Alaska Airlines will introduce a redesigned business class on its Boeing 787-10 jets, alongside its incoming Boeing 787-9 deliveries, as the Seattle carrier grows its international route network. Alex Judson, who leads Partnerships & International for Alaska Airlines, confirmed the airline will soon detail changes planned for future aircraft. The announcement came during a media event in Honolulu marking Hawaiian Airlines’ entry into the Oneworld alliance, and signals Alaska’s clearest move yet toward differentiating its widebody cabins from the product it inherited through acquisition.
The airline picked up an order for a dozen 787-9s as part of its $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines. Judson told Executive Traveller that the coming revisions to Hawaiian’s original 787 business class will take the product to the next level. With deliveries of new Dreamliners already underway and further aircraft on order, the update marks a turning point for how Alaska positions its premium cabins on long-haul international routes.
From Hawaiian Roots To Pacific Northwest Identity
Hawaiian’s 787 cabin design, which launched in 2024, drew inspiration from the natural landscape of the islands, using deep browns to evoke volcanic soil, turquoise tones to represent Pacific waters, and wood accents to nod to Hawaii’s hardwood forests. Soft LED lighting overhead was designed to recall the constellations that guided Polynesian navigators at night.
Judson described the original design as a beautifully crafted aesthetic, noting that Alaska was fortunate the color palette closely matched its own branding, allowing the two identities to blend smoothly. He credited the Hawaiian Airlines team for the effort and energy invested in creating what he called an already phenomenal product. Even so, Alaska has signaled it wants a cabin that reflects its own identity more directly rather than one built solely around Hawaiian’s island heritage.
“It’s already a really phenomenal product that the Hawaiian Airlines team poured a lot of effort and energy into creating.”
So far, Alaska has used soft product elements, including bedding, food, and drink service, to give Hawaiian’s Leihoku Suites a gentle Pacific Northwest character rather than altering the seat itself. Judson said the airline’s product team has done a strong job of making the cabin feel distinctly like an Alaska offering through these smaller touches. The coming hard product changes will build on those Pacific Northwest touches already introduced.
The timeline for the physical cabin work has not been detailed publicly, though the broader fleet rollout is already progressing. Five of the new Dreamliners had arrived in Seattle hangars at the time of the interview, with a sixth expected in the fall. All of these aircraft are set to receive Starlink Wi-Fi by the end of the year. Beyond business class, Alaska’s next wave of 787s will introduce the airline’s new premium economy recliners, which it aims to launch in 2028.
Alaska’s Dreamliners now sport its Northern Lights-inspired ‘Global’ livery.
The cabin overhaul is part of a larger expansion strategy for Alaska’s widebody operation. The airline plans to bring 17 Boeing 787s into its fleet, supporting a network of 12 long-haul destinations from Seattle by 2030. Nonstop service to London, Rome, Tokyo, and Seoul is already part of that network.
Whether Australian cities will eventually join that list remains unresolved. Asked directly about potential Sydney or Melbourne routes, Judson offered a guarded response, saying the airline is constantly looking at expansion opportunities and evaluating where its guests want to fly from Seattle. He added that Alaska has a lot of promising destinations on its shortlist, without committing to specifics. As Alaska works through both the cabin redesign and its broader Pacific network strategy, the next Boeing 787 deliveries will serve as an early test of how successfully the airline can translate its ambitions into a premium product that stands apart from the one it acquired.
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