Hawaiian Airlines will Launch Nonstop Flights from Seattle to Incheon on an Airbus A330
Hawaiian Airlines has announced the date of its much-anticipated flights from Seattle to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. In an effort to expand its West Coast presence, Hawaiian Airlines will join three other well-known carriers on the route when these services launch in September.
Starting in September
The Alaska Air Group explained in December that it would be opening long-haul routes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Tokyo Narita (NRT), as described in Simple Flying’s coverage at the time. The introduction of these routes aimed to take advantage of demand in both the business and leisure sectors by using widebodies operated by its new subsidiary, Hawaiian Airlines.
While it was known at the time of this revelation that the Tokyo route would open on May 12th, 2025, the outlook for Seoul Incheon International Airport was less certain, with October being the anticipated start month. Hawaiian Airlines’ flights from Seattle to Seoul will really start a little earlier, on September 12th of this year, according to official confirmation from the Alaska Air Group.
At first, Hawaiian Airlines will run five weekly nonstop flights from Seattle to Seoul, with westbound flights leaving at 15:25 Wednesday through Sunday. They are expected to arrive at 18:50 the following day, cross the international date line, and then leave at 20:50 after a two-hour turnaround. This will enable them to make subsequent connections on afternoon and nighttime flights by returning to Seattle at 15:00 local time that same day.
There are 278 seats on these twin-aisle aircraft, according to statistics provided by aeroLOPA. The finest seats are found in the 18 business class flatbeds arranged in three six-abreast (2-2-2) rows at the front of the aircraft. 68 seats in the economy class are labelled ‘Extra Comfort’, meaning they have five inches more legroom than the other 260 seats.
Hawaiian Airlines intends to replace the Airbus A330-200 widebodies on this route with its more recent Boeing 787-9 ‘Dreamliner’ twinjets, though a precise timeframe has not been disclosed. The 34 business class flatbeds on board these contemporary aircraft provide a more advantageous four-abreast (1-2-1) arrangement, where each seat has direct aisle access, according to aeroLOPA. Additionally, there are 266 seats in economy class, with 79 having more legroom.
