Alaska Airlines is just three days away from launching its biggest premium product reveal in the airline's 93-year history. On the evening of Wednesday, May 21, flight AS100 will push back from Seattle-Tacoma at 9:40 pm bound for London Heathrow β the first time a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted in Alaska's new Aurora livery will operate a year-round transatlantic service in the carrier's colours, and the first time paying customers will sit in the all-new Aurora business class.
The cabin Alaska is putting in front of those first London passengers is unusually competitive for a US carrier. Each of the 34 business-class seats is configured in a true 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access, fully lie-flat reclines and a sliding privacy door. Every suite gets an 18-inch high-definition entertainment screen, wireless charging, noise-reducing headsets and a full bedding package designed by Seattle outfitter Filson, including a mattress pad, oversized duvet, branded amenity kit and skincare products from Salt & Stone. Programmable LED mood lighting cycles through simulated sunrises and sunsets across the nine-hour eastbound sector to help passengers reset their body clocks.
The Aurora branding extends from the seat to the airframe. Alaska commissioned an entirely new exterior paint scheme inspired by the northern lights, with a deep midnight-blue belly fading into emerald-green and turquoise on the tail. Inside, the colour palette of cool blues and warm neutrals nods to coastal forests and Pacific island waters, while the dining concept leans into West Coast cuisine β a charcuterie service is followed by appetisers and a choice of up to six mains, an unusually broad menu for a 300-seat widebody.
Alaska has fast become a long-haul player almost overnight. The Seattle-London Heathrow service marks the carrier's first ever year-round transatlantic route and follows Rome and ReykjavΓk launches earlier this spring. London is by far the largest international market from Seattle, with more than 400 passengers travelling between the two cities each day, much of it Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing corporate traffic that Alaska previously fed onto partner metal. The airline is now placing its 787-9 β inherited through the Hawaiian Airlines acquisition β head-to-head against British Airways and Delta on the route.
If the inaugural flight goes to plan, the Aurora cabin will quickly migrate onto Alaska's expanding 787-9 fleet, which is set to grow to 17 firm aircraft by 2035 under the Alaska Accelerate strategic plan. For Seattle-based business travellers who have grown accustomed to connecting through Heathrow, Wednesday night marks the moment that finally changes.
Compiled from publicly available aviation news sources. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. This article is original editorial content; facts have been verified across multiple public sources.
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