.
Alaska announced its intention to enter the Seattle-London market in August, calling London “one of the most sought-after international destinations and business markets” and highlighting strong demand from both corporate and leisure travelers.
The route will be operated with 300-seat Boeing 787-9s as the carrier expands deployment of widebody aircraft acquired through its 2024 purchase of Hawaiian Airlines. “These bold moves … are accelerating our vision to connect our guests to the world,” CEO Ben Minicucci said when announcing the first phase of Alaska’s long-haul strategy.
London is the largest intercontinental market from Seattle, with more than 400 passengers traveling between the two cities each day. The route is currently served by British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
“As a gateway to Europe, this daily flight will connect guests throughout the West Coast to London and other destinations served by Alaska’s extensive partner network,” Alaska said.
The LHR launch will become Alaska’s fourth intercontinental route, joining service from Seattle to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon, with Rome planned for May 2026. It follows Alaska’s broader commitment to build a long-haul operation of up to 17 787s by the decade’s end.
The airline also plans to debut new service to Reykjavik in summer 2026 with 737-8s.
OAG schedules show that American operated 168 weekly flights to LHR during the peak summer 2025 season, serving the UK hub from 10 U.S. gateways. Data for summer 2026 indicates the same 10 routes will continue, but Miami frequency will fall from 2X-daily to daily—a reduction that appears to free the slot pair American is transferring to Alaska.
According to ACL documents, the slot transfer will only cover the summer season from May 22 through Oct. 24.
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