Alaska Airlines has joined the transatlantic premium club with a nonstop from Seattle to Rome, and a recent business class flight on the route shows a split verdict: the hard product genuinely competes, but the catering has a long way to go.
The good news first. The 787 business class seat proved comfortable and spacious across the nearly 11-hour flight, and the bedding partnership with Seattle outfitter Filson stands out — two pillows, a mattress pad, and a plush blanket, plus slippers good enough that the reviewer considered keeping them. The amenity kit, stocked with Salt & Stone products like lip balm, facial mist, and an eye mask, is another keeper. Judged purely on comfort, Alaska has built a cabin that can sit alongside the established players crossing the Atlantic.
Then comes dinner. The trouble began with incorrect menus — passengers were only told after questioning dishes that didn't match the descriptions, and neither menu indicated which route or direction it was meant for. The soup arrived cold, the bread stale with rock-hard butter, and the mains were so heavily salted that both travellers sent them back uneaten — despite one dish being a collaboration with TOMO, a well-regarded restaurant. The highlights? A charcuterie starter, an arugula salad, and a Salt & Straw ice cream dessert cart, though the reviewer would have liked a more generous pour of sauce.
The impression was bad enough that breakfast got skipped entirely, with a salty mid-flight pesto caprese sandwich ranking as the safer bet. The strangest part of the critique: Alaska's domestic first class food is often better than what was served on this flagship international route. That's the wrong comparison for an airline charging business class fares.
Why does this matter for travellers? If you're eyeing the Seattle–Rome nonstop, the seat, sleep quality, and cabin service are already there. Catering is the fixable piece — airlines can overhaul menus and catering suppliers in months, not the years a seat redesign takes. For now, consider pre-ordering your meal, tempering dinner expectations, and saving your appetite for Rome.
Credit: Travel Codex