The competition in Seattle is heating up with a pair of new European routes just announced by Delta Air Lines.
Delta Adds Two New Europe Flights from Seattle, Targets Alaska Airlines with Rome Route
Delta is launching two new nonstop transatlantic routes from Seattle: Rome (FCO) and Barcelona (BCN). On the surface, it is an exciting expansion for Seattle-based flyers. Beneath the surface, it is also a clear competitive response to Alaska Airlines’ pivot into longhaul flying from its Seattle hub.
Two New Delta Routes from Seattle
Beginning May 2026, Delta will inaugurate:
- Seattle (SEA) to Rome (FCO) starting May 6, 2026 (4x weekly)
- Seattle (SEA) to Barcelona (BCN) starting May 7, 2026 (3x weekly)
Both flights will utilize an Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. These jets feature:
- 29 Delta One Suites with closing doors
- 28 Premium Select seats
- 56 Comfort+ seats
- 168 Main Cabin seats
(I’ve reviewed Delta One on the A330-900neo here)
That is a premium-heavy configuration, underscoring Delta’s intent to cater to business travelers and high-yield leisure traffic. Delta will become the only US carrier offering both Barcelona and Rome service from Seattle.
Delta’s Move Is A Reaction To Alaska Airlines
While Delta is presenting this as part of its broader global vision for Seattle, the timing is hard to ignore. Just last month, Alaska Airlines announced its first-ever route to Europe: daily seasonal service from SEA to Rome, starting in June 2026.
Alaska’s entry into transatlantic service was not unexpected. From the moment its merger with Hawaiian airlines was announced, I speculated that we’d see Alaska eventually operate widebody service to Europe and Asia from Seattle.
Now, Delta’s Rome flight will beat Alaska’s to market by a full month.
Coincidence? Of course not.
Seattle is Alaska’s home turf, and Delta has spent the past decade steadily challenging that dominance, growing SEA into a global gateway. From flying widebodies to Los Angeles and New York, to offering service to Paris, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, and Seoul, Delta wants to be Seattle’s global airline.
While adding Rome and Barcelona is the next logical move in a long and deliberate strategy, it is doubtlessly a message to Alaska that it will fight aggressively for transatlantic dominance.
CONCLUSION
Delta’s announcement is great news for Seattle flyers. Two new nonstop routes to Europe on modern aircraft with a full range of cabin options offer more choice and comfort. But this is also a classic Delta maneuver: challenge the opposition in competitive markets…it helps to explain why Delta has risen to become one of the world’s most profitable airlines.
Alaska may be expanding across the Atlantic, but Delta’s message is loud and clear. It is already there, and it intends to stay competitive in every sense.
Summer 2026 just became more interesting for travelers flying out of Seattle. I hope both carriers find wild success on the route, though I’d imagine there will be some great bargains for flights to Rome…
I’d be fine with this if Delta wasn’t doing it out of spite, which is pretty much what they do. They used to partner with Alaska and everything was peachy until Delta wanted a vassal rather than a partner. Alaska understandably balked at that idea so Delta did what they always do when they don’t get their way: they went to war. Unlike Virgin and Korean, Alaska did not capitulate, which angered Delta even more. That’s why Delta – vicious rodents at the best of times – has such fervor in going after Alaska and will go out of their way to confront them.
and yet this is competition, pure and simple.
AS has benefitted from competition and they have lost because of competition.
AS bought Virgin America with the expectation that they would set up a large California operation and diversify outside of their PNW strengths. UA largely dismantled AS’ CA dreams with a little help from AA and DL in LAX. WN is on top of AS in most other CA cities.
I doubt that AS could truthfully answer the question if they are better off having turned down DL’s offer more than 10 years ago to exclusively feed DL’s international hub at SEA.
10 years from now the answer might be an even stronger “no” than it is today.
Yes, Delta made an offer Alaska couldn’t refuse yet they did refuse. Props to them for not being assimilated.
Delta didn’t have a hub in Seattle until Alaska refused to become a vassal. Instead of taking the loss with grace or leaving things as they – successfully – were, Delta went with a nuclear option. That level of bile is why I went from a Delta fanatic to almost never flying them. Like Alaska I don’t like being ordered what to do.
it’s not a question of being told what to do.
AS had an option.
DL had decided they were going to have a hub in SEA.
AS had the option to provide exclusivity to DL – which meant dropping all of AS’ other partners.
AS made its choice and I am not saying any other airline wouldn’t have made the same decision – but to somehow argue that it hasn’t been costly to AS to fight not to be a “vassal” for DL looks like it might not have been the best decision 10 years after the fact.
AS decided to pursue Virgin America to diversify out of the PNW and there is very little left of that merger. And it cost AS hundreds of millions in profits.
AS and DL have been in a status quo with a split SEA market but AS decided it didn’t like that balance. DL has been rather accepting of its position at half of AS’ size but has clearly drawn the line that it intends to cede nothing to AS in the international marketplace.
AS had decisions to make 10 years ago and does as well today.
Sometimes we make decisions and can’t accurately see the repercussions of those decisions.
It just very well might be the case that AS’ decision not to give DL exclusive feed has cost them far more than if they just did what DL asked. We don’t have the numbers to prove it but it is very possible that AS’ outcome is not what they modeled.
It is no different today with their decision to add longhaul international service – the part of the SEA market where DL has had an advantage.
I doubt 10 years from now if AS will have achieved what it thought it would by adding 12 longhaul destinations within the first five years.
and I also doubt that DL will have been deterred from using SEA as its PNW international gateway.
When someone threatens your existence you do have a choice. To effectively cease existing or not. Alaska chose not to cease existing as an independent entity.
As to the status quo, that was Delta having no intercontinental flights out of Seattle. I don’t recall Alaska changing that. Delta basically bullied their way in when they couldn’t bully Alaska into doing what Delta wanted. Please just admit that, even if you try to couch it in sunshine and puppy dog terms like free market competition. Delta is completely without morals. As an illustration, just look how they reacted to Qatar coming to ATL or how they behave any time the possibility of another badly needed airport arises if it’s within 50 miles of Atlanta.
Christian,
first, NW has had widebody flights from SEA for years; DL inherited half of its pre-hub size from NW.
second, AS was in no way threatened w/ extermination. We don’t know the terms of the proposed deal but DL very likely would have given AS complete freedom to add domestic markets.
In case you missed it, DL’s development of a hub at SEA HAS COST AS because there is far less space for anyone to expand. Did it cross AS’ mind that having a 2nd hub at SEA would significantly limit AS’ ability to grow because that is the only real threat to AS.
and AS has done fairly well financially in the past 10 years – even with likely more capacity than they wanted in some markets because DL also had a hub there. Guess what? every airline would love to dominate their hubs but that isn’t the way it works in NYC, Chicago, LAX or a bunch of other markets.
just stop w/ the silliness about QR and ATL. QR sent schedules to ATL to use a 777 or A350 and then decided at the last minute – well after the 30 day cutoff for gate assignments BY THE AIRPORT – to use an A380. Heck no DL didn’t change its gate assignments to accommodate QR’s last minute upgrade of a flight – and neither would any one else in any other airport, including AS in SEA. and it happened ONE TIME.
as for the 2nd Atlanta airport, the citizens of all of the communities where those other airports exist don’t want commercial service. And you realize that multiple other cities, including SEA and PDX are effectively or completely single commercial airport metro areas?
AS benefits from more single airport metros than any of the big 4 including DL.
In your mind, I suppose its ok to accuse DL of something that AS has used to its advantage better than DL has.
“as for the 2nd Atlanta airport, the citizens of all of the communities where those other airports exist don’t want commercial service.”
But let’s be clear, that’s per their Delta-funded “citizen’s action group”, not the actual citizens.
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/is-delta-funding-secret-campaign-against-paulding-county-airport
I normally post the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on the topic but I thought you’d enjoy your local TV station, Tim.
Honestly, Tim. This is the annoying thing about you. You’ve seen the articles about Delta funding fake citizen groups. You’ve responded to me in your usual angry manner when I’ve posted the links before. Not denying it, but changing the subject, as usual. But you still flat-out lie about topics like these hoping you aren’t called out.
Sometimes you wonder why I don’t respect you. It’s because of this kind of thing. You’ve seen the truth but lie hoping you aren’t called out.
Max,
you can’t grasp the concept that, regardless of whatever articles you find, these issues have been VOTED ON.
I find it beyond disappointing that someone that claims to know as much as you do can’t grasp that, unless you or someone else finds evidence of voter fraud, the VOTERS in these communities are the ones that made the decision. Companies engage in all kinds of activities that are in line with their objectives but that doesn’t mean that they win
and you also can’t seem to counter – just like the other person -that AS benefits from having single airports in more of its top metros than AA, DL, UA or WN.
Tell us how many passengers were carried through the secondary airports at ANC, PDX, SAN or SEA.
You have proven over and over that you argue incessantly about the most mindless “data” so you can avoid facing the reality – which is that the idea that DL gets a benefit from its “monopoly” hubs is an idea which is manufactured in your head and not reality
Send us the voting result links, tim
The actual voting results.
God knows what your other random topic misdirects are about
you have never been able to admit that DL wins fair and square in the marketplace. You cling to notions that DL makes all of its money from its “monopoly” hubs and yet you can’t or won’t answer the simple question that, even if your charge was true, how did DL figure out how to use this strategy and AA and UA could not? The domestic airline industry was deregulated at the same time for all airlines and yet DL has clearly managed to build a network and service model that is untouched in the industry.
As is noted below, if AS is as good as it thinks it is, they can compete just fine against DL. and competition is good for consumers. AS knew full well what it was getting itself into when it decided to launch international flights from SEA. They don’t need you making excuses for why they have an uphill battle ahead of them.
Back up your claims Tim.
The links to the votes. I posted the links to the clear Delta propaganda campaigns in local towns around ATL.
Post the votes, Tim.
It’s very noted, however, that you respond to some random other topic about Alaska and, apparently, I can’t admit something about how awesome Delta is? God even knows what you’re talking about since it isn’t anything I said.
The links to the votes you spoke to, Tim. The LINKS TO THE VOTES that you brought up. 🙂
Not tough. Back up your statements.
The simple answer is that Delta has done a better job of growing into other carriers’ strength markets and competing in its own strength markets with whatever has come along that any other carrier.
Over the past nearly 50 years of deregulation, DL has grown from being the 6th largest airline in the US to the largest in the world by revenue and market cap.
It organically has grown NYC to become the largest airline by flights and passengers boarded even though it was behind AA and CO on 9/11. it is about 2X larger than AA in NYC and 1.5X larger than B6 even at JFK.
It has grown BOS and will be 1.5X larger than B6 by this fall with B6′ cuts.
DL has displaced AA as the largest airline at LAX and the 2nd largest at AUS.
DL grew into AS’ hub at SEA 10 years ago and, despite the repeated internet noise that DL underperforms AS, DL shows no signs of going anywhere.
AS and DL have been in a multi-year detente but AS with AS being larger overall and on the west coast and DL larger to the eastern US – and esp. by revenue – and in international markets. DL consistently gets about 70% of the local SEA market revenue that AS gets even though DL is half the size of AS in SEA.
Let’s see how this plays out but DL just made it clear that it is ceding no ground to anyone and esp. AS in SEA.
If AS is as great of a competitor as they and others think they are, then they should not be hindered by what DL does.
I suspect, though, that we will see AS decide in a couple years to retire the A330-200s from HA and operate a couple of longhaul international routes from SEA, mostly to partner carrier hubs.
and lost in all of this is a statement that DL made in its press release indicating it has acquired more gates at SEA as part of announcing these new flights. Part of AS’ strategy in adding widebody flights to SEA is to erode DL’s gate advantage which gives DL a higher percentage of gates per passenger than AS.
What seats is Alaska offering on the flight to Rome?
Business, PE, and coach.
Sorry, should have been more clear…what type of business class seats are they offering (versus Delta’s suites).
The Rome flights will be on the Hawaiian 787 which has the Adient Ascent seat with a sliding door but there is no premium economy on those aircraft at this point.
I don’t believe they have WiFi right now.
The 787s are by far the better aircraft compared to the 330s.
Christian, your implied argumentation that Delta should be “nicer” to AS in SEA is just ridiculous. Competition is competition. And, if AS chooses to expand into DL’s transantlantic nonstop space they clearly need to expect a response. The winner here is is the SEA local audience. Two airlines serving the same markets should put pressure on pricing.