Alaska Air Group is finally filling the gap in its cabin lineup. The company announced a new longhaul premium economy product, called Premium Reserve, for Alaska Airlines' Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 jets, Hawaiian Airlines' Airbus A330s, and a dozen specially configured Boeing 737 MAX 10s. Tickets go on sale next summer, with the first cabins appearing in 2028.
This isn't the airline's existing Premium Class, which is essentially economy with extra legroom. Premium Reserve gets 38 inches of pitch, a wider seat with more recline, and — crucially — a leg and calf rest. Each passenger gets a 16-inch 4K OLED screen with Bluetooth audio, plus AC power and USB-C charging. Alaska has promised upgraded dining and amenities but hasn't detailed what those will be yet.
The seat counts tell you where each aircraft fits. The 787s will carry 35 Premium Reserve seats, Hawaiian's A330s 28, and the transcontinental MAX 10s just 12, arranged in a 2-2 layout across three rows. Those MAX 10s will also carry 12 lie-flat first class suites in a 1-1 configuration, giving Alaska a four-cabin setup — suite, premium economy, Premium Class, and standard economy — on flights across the country. Which routes get them hasn't been announced.
Why should this matter to you? Because the fare gap between economy and business on long flights is often huge, and premium economy has become the practical compromise: a genuinely wider seat and a footrest for a fraction of the suite price. That's especially relevant for Hawaiian's A330s, which fly some of the longest routes in the network, where an extra-legroom economy seat was never a real substitute. It also strengthens Alaska's expanding international operation out of Seattle.
One caveat: the 2028 timeline may be optimistic for the MAX 10 portion. The FAA has delayed certification of the type yet again over a software issue, and Alaska hasn't taken delivery of any. The 787 and A330 plans don't depend on it; the transcontinental rollout does.
If the name rings a bell, that's no accident of vocabulary — Delta markets a "Reserve" credit card with American Express, and Alaska is a direct competitor. The real point, though, is the product itself: for many travellers flying Seattle to Tokyo or Honolulu to the mainland, Premium Reserve may end up being the sweet spot rather than a stepping stone to a suite.
Full credit to Live and Let's Fly for the original report.
