Alaska Airlines will introduce new menus from two top Seattle chefs on select international flights as the airline ramps up its premium amenities for passengers — in line with the carrier’s broader strategy to expand its global reach.
The Seattle-based airline announced Tuesday that it will partner with James Beard Award-winning chefs Renee Erickson and Brady Ishiwata Williams to create in-flight dining menus inspired by several international routes.
The new menus are expected to roll out in spring 2027, according to Alaska representatives, and they will be available to select passengers: those flying in Alaska’s new Aurora Suites or the airlines’ forthcoming lie-flat suites on its fleet of Boeing 787 and 737-10 MAX aircraft.
The company is in the midst of a plan to launch 15 new long-haul international routes by 2030, Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci said at the company’s investor day on Tuesday in Renton — up from its previous projection of 12 new routes.
Erickson — a longtime Seattle chef whose Sea Creatures restaurant group is best known for The Walrus and The Carpenter in Ballard — will debut her menus on Alaska’s current routes to London and Rome and on Alaska’s direct flights to Athens and Paris, per the airline, which are launching in spring 2027.
Williams, the owner of critically acclaimed Japanese American restaurant TOMO in White Center, will design a menu for nonstop Tokyo and Seoul flights from Seattle, per the airline. Williams, whose meals can already be found onboard some of Alaska’s international routes, also collaborated with Alaska for its Chef’s (tray) Table first-class dining series last year.
Passengers can expect seasonally rotating dishes that incorporate ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. On Tuesday, at Alaska’s investor day, Erickson served two dishes as a preview, including slow-roasted sockeye salmon with confit tomatoes, lentils, walnuts, horseradish and a crème fraîche vinaigrette. Williams prepared Dungeness crab rice and a braised short rib with peppercorn sauce, roasted peppers, potato fondant and horseradish cream.
Alaska Air Group representatives said premium in-flight dining on its Hawaiian Airlines subsidiary will continue on its current flight path: Hawaiian Airlines executive chef Dell Valdez will create menus inspired by Hawaiian flavors and traditions for its fleet’s new Leihōkū Suites and its first-class cabins. (In July, Hawaiian stopped offering free onboard meals to its main cabin passengers, launching a preorder dining program on most flights between Hawaiʻi and the continental U.S.)
Alaska also began welcoming international guests with a cheese and charcuterie board earlier this year — an elevated version of its Signature Fruit and Cheese Platter — and also introduced a new wine program to complement international food options this year.
These fresh bites and drinks are part of a slew of programs aimed at improving the Alaska customer experience, particularly for premium flyers. Those initiatives include several announced Tuesday, such as the new lie-flat suites for select Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights; a new “premium reserve” fare and seating class with more legroom and amenities; new airport lounges; and a new Atmos Rewards debit card.
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