Alaska Airlines' merger with Hawaiian Airlines gives it access to long-haul Airbus and Boeing planes. Fresh off a $1.9 merger with Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines has big plans for using its new widebody planes with new routes to Asia. The author's economy seats on Hawaiian Airlines' A330 in November 2023. Taylor Rains/Business InsiderThe expansion will also put pressure on competing Delta Air Lines, which already flies nonstop from Seattle to both cities. Japan Airlines' new free flight program may have helped, which comps domestic legs for many tourists who also book a roundtrip international flight to Japan on the same booking.

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Persons: Andrew Harrison, Guy, Taylor Rains, Harrison Organizations: Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Airbus, Boeing, Seattle, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska —, Mastercard Economics, Travelers, CNBC, Japan Airlines Locations: Seattle, Asia, Tokyo, Seoul, Alaska, Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Japan, Alaska's Asia, Canada, Sapporo, Okinawa, Osaka