Alaska Goes to Europe, British Bubbly, and Other Airline News This Week

In this week’s roundup of airline news from the past 7 days that did not get their own story, we go from Alaska to Europe and all the way to the Philippines.

Let’s dive in.

Alaska Airlines to Europe in 2026? 

Alaska Airlines, which never had twin-aisle planes for long hauls, now has a whole fleet of them thanks to its merger with Hawaiian Airlines. And next year, we may see those Airbus A330s and Boeing 787s on flights from Seattle to Europe, Alaska Airlines’ first to the continent.  

“Europe is definitely on the radar for 2026,” CEO Ben Minicucci said during an event at the Wings Club in New York, as quoted by Skift. Minicucci didn’t say where in Europe the flights from Seattle (SEA) would go, but last year the airline said during an investor presentation that it was looking at London, Paris, and Rome. 

The first long-haul flights under the Alaska brand will start in May, from Seattle to Tokyo-Narita (NRT), using A330s inherited from Hawaiian. Flights from Seattle to Seoul-Incheon (ICN) will follow in September. 

Alaska faces a tough rival in Seattle, where Delta Air Lines maintains a hub operation with flights to Europe and Asia. 

Though Alaska has a highly regarded loyalty program, its onboard product in business class on the A330s has a dated 2-2-2 layout, while Delta and most other long-haul carriers serving Seattle have layouts with direct aisle access for every seat. Alaska’s 787s have a great business class instead, but they currently lack Wi-Fi, even though the airline has hinted at installing it soon.  

ITA Airways Gets Closer to Joining Star Alliance

ITA Airways, the Italian flag carrier that was recently bought by Lufthansa, is closer to joining Star Alliance. ITA is leaving rival alliance SkyTeam to join the group where Lufthansa and United Airlines are the biggest players, but the switch isn’t immediate. It will take until early 2026 for ITA to be a full member, and when it does the biggest airline alliance in the world will have 26 member airlines with more than 18,000 daily flights connecting 192 countries.

Lufthansa said in a statement that the Star Alliance chief executive board has approved the start of the integration process. When it’s done, ITA Airways will add its 360 daily flights to the alliance network, mostly from Rome’s Fiumicino airport (FCO) and Milan-Linate (LIN).

Meanwhile, it’s already possible to earn Lufthansa Miles & More miles on ITA flights, and as the integration progresses we expect that United Airlines Mileage Plus will join the list.   

ITA Airways has also moved house at the Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) airports, the biggest Lufthansa Group hubs. ITA and the other Lufthansa Group airlines now share the same terminal at all the Group’s hubs, significantly reducing transfer times for passengers, Lufthansa said. In Frankfurt, the Italian airline moved from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. In Munich, ITA Airways moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and its satellite.

Air Canada Adds a Lot of Flights, but Not to the U.S.

As noted in last week’s airline news roundup, Canadian airlines are reconsidering plans to expand in the U.S. amid the trade war and annexation talk started by the new administration in Washington. Air Canada in particular is reducing frequencies between Montreal and Detroit (DTW), and between Vancouver (YVR) and Washington-Dulles (IAD), Houston-Bush (IAH), and Miami (MIA).

But while it’s cutting back in the U.S., Air Canada said that it’s adding flights to the U.K. and mainland Europe for the summer travel season.

A new summer service from Montreal (YUL) to Edinburgh (EDI) will complement the existing seasonal flight from Toronto to the Scottish city, with the following schedule:

• AC936, Montreal to Edinburgh: Depart 9:50 p.m., arrive 9:20 a.m. the next day. Operates Monday, Thursday, Saturday from June 26 to September 6
• AC937, Edinburgh to Montreal: Depart 11:10 a.m., arrive 1:30 p.m. Operates Tuesday, Friday, Sunday from June 27 to September 7

The route will be flown with a single-aisle 737 MAX 8 with 16 recliners in business class, unlike the rest of the Air Canada long-haul fleet, which has lie-flat seats.

Air Canada also said it has resumed flights from Canada’s capital city Ottawa (YOW) to London Heathrow (LHR), using the Boeing 787-9, a much larger airplane than the 737. The flight is year-round, with the following schedule:

• AC888, Ottawa to London: Depart 6:55 p.m., arrive 6:30 a.m. the next day. Operates Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
• AC889, London to Ottawa: Depart 12:40 a.m., arrive 3:10 p.m. Operates Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday

Air Canada is also adding more flights to Paris (CDG) and Athens (ATH) and extending its peak Toronto to Rome schedule until October.

To Paris, the airline is adding 3 new flights from Toronto for a total of up to 10 weekly flights from Toronto, and 14 weekly from Montreal. To Athens, there are 2 new Toronto flights, boosting the schedule to 10 weekly each from Toronto and Montreal. To Rome, the boosted summer schedule will extend until October with up to 12 weekly flights from Toronto and 9 from Montreal.

And on the other coast, Air Canada has started a new flight between Vancouver (YVR) and Manila (MNL), which makes it the North American airline with the most destinations served nonstop in Southeast Asia, by its own reckoning.

Philippine Airlines also flies the route. With about a million people of Filipino origin living in Canada as of the country’s 2021 census, the new Air Canada service — also flown with the 787-9 — has a large base of potential customers. The schedule is as follows:

• AC017, Vancouver to Manila: Depart 1:55 a.m., arrive 6:20 a.m. the next day. Operates Monday, Wednesday, Friday in April; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday from May 1
• AC018, Manila to Vancouver: Depart 9:25 a.m., arrive 6:20 a.m. Operates Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday in April; Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday from May 1

English Sparkling Wine, Anyone?

England may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of locales known for producing sparkling wine good enough to be served in first class on a top international airline. But that’s exactly what British Airways is doing.

The airline said that it is “working with pioneering English sparkling wine houses” to offer new options in First class and Club World (the British Airways version of long-haul business class.)

In First class, customers are being served 1086 by Nyetimber Rosé 2014, which British Airways calls “the very first English prestige cuvée ever to be released” (when making sparkling wine, a cuvée is reputed to be the best part of a grape pressing.) Beginning in October, the 2014 vintage in white will take the place of the more summery rosé. From July, British will serve Gusbourne’s Fifty One Degrees North 2016, from grapes grown in Kent and Sussex, an unusual latitude for winemaking, as referenced in the wine’s name.

In Club World, passengers can drink Hattingley Valley’s Blanc de Noirs, made exclusively for British Airways.

British Airways seems to be going all in on marketing its homeland wines on the ground too, with a dedicated English sparkling wine tasting area in the Galleries First lounge at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5. There, customers can have  Balfour Rosé de Noirs and Simpsons Chalklands Cuvée Brut NV. 

And while English sparkling wines can’t legally be called Champagne, British Airways hasn’t stopped serving the real deal from France. Champagne lovers will be happy to know that Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, one of the top Champagnes, is back in First class .

Final Thoughts

This week, the biggest airline alliance in the world got a little closer to gaining a new member, ITA Airways, which has several destinations in the U.S.

Among other airline news, it’s notable that Alaska Airlines may launch flights to Europe in 2026 — a big step for an ambitious airline, whose network would then span 4 continents.

As for those English sparkling wines, we promise to try them the next time an Upgraded Points staffer travels at the front of the plane on British Airways.