Alaska Airlines is adding two new international routes from Seattle next year, both operated with Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 widebody aircraft. According to October 19 scheduling information from Ishrion Aviation, Seattle-Osaka flights will begin May 14, 2027, operating four times weekly, followed by Seattle-Papeete, Tahiti, on June 11, with three weekly flights. Alaska is putting Hawaiian’s widebody fleet to work on two more long-haul routes that bypass Honolulu entirely.
We suggested last year that new opportunities to reach Tahiti could be forthcoming, particularly through Honolulu. Hawaiian subsequently doubled its own Tahiti service, while Air Tahiti Nui was considering Honolulu as a possible replacement for its struggling Seattle route. Alaska’s latest plans include a surprising reversal involving that same Seattle-Tahiti market.
Hawaiian aircraft will connect Seattle with Tahiti and Osaka.
The Osaka service adds another major destination to Alaska’s growing Seattle international network. Hawaiian already serves Osaka from Honolulu, but the new route will allow travelers across Alaska’s mainland network to reach Japan without connecting through Hawaii.
Both new routes will use Hawaiian A330 aircraft, which have been central to the airline’s long-haul operations from Honolulu for years but have only recently begun operating international routes from Seattle. Alaska will now be deploying more of those aircraft from Seattle following its purchase of Hawaiian, extending their role far beyond the Hawaii-based routes for which they were originally used.
The expansion also comes as Alaska continues reshaping Hawaiian’s international operations. Earlier this year, the airline announced the discontinuation of Hawaiian’s seasonal Honolulu-Auckland service, while reaffirming its commitment to other international flights from Hawaii, including Tahiti.
Alaska is entering a Tahiti market another partner airline abandoned.
In August 2025, we reported on Air Tahiti Nui’s proposed network restructuring, based on recommendations the airline received from advisors. The findings were startling. Seattle-Tahiti accounted for the majority of the airline’s projected 2024 losses, and the consultants recommended eliminating the route along with Tokyo.
The same report suggested Honolulu as an alternative gateway, particularly for passengers traveling between French Polynesia and Asia. Air Tahiti Nui could potentially use smaller aircraft to connect Papeete with Honolulu, taking advantage of existing flights between Hawaii and major Asian cities. That presented the possibility of another airline serving Tahiti from Hawaii, with more choices and potentially better fares.
Air Tahiti Nui subsequently acted on part of the recommendation. On September 24, 2025, the airline announced that its Seattle-Papeete service would end January 31, 2026, redirecting passengers through Los Angeles instead. The Honolulu alternative has not materialized.
Alaska is now preparing to restore nonstop service on the same route less than a year and a half after Air Tahiti Nui departed. The two airlines have been codeshare and frequent flyer partners since 2022, and Air Tahiti Nui is still listed among Alaska’s airline partners. Alaska previously provided connecting passengers for Air Tahiti Nui’s Seattle-Tahiti flights and is now entering that market itself, using its extensive Seattle network to attract passengers from across the mainland, although Air Tahiti Nui’s substantial losses show how difficult the route has been for at least one airline.
Honolulu already gained double the flights to Tahiti.
Last year, we also reported that Hawaiian would expand Honolulu-Papeete service to twice weekly beginning in March 2026. The additional Tuesday flight joined the longstanding Saturday departure, giving Hawaii travelers more flexibility after decades of having only one weekly nonstop option.
The expansion made Tahiti considerably easier to plan, including for travelers combining Hawaii with French Polynesia or connecting onward to Moorea, Bora Bora and other islands. Hawaiian’s A330 offers lie-flat First Class seats, Extra Comfort (now called Premium) and standard economy, with a nonstop flight that takes approximately six hours from Honolulu. Beat of Hawaii editors flew to and from Tahiti this fall on Hawaiian’s Tuesday flights.
Seattle will serve a different but overlapping market. Mainland passengers will have another way to reach French Polynesia without traveling through Honolulu, while Hawaii residents and visitors will retain Hawaiian’s twice-weekly nonstop flights. The additional Seattle capacity may create more choices for some travelers, although it does not add another airline competing directly on the Honolulu-Papeete route.
Hawaiian’s recently added Tuesday Honolulu-Tahiti flight could also come under scrutiny once Seattle service begins. Alaska will be adding three weekly nonstop flights from its largest mainland hub, potentially reducing the need for some passengers to connect through Honolulu. The airline could eventually return Honolulu-Papeete to its longstanding Saturday-only schedule, although there has been no indication that such a reduction is planned.
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