Anchorage and Tokyo to be linked by first direct flights

Alaska Airlines will fly nonstop between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Tokyo Narita for the first time, starting May 13, 2027. The seasonal service creates the first direct link between Alaska and Japan.

Flights run daily through Sept. 7, 2027, then three times a week from January 2028. Northbound departures leave Anchorage at 2:10 p.m. and land at Narita at 3:25 p.m. the following day; the return departs Tokyo at 9:45 p.m. and touches down in Anchorage at noon — about 3,425 miles (2,977 nmi) of Pacific in between.

The airline will operate a Boeing 737 MAX 8, which it says is the only 737 in its fleet with the range for the trip; the newer MAX 10 flies shorter. First class comes with recliner seats, multi-course dining and access to the Alaska Lounge in Anchorage, while main cabin and premium class passengers get a complimentary hot meal. Starlink Wi-Fi is still being fitted across the MAX 8 fleet.

Introductory round-trip fares start at $999 for travel between May 13 and June 7, 2027, on sale through Oct. 31, and the schedule remains subject to government approval.

The route lands in a market Alaska already dominates. OAG data shows roughly 1.69 million departing seats from Anchorage in summer 2026, up 2.9% year on year, giving the carrier 65.9% of the airport's capacity, up from 63.9% a year earlier. Scheduled international flights today are limited to Frankfurt with Condor, Vancouver with Air Canada and Calgary with WestJet.

Tokyo anchors a wider push: new seasonal Anchorage nonstops to Nashville, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth follow in June 2027, which the airline says will together form the largest nonstop schedule out of Alaska in its history. "This long-requested route will open new opportunities for tourism and commerce," regional vice president Marilyn Romano said.