Alaska Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner business class review

8 April, 2026 Favian Robel 0 Comments 1 category

Featuring delicious food and comfortable suites, *Quick take Alaska Airlines’ Dreamliner is a fun ride across the Pacific with its flavorful menus and comforting suite if either of these two current routes fit your travel plans. *

Pros

Suites have privacy doors and colorful finishes
Innovative food menus offer tasty choices
There is relatively good award availability at the Saver level

Cons

The drinks list does not feel super premium
Alaska and Hawaiian still only operate a limited number of flights from the U.S. mainland to Asia
There’s no onboard Wi-Fi yet.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

As ancient Hawaiian navigators once crossed vast stretches of ocean, Hawaiian Airlines’ Dreamliners — which have been named part of the Alaska Airlines fleet as the two airlines continue to merge — now carry passengers across the Pacific.

Only two years ago, the airline began delivery of these long-haul jets — and now has just five in its fleet. But with the process of buying Hawaiian Airlines beginning in a similar vein, Alaska Airlines soon announced plans to launch Dreamliners on ambitious new transpacific and Transatlantic routes.

There are two s that have already launched Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Tokyo’s Narita International airport (NRT) and Seoul’ incheon International Air (ICN)). The Dreamliners will soon be available to flyers on Alaska’s flights to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport(FCO) in May, too.

I recently saw Hawaiian Airlines’ Dreamliner up close during a quick tour shortly after it was delivered to the carrier, but since then I want to try the full flight experience especially as Hawaiian and Alaska porgress in their integration. My chance came when I saw some award options on Alaska Airlines’ route from Tokyo to Seattle in March, so I cashed in a few Alaska airlines Atmos Rewards points and packed my bag.

Here’s what it was like to fly Alaska Airlines’ Dreamliner across the Pacific and how can you make the most of this experience.

How much does it cost to book Alaska Airlines transpacific business class?

Alaska Airlines long-haul business-class ticket costs based on the route, dates and whether you are round-trip or one-way.

My flight would have cost $3,320 if I took one way from Tokyo to Seattle. Rather, I could redeem 95,000 Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points plus $54 in taxes and fees for the flight — more than 3 dollars. 4 cents per point. It’s 90,000 Qantas miles plus $252 for my alternative.” 75, but I wanted to keep my taxes low and spend a few more points.

Blt’s 11 transfer partner Alaska Airlines is a 11 match with Alaska airlines. Also, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a 31 ratio to Alaska.

If you want to get Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points fast, just apply for one of the following cobranded credit cards.

Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card
Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card
Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card

Checking into and boarding Alaska Airlines business class

The airline flight was a Hawaiian Airlines flight number, and the carrier operates out of Terminal 2 at NRT so it’s easy to get through the Skyliner train from Tokyo’S city center.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines business-class passengers can enjoy the following priority services at the airport.

| Priority check-in | Yes |
| — | — |
| Luggage allowance | Two checked bags of up to 32 kg (70 pounds) each |
| Lounge access | Yes |
| Does the airline participate in TSA PreCheck? | Yes |
| Priority boarding | Yes |

I couldn’t check in for my flight via Alaska’s or Hawaiian’S apps, so I got to the airport more than 3 hours before boarding.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

The queue of passengers waiting to check into the economy cabin was already crowded, but because I was flying in business class and got there’s just two other parties ahead of me, it is much less than usual.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

My bags were dropped and checked in less than five minutes later, but the wait to get through security and immigration ate up another 45 minutes. My tip for travelers ‘Go early, get there and plan to spend some time in line then the lounge.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

I was given a business-class ticket to Japan Airlines’ Sakura Lounge for the Sakur Lounge. The security was not far from this large multilevel space and about a five-minute walk to the gate of this big multi level, which s say is “the largest place in the world.”

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

It has two large dining room on the upper floor next to the reception area (although Buffet Lines were very long) with a buffet of almost no open seats in sight, and there were only few open seat seats.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

The calmer downstairs were, however, with only self-served drinks and a few Paltry snacks. But it also began to get crowded because several flights from Japan Airlines depart in the early evening for the U.S. S, meanwhile.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

My way to the terminal end was around an hour before I left, so I could be one of the first people to board. The Dreamliner… I saw the dreamline R and it already had Alaska’s own flashy new liveryemblazoned on the exterior from the terminal terminal. But for some flyers, that’s a bit of ambiguity — Hawaiian Airlines flight but on. plane which is already painted like an Alaska Airlines jet that’ll be surprisingly confusing as it gets to the point where they are flying in Hawaii and have been traveling around with their aircraft.” But I knew the inside was bound to be a Hawaiian-themed interior, still.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Boarding started right on time at 5:45 p.m., and I was the first on board.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

How comfortable is Alaska Airlines Dreamliner business class?

It was a business-class cabin designed according to ‘leihoku, or garland of stars’ as based on. It’s a palette that is meant to be used to describe Hawaii’d land and seascapes, which was just as colorful and luxurious as I remember.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Here’s a snapshot of the layout and dimensions:

Hawaiian Airlines chose Adient Aerospace Ascent suites (trying five times fast) for its new business class when it placed its Dreamliner order. Of them, 34 are there; nine rows of single seats sit on the sides of the cabin and eight rows paired seats down the middle.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

They are a 1-2-1 arrangement of these siters, but slightly different from your usual reverse-herringbone structure. While the seats on one side of the cabin face out toward windows, in the center are also angled away from each other and towards the aisle; but their seat backs are closely linked to companions travelling together. There is a large privacy barrier on the individual’s solo passengers. , ) and the English-language writer.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Each seat also has a closing privacy door along the aisle for more privacy, although this is only unlocked after takeoff. It is 11 inches between the bottom of the door and the floor, which only rises to 44 inches (44 inches) for the total height of a seat shell. Still, that’s a lot of height so as to not be heard and activity from the aisle when it’re deployed.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

It has a rich brown upholstery that reminds us of Hawaii’s volcanic soils in the seats. The turquoise motifs depict the islands’ tropical Pacific waters, and wood accents refer to the archipelago’s hardwood forests.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Look up and you’ll see constellations (or simulacrums of them) in the cabin ceilings, which give a beautiful look to the interior. The Hawaiian language is nice subtle, with the decals for the seat numbers and rows listed alphanumerically as well as in the diocese of Hawaii.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

While they are 21 inches wide at the hips, their seats themselves contain moving armrests that flyers can lower to allow an extra 5 inches of elbow room.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

A passenger can control the seats into three preset positions (upright for takeoff and landing, a lounging position and lie-flat for sleeping) as well with separate buttons to raise and lower leg restrain passengers. The lounging button was enough to recline the seat, and I then hit the leg rest button separately so that it can be firmly placed in a comfortable position. Similarly, there is a “do not disturb” button that can be lit up if you don’t want the staff to wake you up for breakfast.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

It slides out from under the entertainment monitor and swivels into place, 17 1/2 inches wide by 12 inches high. The track also follows its song, which is easy to get in and out of the seat at mealtime.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

It has universal power plugs and USB-A ports, but no USB–C ones; this is a little odd since the seats in premium economy and economy do not have any. This is a good deal, though, because they are equipped with vertical wireless charging pads for phones embedded in the seat backs; this means that it doesn’t take up valuable surface area and can easily lock your own device in them.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

My iPhone 15 charged 1% every two minutes (even with its MagSafe case on (which isn’t always the case with airplane wireless charging surfaces) so it juiced up to 100% while I was asleep.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

A small cubby (with a mirror in the seat back) with stows headsets; I used it to store my little toiletries bag during flight.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

While there are no other storage compartments, I didn’t really miss them because I could stash my laptop on the main armrest closest to the window and tuck my phone into the wireless charging station. Another good addition to this was the seatback sconce light, too a bright enough lamp that illuminated much of the suite without casting too big an eye on it at night during most part of our flight.

The seat was 77 inches long, too big for me to be in lie-flat mode. This is just 12 inches tall and 16 inches at its widest point, so the foot cubby (though it may be tight for some) might feel tight. Getting comfortable and falling asleep was not an issue for me, but I did.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

As for me, one last note is for those who run hot. In business class, Alaska’s Dreamliners have no overhead air nozzles; however, there are no such aircraft as overhead-air hoses in businessclass but the crew kept the cabin pretty cool throughout the flight.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

There are only two lavatories for all 34 passengers in the business-class cabin – one at front of the cabin and one back. That means that there were some bottlenecks during the day at busy times, such as just before landing or right after meal service. Yet, the crews kept them clean throughout the flight. No-touch sinks and toilets were also available in the bathrooms, which contained the airline’s own line of skincare products Loli’i.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Amenities in Alaska Airlines transpacific business class

A set of bedding, including a comfortable pillow, seat cover and lightweight duvet from Noho Home by Hawaii-based designer Jalene Kanani, were found when I boarded. The soft but breathable seat cover I put the seat into bed mode was particularly appreciated by ; it was very comfortable for sleeping. The flight was also accompanied by a pair of soft slippers for use with the .

Air crewmen passed through the cabin after takeoff with small pouches already stocked in an earplug (and dental kits) rather than pre-requisite amenity kits. The passengers were then invited to choose from a selection of eye masks, socks, earplugs and freshening sprays as well as lip balms from Loli’i. It’s a nice way of doing things because it reduces waste you don’t have to choose facilities you won’T use – but that feels special.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Unfortunately, no pajamas were offered on these flights, and the Starlink Wi-Fi was not yet functional either.

Increasingly on the plus side, entertainment systems are 18-inch touchscreens with plenty of new movies and television shows; moving maps (moving music) and more. The seat shell is also wired remote embedded into the seat Shell for the Luddites among us.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

New releases on my flight were “Downton Abbey The Grand Finale,” “Freakier Friday” and “Sinners” It also featured “Severance” and “Shrinking Apple TV shows.” The headphones were not exactly noise-canceling, but they worked fine.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

How was the food in Alaska Airlines transpacific business class?

The aircraft’s second door was a passageway for the majority of passengers, which allowed crew to pass through the cabin offering menus and dozens of pre-departure drinks including.

Prosecco
Ko Hana signature mai tais
Guava juice
Water

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

I’m not usually drinking on board drinks (the pour is small) but couldn’t resist a mai-tai with smashed pineapple. After a long afternoon it was going out to NRT and heading the airport, but then headed towards the spot. It was strong tropical and certainly hit its mark after that hard-hitting journey into New York Airport (NRT) and making way through the air.

The Alaska Airlines business class (twist!) has a menu for the preorder of items available, but it does not fit with the onboard menu. A few other people I’ve had a long-planned passenger comment that their choice was not available, but the new options seemed to be in line with what they were going to do.

Flight attendants returned to the scene before we pushed back with orders for post-departure drinks (which included ramekins of macadamia nuts), the main meal and breakfast. Three menus were available for dinner, including three restaurants from which could choose.

Japanese menu

Staff served a variety of appetizers, including:

Minced duck with egg
Salmon kinuta maki
Tsubukai and fish roe salad
Sea bream filet
Simmered prawn
Seaweed salad
Shiso leaf
Wasabi paste

This was followed by a main of grilled flounder with yuan sauce, broccoli, taro, sweet potato, simmered burdock and the steamed white rice, miso and Japanese pickles that were served.

Vegetarian menu

It was vegetarian, with the option for an eggplant starter rolled in parlour (ricotta-seeded eggplant), asparagus salad, hot and sour soup as well as bread and butter.

Hawaiian fusion menu

I ordered this menu, which started with an appetizer of hot and sour soup with noodles and vegetables, asparagus salad with hearts of palm in shoyu-sherry vinaigrette (and bread and butter).

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

The main was braised boneless short rib in a savory sauce with scallion and ginger risotto.

I found the salad quite fresh and healthy, while the beef was tender and the sauce was flavorful.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

A cart of dessert was used by flight attendants to serve dessert from a helicopter. The cake was creamy mango chiboust or a cheese plate with crackers and grapes, which were also served. mango chiboust was light but satisfying, and the mango islight of.

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During the flight attendants asked passengers whether they wanted to be awakened for breakfast 90 minutes before landing. It will cut my sleep short on a relatively quick flight but I still wanted to see what could be done.

The dishes included a roasted bell pepper and kale tamagoyaki omelet with chicken sausage or sour bread French toast with macerated berries and the lilikoi syrup. My omelet, which was sweet but light and came with warm croissants and a small fresh fruit platter. The coffee was not Hawaiian and I skipped the one, so I didn’t go for the coffee.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

The flight’s wine list included:

Lanson Pere et Fils nonvintage Champagne
Flor Prosecco
21 Degrees chardonnay
Benvolio pinot grigio
21 Degrees cabernet sauvignon
La Mozza sangiovese
HeavenSake Junmai Ginjo Label Azur sake

There were also three specialty cocktails:

Ko Hana mai tai
Ko Hana lilikoi daiquiri
On the Rocks Old Fashioned

Likewise, there are “Meii-made Ocean vodka (spicy) Koloa Kauan Hawaiian rum and Maui Brewing Company Bikini Blonde Lager and Big Swell IPA.” Plus, there are assorted tropical juices and soft drinks (and coffee and Tea Chest Hawaii teas).

My favorite was the pretty mellow Old Fashioned, which I tried before drinking the cabernet sauvignon. It hit the spot, but don’t ask me anything else about it.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Would you recommend Alaska Airlines transpacific business class?

Alaska Airlines’ flagship business class aboard the Boeing Dreamliner is truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

Unlike your run-of-the–mill transpacific slog, this experience was distinguished by the distinctive Hawaiian design touches (along with those intended for Hawaiian Airlines’ premerger fleet), island inspired menus and unique amenities. We hope that a lot of these touches will remain as Alaska and Hawaiian continue their brand integration with the same company. I hope that onboard internet will be working soon, as these flights are going to become a lot more popular for business travellers and so is the case of s. Still, though there is a relatively widespread award-free program, they’re sure to be attractive to some of the more popular pros.

ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Related reading:

The best airline credit cards
Premium economy vs. business class: Are the differences worth an upgrade?
Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
What are airline alliances, and who’s in them?
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards program: How to earn and redeem points, elite status and more

Updated 04/01/2026

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Category: Reviews