Alaska Airlines has announced that they will be deploying the Boeing 737 MAX 8 on their transatlantic flights to Europe starting next month. This marks the first time that the airline, a member of the one world alliance, will be using narrowbody aircraft on a scheduled basis across the North Atlantic. While this is a significant development, opinions on whether it is a positive or negative change vary depending on one’s perspective and tolerance level.

The 737 MAX will be introduced for transatlantic flights a month after Alaska’s first European service on the 787-9, which will begin operating a month earlier. This is part of the airline’s continuous expansion of their long-haul network.

Alaska’s first 737 MAX route to Europe will be from Seattle to Keflavik, starting on May 28. This seasonal service will run daily until September 7, with a 161-seat MAX 8 aircraft. The first class section will have 16 recliners, considered to be domestic first class with a 2-2 configuration and 41″ pitch. On long-haul flights, this is equivalent to premium economy. The premium section will have 30 seats with a 3-3 configuration and up to 38″ pitch, while the main cabin will have 115 seats in a 3-3 configuration with a 30″ pitch. All passengers will receive complimentary food and drinks, but seat-back entertainment is not available in first class. Passengers can use their own devices to stream movies and access Wi-Fi.

According to the airline’s website, a return ticket between Seattle and Keflavik in July will cost around $7,500 in first class. This is twice the price of Icelandair’s business offering, which is essentially premium economy with a 40″ to 42″ pitch. Icelandair has three daily flights compared to Alaska’s one.

The frequency of flights between Seattle and Keflavik is daily, with a departure time of 8:30 pm and arrival time of 9:00 am the next day. The return flight will depart Keflavik at 12:45 pm and arrive in Seattle at 1:40 pm, with a flight time of 7 hours and 55 minutes.

This will be the first time that two airlines will offer nonstop flights on this route. Data shows that there were approximately 47,000 round-trip passengers between Seattle and Keflavik in 2020. This market was only Iceland’s ninth busiest US point-to-point route. Interestingly, Raleigh/Durham-Keflavik, which has only been served by Icelandair since 2022, had a similar number of passengers.

Alaska’s entry into this market means that Icelandair will have competition on the Seattle route for the first time since it launched in 2009. This year, a record four daily flights will be available, with most passengers connecting to other destinations.