Alaska Airlines to fit lie-flat suites on 737 MAX 10s and add Premium Reserve
The airline is investing in premium cabins even though fuel costs erased its first-half profit and it has suspended 2026 guidance.
Alaska Airlines said on Tuesday that it will install lie-flat seats on domestic aircraft for the first time. At least 25 of the 105 Boeing 737 MAX 10s it ordered earlier this year will get a long-haul style business cabin, aimed at transcontinental routes.
The seats are called Aurora Suites. Alaska will fit 34 of them on every Boeing 787 and 12 on its 737 MAX 10s, which Skift describes as an industry first for that aircraft. Deliveries of the first MAX 10s could begin as early as 2027.
A new premium economy cabin, Premium Reserve, will go across the 787s, the 737 MAX 10s and Hawaiian Airlines' Airbus A330s. Passengers should start seeing the seats in 2028. Alaska completed its merger with Hawaiian in 2024 and is building toward a full-service international carrier.
What Aurora Suites and Premium Reserve offer
Aurora Suites is Alaska's new business-class product, and the name plays on the northern lights and the airline's home state. Existing 787 suites will get new touches and finishes, while newly delivered aircraft will carry an all-new product.
The MAX 10s fitted with suites will also wear Alaska's shimmering, Aurora Borealis-inspired livery, which debuted earlier this year on the 787 Dreamliners. Those jets are likely to appear on routes such as Seattle to New York City, in competition with rivals on coast-to-coast flying.
Premium Reserve seats will roughly resemble domestic first-class recliners. They come with privacy wings, leg rests, larger tray tables, more storage and 16-inch 4K screens. Chief executive Ben Minicucci earlier told The Points Guy that premium economy was the true piece missing as Alaska expanded globally.
The MAX 10 plan depends on Boeing. The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday that it will delay certifying the aircraft while it assesses a software glitch Boeing flagged, and Alaska's 2027 delivery hope is contingent on certification.
Hawaiian's A330s and the new lounges
Hawaiian Airlines will refit each of its 24 Airbus A330s with business suites that have sliding privacy doors. The 22 pods replace the older 2-2-2 layout with a 1-2-1 arrangement, so every lie-flat seat has direct aisle access.
Hawaiian is calling them Leihoku Suites. The hard product is similar to Alaska's, but with a classic Hawaiian look and branding. The A330s will also get Premium Reserve recliners, lifting premium seats to about 40% of the cabin from 30% now. New interiors start appearing in 2028.
In Seattle, the Aurora Lounge is due to open in late 2027 on the expanded C concourse at Seattle-Tacoma. It will have a la carte table-service dining, shower suites, an outdoor patio with a fireplace and wellness spaces, according to the airline. Delta One Lounge and United Polaris Lounge are its rivals.
Entry is reserved for long-haul Aurora Suites passengers, plus Titanium members of the Atmos Rewards programme booked in any cabin on those flights. Aurora Suites passengers also get the premium check-in facility at Seattle-Tacoma that opened earlier this year.
Beneath it, Alaska is building a 500-seat Alaska Lounge for its regular club network. The combined Seattle facility will span 41,000 square feet, with a second floor reserved for Aurora Suites passengers.
Hawaiian's new lounge at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu covers 13,000 square feet and should open in early 2028, with room for 200 guests. It is at the entrance of the Mauka concourse in Terminal 1, and Leihoku Suites passengers can enter.
Hawaiian promises locally inspired food and drinks and a signature local coffee experience. Beyond suite passengers, access rules will be similar to those of the current Plumeria Lounge in Honolulu. Alaska also previewed a 14,000-square-foot Alaska Lounge at San Diego International Airport, due in 2028.
The financial backdrop
The timing is awkward. Minicucci said on an earnings call in July that fuel costs wiped out Alaska's profit in the first half of the year, and the carrier suspended its 2026 guidance. Analysts reportedly doubt the airline will reach its 2027 earnings target of $10 a share.
Alaska executives have said the new lounge and premium seats together should bring in $800 million in revenue and account for most of the airline's profit growth. Skift says the push comes five years ahead of the timeline the airline once implied.
Support the content you love — it’s free 🎉
Add Luxa Terra as a preferred source on Google. Our stories will be more likely to appear in Google’s Top Stories. It’s free and supports our team. Thank you!
Add as preferred sourceYou can remove us any time in Google’s source preferences.
Thank you — see you in Top Stories 🎉
Luxa Terra is now one of your preferred sources on Google, so our stories are more likely to appear when you search.
Sources
This briefing is published daily using an AI-powered system crafted by Luxa Terra’s team and finely tuned to meet our editorial standards. While we continuously test and review the output, mistakes can sometimes happen. Tell us if you spot one.
Images: thepointsguy.com; The Points Guy; Photo Credit: Alaska Airlines' new livery on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners is inspired by the northern lights
