Exploring Alaska Airlines load factors on its two international long-haul routes
Alaska Airlines currently has two long-haul international routes, connecting Seattle with Tokyo and Seoul.
Following its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, finalized in September 2024, Alaska Airlines has embarked on an ambitious strategic plan, known as ‘Alaska Accelerate,’ which includes a significant expansion of long-haul services from its main hub, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
So far, the airline is flying on two long-haul routes from SEA, offering flights to two Asian airports: Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT). The Engine Cowl explores how these routes have performed in the past few months.
Fluctuating load factors on flights to NRT
NRT was the first long-haul destination that Alaska Airlines launched on May 12, 2025. The carrier’s first flights to the Japanese capital departed from SEA as part of its goal to transform the airport into “the West Coast’s premier global gateway.”
Since the route’s launch, load factors have fluctuated, dipping between July 2025 and September 2025, before picking up again in October 2025, according to Cirium’s Diio Mi, which compiled data from the Department of Transportation (DOT).
During the first month of operations, the SEA-NRT averaged a load factor of 75.1%, climbed to 81.1% in June 2025, and hovered around 76% or lower during the next three months before peaking once again in October 2025 with 83.5%.
“Seattle is the closest connection point between the continental US and Tokyo – 7% closer than San Francisco and 13% closer than Los Angeles,” the airline said in May 2025.
In comparison to Alaska Airlines, the load factor on Japan Airlines’ daily flights between SEA and NRT was, on average, 12.3% higher between May and September 2025. The Japanese carrier has yet to file its October 2025 data with the DOT.
During the first nine months of the year, Japan Airlines’ average load factor on the SEA-NRT itinerary was 90.5%.
Both airlines are part of the oneworld alliance.
Slow start on SEA-ICN
Alaska Airlines joined three other airlines on flights between SEA and ICN in September 2025, with Asian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Korean Air jointly offering 22 weekly departures on the itinerary during the month.
For Alaska Airlines, the first month on SEA-ICN was tough, with load factors at 57.5%.
In October 2025, this climbed to 75.6%, only slightly below or on par with Asiana Airlines (75.3%), Delta Air Lines (77.6%), and Korean Air (80.4%).
However, unlike Alaska Airlines, the trio can offer enhanced onward connections to passengers through ICN, with not only Asiana Airlines and Korean Air planning a single air operator’s certificate (AOC) later in 2026 following their merger, but Delta Air Lines also operating in a transpacific joint venture with Korean Air.
While the DOT has yet to publish November 2025 data, SEA issued detailed statistics about its airlines’ performance at the airport for the month.
During the month, Hawaiian Airlines, which officially operated the long-haul flights on behalf of Alaska Airlines until the pair received a joint air operator's certificate (AOC) in late October 2025, welcomed a total of 24,712 international passengers from/to Asia.
Considering that, per Cirium’s Diio Mi, Alaska Airlines had scheduled 29,880 seats from SEA to ICN and NRT, this implies the airline’s long-haul flights averaged a load factor of 82.7%.
Alaska Airlines is set to launch further international long-haul flights in 2026, including departures from SEA to London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport (KEF), and Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO).
Rytis Beresnevicius
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