Alaska Airlines Will Launch Its Premium Economy Cabin by 2028

Alaska Airlines will officially introduce its Premium Economy cabin by 2028.

Alaska had previously hinted at adding a premium economy cabin to its fleet, but revealed the timeline this week. The launch is a major move to pit the carrier against other long-haul airlines.

Right now, Alaska only offers a standard economy seat with extra legroom, which it calls its Premium Class, but it will debut a completely separate cabin by 2028. A lot of its widebody jets, including the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners originally ordered by Hawaiian Airlines that are now part of the Alaska fleet, had been configured with a two-cabin layout geared toward leisure vacationers.

Alaska had been flying those jets on its new long-haul routes to Rome and London instead of grounding them, but it will now lean into a completely separate cabin—featuring wider recliners, footrests, and upgraded dining—that has been a missing piece for Alaska.

When the retrofits begin in 2028, the project, which will take years to finish, will establish a uniform, three-class configuration across Alaska’s expanding long-haul fleet. Delta (Premium Select), United (Premium Plus), and American Airlines all offer a completely separate mid-airplane cabin with distinct, wider recliners, footrests, and upgraded meal services.

New Massive Lounge in Seattle

Alaska Airlines on Thursday also revealed more of its plans to build a massive, 41,000-square-foot flagship lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

The new lounge will span two stories in the airport’s Concourse C, featuring a main floor for domestic and First Class flyers, and a separate, ultra-premium upper floor dedicated solely to international business class (“Suites”) and top-tier Atmos Titanium elites. In total, the facility will offer approximately 700 seats.

At 41,000 square feet, it will be the largest lounge at the airport by far, easily eclipsing the 23,000-square-foot Delta Sky Club in Concourse A. It will also rank as one of the largest airline lounges in the U.S. as a whole, even surpassing Delta’s ultra-premium Delta One Lounge at New York-JFK, which spans 39,000 square feet.

Alaska also has a new lounge coming to Portland this summer, along with its first lounge in San Diego and a new, expanded lounge in Honolulu, both slated for early 2028.