While you, like President Trump, were busy looking in vain for anything Rosie O’Donnell said during her one-week stint hosting the Jimmy Kimmel Show to be actually funny, eager travelers our there were snapping up roundtrip tickets from Seattle to Athens for under a thousand bucks.
Yes, it’s true. Alaska Airlines is offering introductory roundtrip Main Cabin airfares starting at $999, available for purchase in the U.S. through Aug. 26. Just note that this is a seasonal service that will begin May 12, 2027, flying three times a week and becoming the longest route Alaska has ever flown.
Let’s break this down.
The flights will leave from Seattle. So, you have to get to Seattle first.
The aircraft will likely be a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. So, you have to not be one of the growing numbers of “if it’s Boeing, I’m not going” travelers.
You have to tolerate that Alaska annoyingly refers to passengers as “guests.” If you are seated in an airplane flying at any altitude, you are not a guest. You are a passenger on a plane. If you’re checking into a hotel? You’re a guest.
It’s a long flight.
There will be some lie-flat business class seating with multi-course dining, plus premium amenities from West Coast brands Filson and Salt & Stone.
We’ve tried the Salt & Stone hand soap in the lavatories on other Alaska planes and can confirm that it smells pretty good. A good, clean choice.
It should be Delta or United offering nonstop service from LAX or SFO to Athens before any American company offers it from Sea-Tac, right? That said, Alaska Airlines flight crews are great and flight attendants are super nice.
And you can snag one of those $999 tickets, you’ll be saving about 25% off what a typical roundtrip ticket from the West Coast to Athens currently costs. Our advice? Book it, baby.
More from the airline:
Alaska’s new service to Athens, flight AS196, pays homage to Greece’s capital as the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. New service to Paris, flight AS136, is a nod to the city’s renowned cultural scene, home to 136 museums. With convenient departure and arrival times, both flights make it easier for guests to explore these popular European destinations. The airline’s growing global network also enables same-day connections between Honolulu and Paris through Seattle, making international travel to and from Hawaiʻi, the airline’s second largest hub, more convenient.
Seattle-Athens
Alaska is making history as the first airline to announce nonstop service from Seattle to Athens. The seasonal service will begin May 12, 2027, operate three times a week and become the longest route Alaska has ever flown. When the new route launches, it will also become the West Coast’s only nonstop Athens flight, making it easier than ever for travelers across the region to access Greece and beyond.
Says Ben Minicucci — no relation to Stanley Tucci — the CEO of Alaska Airlines,“We fly where our guests aspire to go, and Athens and Paris have been high on that list for years. As we build to more than 12 international long-haul routes from Seattle in the coming years, we’re giving travelers more ways to connect to the world and more opportunities to use Atmos Rewards. This global growth is possible because of the remarkable people across our airline who take care of our guests and deliver safe and reliable operations.”
