Alaska Airlines has spent the year turning Seattle into a long-haul hub with Dreamliners inherited from Hawaiian. On 29 September 2026 it said what comes next: Aurora Suites — lie-flat seats with privacy doors — on every 787, on the 787-10s still to be delivered, and on at least 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10s, the first lie-flat suites ever fitted to a 737. Hawaiian’s 24 Airbus A330s, which lost their Dreamliners to Seattle after the merger, get 22 Leihōkū Suites each from 2028. Both airlines add a new Premium Reserve cabin between business and economy, and Seattle gets a 41,000-square-foot lounge with a 200-seat Aurora section.
For readers in Asia the relevant part is Seattle–Tokyo and Seattle–Seoul: the 787-9s on those routes already carry the Aurora cabin in its first form. Here are the facts and the timeline.
Aurora and Leihōkū: Key Facts
- Announced: 29 September 2026, Alaska Air Group (“Alaska Accelerate” programme)
- Aurora Suites, 787-9: 34 lie-flat suites with doors on all widebody flights, premium seating rising from about 38 to 46 per cent of the aircraft; 19-inch 4K screen, Bluetooth, wireless and USB-C charging, AC power, Ultraleather upholstery, Northern Lights-inspired dark green and blue finishes
- Aurora Suites, 787-10: 40 suites on future deliveries
- Aurora Suites, 737 MAX 10: 12 suites on at least 25 aircraft in a dedicated Aurora livery — a single-aisle version of the 787 seat, angled towards the window; select transcontinental first class flights from 2028
- Leihōkū Suites (Hawaiian): all 24 A330s refitted nose to tail from 2028, 22 suites each (Collins Elevation seat with door, 19-inch 4K screen, purple upholstery), premium seating from about 30 to 40 per cent; dining by executive chef Dell Valdez
- Premium Reserve (new cabin, both airlines, 2028): 35 seats on the 787-9 and 787-10, 28 on the A330, 12 on the 737 MAX 10; 38-inch pitch, wider seat, leg and calf rest, 16-inch 4K OLED screen, AC and USB-C; seats on sale summer 2027
- Ground: dedicated check-in and concierge for Aurora and Leihōkū guests in Seattle and Honolulu; Seattle C Concourse lounge of about 41,000 sq ft opening late 2027 with a 500-seat Alaska Lounge and a 200-seat Aurora Lounge (private shower suites, wellness space, made-to-order food); Honolulu Terminal 1 lounge of nearly 13,000 sq ft in early 2028; San Diego lounge of 14,000 sq ft in 2028
- Wi-Fi: free Starlink for Atmos Rewards members in Aurora and Leihōkū Suites, sponsored by T-Mobile
- Dining: Seattle chef Renee Erickson on Europe (London, Rome; Athens and Paris from spring 2027), Brady Ishiwata Williams on Asia routes from Seattle
- Fares: not changed; see below
Why a Lie-Flat 737 Matters
Lie-flat seats on narrowbodies are not new — JetBlue’s Mint, American’s A321T and the A321XLR products from Iberia, Air Canada and Saudia all have them — but nobody has put a doored suite on a Boeing 737. Alaska’s answer is to take the 787 seat, cut a corner from the seat pan and angle it towards the window so the row fits a single aisle. Twelve suites in a 737 MAX 10 is a small cabin, and Alaska is honest that these fly “select” transcontinental routes from 2028 rather than the whole network; the 25 aircraft get their own Aurora livery so you can tell them apart at the gate. JetBlue, meanwhile, is going the other way at the front of its narrowbodies with BlueFirst, a recliner domestic first class from 8 December.
The 787 story is more immediate. Alaska launched Seattle–Tokyo, Seoul, London and Rome this year on lightly refreshed Hawaiian Dreamliners, and the seat on those aircraft is the one being renamed Aurora: the airline confirms the seat itself stays, with new finishes — wood veneer, green and blue — applied as aircraft cycle through. The 34-suite count on the 787-9 and 40 on the 787-10 are the numbers to watch when the first 787 suites I previewed in September get the full treatment.
Hawaiian Gets Its Business Class Back
The merger left Hawaiian in an odd position: its newest aircraft went to Seattle and the Honolulu long-haul network stayed on A330s with a 2-2-2 business class and no doors. Leihōkū fixes that from 2028, with the Collins Elevation seat — the same platform as British Airways’ Club Suite — in 22 doored suites per aircraft, 4K screens throughout the cabin, Starlink, and a new Honolulu lounge more than five times the size of the Plumeria Lounge it replaces. For anyone flying Honolulu–Tokyo, Sydney or Auckland in business, the gap between Hawaiian and the Asian carriers on those routes is about to close.
Tip: Seattle–Tokyo Narita and Seattle–Seoul are the routes where you can already sit in the seat that becomes Aurora; the Aurora Lounge and new finishes follow in late 2027.
American Business Class, First-Hand Context
I have not flown Alaska or Hawaiian long-haul and this is a preview built from the announcement. Both airlines are now bookable with Avios through oneworld, which puts them in the same points ecosystem as the Japan Airlines A350-1000 and Fiji Airways cabins I have written about this autumn; on the Seattle–Tokyo sector the 787 Aurora cabin will compete directly with JAL’s and ANA’s newest seats, and it will need the doors and the Starlink to do so.
How Much Does It Cost?
Alaska and Hawaiian have not announced fare changes; Aurora Suites on the 787 sell as the existing business class fare on each route, and Premium Reserve goes on sale in summer 2027 for 2028 travel. Both airlines price dynamically and sell award seats through Atmos Rewards and oneworld partners including Avios.
Flight prices do move between platforms. The same business class seat on the same date is not always the same price on the airline’s own site, Trip.com and Expedia: point-of-sale currency, consolidator fares and what is bundled into the ticket can shift the fare by a few percent — and occasionally by much more on premium cabins booked out of Asia. So before I pay I run the same dates through Aviasales, which scans dozens of booking sites at once, then check Trip.com (often the sharpest on Asian routes) and Expedia (strongest when you add a hotel to the same booking). One caveat: a ticket bought through a booking site is changed or refunded through that site, not the airline, so read the fare rules before you buy.
Doors on a 737, 22 suites on every Hawaiian A330 and a lounge wing for Aurora guests alone — Alaska is building a fourth US long-haul airline out of Seattle, and it is doing it from the front of the cabin backwards.
Renderings © Alaska Airlines / Hawaiian Airlines
This preview is based on official announcements — I haven’t flown Alaska’s or Hawaiian’s new suites yet. Read more about how I review or visit my Work With Me page.
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