Alaska Airlines to launch nonstop Boeing 737 Anchorage–Tokyo service

Alaska Airlines will establish its first nonstop link between Anchorage and Tokyo in May 2027, as the US carrier continues with its expansion plan – this time across the Pacific.

The service to Tokyo Narita will begin on 13 May 2027, initially operating daily through the summer before switching to three flights a week from January 2028. 

Alaska Airlines uses the MAX 8 for its trans-Pacific crossing

The route will be flown by Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, making Alaska the only US domestic carrier operating scheduled services to Tokyo with the narrowbody type from Anchorage.

The MAX 8, with its superior range, is being used in favour of the newly-certified MAX 10. The carrier expects to receive its first Boeing 737 MAX 10 delivery next spring, following the aircraft’s FAA type approval earlier this month. 

The launch marks a new direct connection between Alaska and the hugely popular Japanese capital, supporting both tourism and commercial links from the major US cargo hub. 

The airline said it would also give travellers from Japan easier access to destinations across Alaska, including Denali National Park and areas known for viewing the northern lights.

Expanding its Anchorage network east and west

The Tokyo route is part of what Alaska Airlines describes as its largest-ever nonstop schedule from Anchorage, with additional seasonal services to Austin, Nashville and Dallas-Fort Worth planned for 2027.

The new domestic routes will improve connections between Alaska and major US cities.

Alaska Airlines regional vice president Marilyn Romano said the link with Japan had been requested for some time. The airline has served communities in Alaska since 1932 and will mark its 95th anniversary next year.

“Our ambitions are global, but our foundation remains the same. From the beginning, Alaska Airlines has connected communities across Alaska, the West Coast and beyond,” she said. “From Anchorage to Tokyo and destinations around the globe, we’re building on that legacy and giving our guests more ways to explore the world with Alaska Airlines.”

Last week, Alaska announced it was broadening its network from Seattle, launching nonstop services to Osaka and Tahiti in 2027 using Hawaiian Airlines aircraft.

From spring next year, Alaska Airlines will offer the only nonstop service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Osaka in Japan and Papeete in Tahiti, French Polynesia.

Following its 2024 acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines is deploying the carrier’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft on both routes, providing convenient connections across the two airlines’ combined networks.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 offers the range needed to reach Japan

Alaska will use the 737 MAX 8 on the Anchorage–Tokyo route. The airline says the aircraft has greater range than the larger Boeing 737 MAX 10 and is the only variant in its fleet capable of operating the service without a stopover.

The airline says passengers will have First Class, Premium Class and Main Cabin seats to choose from. First Class includes recliner seating and multi-course dining, while Premium Class and Main Cabin passengers will receive complimentary meals. Wi-Fi is also being introduced across Alaska’s MAX 8 fleet with the installation of Starlink.

The Anchorage expansion comes as Alaska Airlines continues to develop its wider network across North America, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and Europe. 

The airline operates alongside Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air within Alaska Air Group, with Alaska and Hawaiian both members of the Oneworld alliance.

The Tokyo service is scheduled to run daily during its initial summer period, with the last departure from Anchorage on 7 September and the final return flight from Tokyo on 8 September 2027. 

Three-times-a-week winter operations are due to begin in January 2028.

Alaska awaits the MAX 10

Alaska Airlines welcomed the FAA’s certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft last week, calling it a “pivotal milestone [which] opens new possibilities”.

“The MAX 10 is an important part of Alaska’s long-term fleet strategy and our future,” said Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci. “These modern, fuel-efficient airplanes will help us connect more people to more of the world, and on at least 25 of them, our new Aurora lie-flat suites will raise the bar for comfort on transcontinental flights. 

“Certification of the MAX 10 has been a rigorous, deliberate process, and we respect the work the FAA and Boeing have put into it. We appreciate the thoroughness of the agency’s review, and we’re grateful to Boeing for its effort in bringing this vision to life.”

Alaska says the MAX 10’s “additional capacity and improved per-seat economics can serve high-demand routes more efficiently while managing fuel use and emissions”.

In January, Alaska announced its largest order in the company’s history for 105 additional MAX 10s. 

Alaska has firm orders for 168 aircraft across the MAX family, with most of those orders for the MAX 10. 

Alaska’s transcontinental MAX 10 will have 12 new Aurora Suites on at least 25 aircraft, the first time in the carrier’s history that lie-flat seating will be available on its 737 fleet.

Alaska currently expects delivery of its first MAX 10 in the second quarter of 2027.