Fly Nonstop to Seoul: Hawaiian Airlines Debuts New Seattle Route

Hawaiian Airlines (now under the Alaska Air Group umbrella) is marking a major expansion: beginning September 12, 2025, it will launch regular nonstop flights from Seattle (SEA) to Seoul (Incheon, ICN). This route adds Seoul as a new gateway for global travelers flying on Hawaiian’s long‐haul aircraft, and strengthens Seattle’s role as an international hub in the Asia-Pacific.

The Seattle-Seoul route will operate five times per week, flown on Hawaiian’s wide‐body aircraft, offering both business and economy cabins. It’s timed to begin just before Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), a key travel period, which suggests the airline is aiming both at connecting visitations for families and at business-tourism flow during a peak season.

For Seattle, this is another notch in its growing international resume. Alaska/Hawaiian’s vision is to offer at least a dozen nonstop global destinations from SEA by 2030. For Hawaiian Airlines, this helps reinforce its long-haul footprint even as some older Asia routes are being reevaluated or cut back.

The aircrafts flying this route are well equipped: wide-body wings (Dreamliner / A330-type), lie-flat or top-tier business suites, updated in-flight amenities, and the promise of better inflight service, particularly important on 10-plus hour over-Pacific hops.

While the route is exciting, it doesn’t come without challenges. The Asia-Pacific market is competitive: routes to Seoul are already served by major carriers (Korean, Asiana, etc.), and demand patterns post-pandemic remain less predictable. Also, Hawaiian is simultaneously scaling back some long-haul service out of Honolulu (e.g., cuts to Seoul, Fukuoka) which may signal shifting priorities or constraints.

There’s also the matter of pricing power and passenger appeal: to maintain load factors, the airline needs to ensure both value and service are compelling. Seattle as a hub helps with strong connections and an affluent traveler base, but the winter season, fuel costs, crew availability, and international regulatory/logistical issues might all pose issues.

For those who collect milestones in airline route maps, the Seattle to Seoul service is a significant one.

If all goes well, passengers see more choice, more direct flights, and more opportunities for global travel from the Pacific Northwest. For Hawaiian, success here can validate its strategy to focus on key international markets rather than overextending. Either way, the skies over the Pacific are getting a bit more connected – and that’s always worth watching.

Travelers booking on this route will benefit from some attractive promotions to kickstart this new route.