Delta Resumes Seattle-Narita Flights to Rival Alaska's Tokyo Expansion
Alaska Airlines, fresh off a merger with Hawaiian, is depending on long-haul flying for its gowth. Delta Air Lines plans to resume service between Seattle and Tokyo's Narita airport, putting it in direct competition with Alaska Airlines on a route critical to its post-merger growth plans. The Atlanta-based carrier stopped flights between the two airports in 2020, serving only Tokyo's Haneda airport from Seattle as well as from Atlanta, Detroit, and Minneapolis in the subsequent years. The returning daily, non-stop service will start in March using Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. "Japan is one of the most important and popular markets in Delta’s global network," says Delta vice-president of network planning, Jeff Arinder. "By launching flights to both Haneda and Narita airports, we will increase access to Tokyo and expand our seating capacity." Long-haul flying from Seattle is key to Alaska's strategy after acquiring Hawaiian Airlines in 2024 and will account for all of its growth in the second half of 2026, executives say. Flights to Tokyo on Hawaiian's former fleet were the first to launch by the combined carrier in 2025. "On the Incheon and Narita markets, what I’m seeing is year-over-year, significantly higher booked load factors," Alaska executive vice-president and chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison said on the company's earnings call in July. Once the route resumes, Delta will offer three daily departures to Tokyo: one to Narita and two to Haneda, which could present significant pressure on Alaska.