The new connection between Athens Airport and Seattle will mark the longest-distance flight in the history of Alaska Airlines, beginning in spring 2027.

Starting May 12, 2027, the U.S. West Coast will move closer to Greece, with Athens and Seattle establishing their first-ever direct air connection. Alaska Airlines will add the Greek capital to its network with three weekly flights operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

Flight AS196 even has a Greek reference of its own: the 196 deliberately refers to 1896, the year of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens — bringing the Pacific Ocean, in a sense, a little closer.

Alongside Athens, Alaska Airlines also announced yesterday its second new direct connection to the European market, to Paris, as part of its expansion into Europe and its gradual development of a more international profile through its Seattle hub.

For the Greek capital and Athens International Airport, the new route is particularly significant, as Alaska Airlines will be the only carrier offering a direct connection to this market, effectively opening a new gateway to the U.S. West Coast.

The new route will also be, as noted above, the longest-distance flight Alaska Airlines has ever operated. The distance between Seattle and Athens is 6,197 miles, with the flight to the Greek capital expected to take 11 hours and 50 minutes, and the return journey 12 hours and 35 minutes.

The route will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 configured with 300 seats, including 34 business-class seats and 266 economy seats. Tickets for the new service are already on sale.

Why Athens?

Athens is part of a broader strategy by Alaska Airlines to transform Seattle, its main base, into an international aviation hub. The company aims to develop a network of 12 long-haul international destinations from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by 2030.

Alaska Airlines already connects Seattle with London, Rome, Seoul and Tokyo using Boeing 787-9 aircraft, while its international network also includes Reykjavik, served with Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Athens will now join the European network alongside another new connection to Paris. From May 25, 2027, the airline will begin flights between Seattle and the French capital, this time operating year-round, five times a week.

On the Seattle–Paris route, Alaska Airlines will face existing competition, as Air France and Delta already operate direct flights. In the case of Athens, however, Alaska Airlines is entering a market with no direct competitor from Seattle.

The new connection further strengthens Athens’ presence in the U.S. market and adds a direct link to the West Coast, at a time when the American market is one of the most important sources of inbound tourism for Athens and Greece.

The choice of Athens is also part of Alaska Airlines’ strategy to strengthen its presence in European destinations with strong summer demand, according to comments made yesterday by Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci.

Seasonality remains one of the challenges of the company’s new strategy, however, since both Athens and Rome are served seasonally, creating the need for different deployment of its Dreamliner fleet during the winter period.

Alaska is the largest international airline at Seattle, offering more nonstop international destinations from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport than any other carrier. As the only major U.S. airline headquartered on the West Coast, Alaska operates more than 360 daily departures during peak periods and offers 110 nonstop destinations from the greater Seattle area.

For Athens International Airport, the footprint of the U.S. market has been growing in recent years, with this summer’s peak season reaching 103 weekly flights.

The new Seattle route is particularly important because it represents Athens’ first direct connection with the northwestern United States and the Pacific Coast, “opening a new bridge for tourism, investment, trade and entrepreneurship between Greece and the West Coast,” according to Athens International Airport CEO George Kallimasias.

The U.S. market

As for the American market at Athens International Airport, in addition to Emirates, which connects Athens year-round with New York (Newark) and will mark its tenth anniversary on the route in 2027, American Airlines has the strongest presence in terms of seasonal connections to the U.S.

The airline currently operates five direct seasonal routes between Athens and the United States, with its most recent addition being Dallas, following Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and Charlotte.

Delta connects the Greek capital with Atlanta, Boston and New York, while United operates flights between Athens and New York, Chicago and Washington. Norwegian carrier Norse also operates the New York route.