Alaska Airlines hasn’t even launched its new Dreamliner routes to Europe—flown entirely on Hawaiian Airlines aircraft—and Delta has already swooped in with a strong counterattack.
This week, Delta announced it will launch daily flights to Rome and Barcelona in spring 2026, just as Alaska prepares to inaugurate service to Rome — and possibly, though not yet confirmed, Barcelona as well — from that same West Coast city. The catch? Alaska’s flights will be operated using Hawaiian’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
So while Delta’s press release never mentions Hawaii, the subtext couldn’t be clearer. It’s not just a competitive response to Alaska’s expansion — it’s a direct hit on the only major new role Hawaiian’s long-haul fleet can play under the Alaska purchase. And for longtime Hawaii travelers, the symbolism is hard to miss.
Hawaiian aircraft, Alaska branding, Delta firepower.
These new transatlantic routes were supposed to be a milestone for Hawaiian Airlines — or what’s left of it. Instead, they’re fast becoming the latest battleground in a West Coast airline war. Delta’s move to enter the previously unserved Seattle–Rome and Seattle–Barcelona markets with A330-900neos — just months after Alaska announced its Rome launch — isn’t coincidental. It’s calculated.
Delta appears determined to undercut those flights before they even go on sale. We anticipate exceptional fares between Seattle and Rome when both airlines launch flights.
Readers are already feeling it.
In hundreds of comments left on our site, many of you saw this coming, not with enthusiasm, on these updates:
Hawaiian Dreamliner Leaves Islands Behind for Rome Flights,
This Hawaiian Deal Just Triggered a Global Turf War in the Skies,
Hawaiian Dreamliner Departs, Hawaii Fades as Seattle Rises Globally
One reader summed up the sentiment this way: “It feels like the soul of Hawaii’s skies is being chipped away piece by piece. Watching Seattle rise while Honolulu fades is emotionally tough for some of us to accept.”
Another added, “Alaska did not buy Hawaiian to expand the brand. They bought the Dreamliners. Now they’re taking the wings and the name and flying them without any real aloha.”
That identity clash is exactly what makes Delta’s move so biting. The flights they’re targeting don’t even belong to Hawaiian in any meaningful operational sense, but they do rely on Hawaiian’s assets—and reputation—to fly.
What’s really going on here?
For Delta, this isn’t just about routes—it’s about territory. Alaska’s use of Hawaiian’s 787s suddenly gave them long-haul capabilities they lacked before the merger. It would have taken significant time to achieve this without Hawaiian.
Delta has already seen Seattle shift once, as a former Alaska partner to a fierce competitor. And now, with Alaska acting like the new global player using Hawaiian’s widebody fleet, Delta is signaling it won’t cede even an inch.
Delta’s strategy is to preempt Alaska’s ability to build momentum. By matching the same routes, with similar or superior service and aircraft, Delta is attempting to undercut these new launches before they have time to prove themselves, even if it means losing money in the short term. They have also announced two new lounges in Seattle – a Delta One and a Delta Sky Club.
But again, Hawaiian ends up caught in the middle—flying the planes, carrying the brand legacy, but with no control over what happens next.
Daily Delta service to Rome begins May 6. That will be followed by daily flights to Barcelona starting May 7. With these additions to its current schedule, Delta will operate 10 international flights from Seattle next year.
Alaska has not announced its start date yet, but flights to Rome are set to also begin in May 2026.
A long way from Honolulu.
When Hawaiian first announced its Dreamliner order, the plan was to redefine premium travel to and from Hawaii—with Leihōkū lie-flat business suites, improved service, and a completely renewed competitive edge compared with the decade-old A330 fleet. Instead, what’s emerged is a rerouting of those dreams entirely.
One reader said, “It’s disappointing they’re skipping Hawaii when that’s where they were meant to shine.”
Another wrote: “Flying Hawaiian used to mean something. Now it’s just a paint job on someone else’s flight plan.”
As Delta and Alaska escalate their battle over transatlantic service, the big question for Hawaii travelers isn’t who wins in Europe. It’s what’s left for Hawaii in the aftermath.
We’ll keep watching. But now, the fight over Hawaiian’s Dreamliners is no longer just about routes. It’s about legacy, control, and who really owns the sky when the name on the aircraft no longer matches the airline flying it.
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One thing I didn’t initially think about here is the fact that the HA Dreamliners do not have a Premium Economy cabin. That is going to be a killer for International flying anywhere. HA/AS will be the only airline without a premium eco cabin in NEW 787-9s claiming to offer a “premium” experience. Are they even configured galley-wise to carry two hot meals for that many economy seats?
Delta can even use that against them with their very nice Premium Select on the A330-900s, and every other wide body doing international work.
The service is also really going to have to get stepped up to compete with Delta, United, Lufthansa, etc on long haul international. Alaska is very good at scheduling their flights to avoid serving any hot meals in first class but they can’t avoid it on Seattle to Asia and Europe. They have very little catering infrastructure even in SEA for plated hot meals….they use to back when I worked for them in the 90s but that went away little by little.
I don’t think we can consider Alaska and Hawaiian as separate airlines now. Dreamliners, as exciting as it may have seemed to have them in Hawaiian colors were probably not a great business decision unless HA really decided expand globally, and I mean globally to use the range and abilities of the 787-9. Lets face it, the two (3?)East coast to HNL routes and the trans Pacific routes already easily handled by the A-330s were not enough to justify the 787.
We don’t know what Alaska’s next step is for HA, but strengthening its trans Pacific network from HNL, perhaps adding another Australian gateway, Fiji, Manila (I’m dreaming) are more realistic at this point than to get upset that the 787s are getting assigned to Euro routes out of Seattle. The 787s are going to be in AS colors as soon as is economically possible and I suspect yet to be delivered 787s will also be. HA would probably have been better served ordering A321XLRs than 787s
That Seattle Airport is already a Zoo. Especially on a cruise ship disembarkation day. Do they really think they can efficiently handle more air traffic and passengers? I was just there and that is the worst airport I have ever been in, and that’s saying something. There is No place to sit prior to getting into the TSA line unless you’re waiting for a wheelchair. Or you might get lucky and find a seat in one of the 2 or 3 tiny restaurants/cafes in that area. The security lines are beyond long, so it took me about 45 minutes to 1 hour to get through that mess. That airport totally needs a complete overhaul, IMO.
If physically viable (unlikely if living in Seattle metro), get to Bellingham, Yakima, or Wenatchee for departures. You have to connect back thru SEA, but for some the drive and cost may be worth it. Parking and security is trivial. On a cash fare, the additional fare is likely restrictive (keep in mind you’ll pay more in gas and airfare, but save on parking). But this can be especially good option if flying on an award ticket, as it will open seats for international travel out of SEA that are not available if departing directly from SEA. I’ve done this out of EAT before, finding a Europe award that I could not get originating at SEA.
Hey Now,
Interesting options to consider; we’ve been thinking of visiting northern Washington so it’ll be a good chance to try out flights in or out of there.
Mahalo!
If we were to go into an alternative reality and try to imagine Hawaiian as an independent airline that flies to Europe, it would look somewhat like what Alaska is doing with the airline now.
Here is the thing, Hawaiian to expand the way some wanted it to – to Europe and beyond – would have needed a mainland base to do it from. The fact that Hawaiian tried to make Honolulu (and Maui to some level) the main airports to fly from would only get them so far. A mainland base would have been needed to both feed the airline to/from Hawaii as well as give it the ability to expand eastward. Yes, the 787 can do London – Honolulu, but who in their right mind would want to fly that far, that long when Ibiza is down south, way closer and probably cheaper in the long run for Europeans.
No, Hawaiian needed what Alaska is doing now with it to expand eastward. The only difference is that instead of it being an indpendent airline, its now attached to a larger airline as a subsidiary.
My wife and I flew First Class on Hawaiian’s A330 last month on our way back from an Asian tour. The seats were okay but definitely aging; the service could have been better compared to Lufthansa. In fact the service was no better than regular economy United used to have in the 60’s/70’s.
I agree. I flew Hawaiian’s A330 to HNL in May, and that was my comment, these planes looked dated inside and the service was nothing to brag about. The Dreamliner aircraft sounded like the needed improvement, but of course that now is not gonna happen.
Flying from the East Coast we pick both the air travel on many factors. All these factors in some in more ways than others. day of the week, month , type of aircraft , cabin choice , layover location , layover time, seat choice , which islands we may want to visit, over all budget for trip that includes , hotel, Airbnb, timeshare, points. Credit card or airlines, cost of baggage, and it goes on and on and on.
Travel if it’s of pleasure , leisure, Or business can make a difference on another multitude of other decisions.
One must use your brain not always your heart.
Delta could not compete with Hawaiian very well on JFK to HNL.
They have entered and left the route twice since Hawaiian inaugurated it….similar dynamic with HNL to Japan flights, Hawaiian held their own with higher demand than DAL where they go head to head…..Hope Alaska knows and appreciates the strength the HA brand has throughout the world and is smart enough to use it effectively.
Our experience with Delta has been consistently good. Last month we flew Delta from Amsterdam to Minneapolis and then Minneapolis to HNL a few days later. Comfortable flight, great service, better food than on Hawaiian. The only complaint I have is the line at the ticket counter in Amsterdam was very poorly managed – it took us an hour to get to the front. Thank goodness we were there early.
As a side note, If Hawaiian starts flying the single aisle planes to Seattle I’ll be looking at other routes and airlines. I absolutely do not want to be squeezed into those little planes for more than two hours.
As an Alaska elite that’s entirely fed up with the games that Alaska plays to prevent giving published benefits to their loyal elites, I’m extremely interested in what Delta has to offer. I have serious doubts that Alaska can compete on business seat hard and soft quality, or that they’ll even try. I’ll definitely be flying the SEA-FCO route, but even with no status on Delta, I’ll be looking to them first.
If Alaska goes with Hawaiian’s choice for business configuration on the Dreamliner (far superior to their A330’s) they will be fine.
Delta will win this battle in the long term. They are a Far larger airline, and can afford to take losses on these routes just to screw Alaska over. Alaska cannot afford long term competition.
Surprised you missed this announcement which is one Alaska’s website:
Seattle – Rome
6:00 p.m.
1:45 p.m. +1
M, W, F, Su
787-9
Rome – Seattle
3:45 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
M, T, Th, Sa
787-9
While there is no start date as of yet, they do list the schedule.
Well, the Alaska Airlines “Bean Counters” is taking Hawaiian 787 and A330 to make money on business routes Not leisure Hawaiian market routes. Flying to Hawaii will see more single aisle aircrafts unfortunately.
Maybe it’s time for Southwest to swoop back in and really complicate it.
So who offers direct flights, and on what aircraft, from the various major US and foreign hubs? It would be interesting to see this list.
Might as well get used to it. In the not to distant future Hawaiian will be all but gone except for some “branded” flights (Probably 321’s and some interisland planes). Basically just a paint job.
Ironic part is Hawaiian and Hawaii policies from about 2020 onward caused most of this.
But hey, atleast the State of Hawaii issued 60,000 COVID citations, hates mainland tourists and wishes those obedient Japanese tourists would return.