Alaska Airlines will configure at least 25 Boeing 737 Max 10s with 12 lie-flat business class suites, 12 premium economy seats and 135 economy seats, with the first of the subfleet entering service in 2028.

The aircraft will close a "key product gap" for the Seattle-based carrier among high-end travellers on the US West Coast, chief financial officer Andrew Harrison said at the airline's investor day in Seattle on 29 September.

"Our guests consistently show a willingness to pay for more comfort, privacy, space and service," Harrison said.

The premium subfleet represents Alaska's first dedicated premium transcontinental product. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines already operate aircraft with bespoke premium layouts on key routes between the coasts, particularly from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Competitors also fly premium narrowbodies from Boston and Fort Lauderdale.

Alaska will base the aircraft at its five West Coast hubs — Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle — and fly them to New York and other East Coast markets.

"This isn't just a New York strategy, we're deploying this product across a broader set of premium, high business demand markets," says Harrison. He and other Alaska executives declined to name additional destinations.

Two configurations, one type

The premium Max 10s diverge sharply from Alaska's standard layout for the type, which carries 188 seats — 10 more than the airline's 737 Max 9s — including 20 first class seats. That gives Alaska a single narrowbody platform serving two distinct missions: high-density replacement capacity and low-density premium flying.

Alaska holds orders for more than 100 Max 10s, with the first 25 due in 2027. The standard-layout aircraft will replace smaller, ageing 737-700s, allowing Alaska to add capacity at constrained airports where slot and gate limitations restrict the value of frequency growth.

The premium cabins form part of a broader strategy Alaska executives outlined at the investor day: growing the airline's share of the West Coast market, deepening relevance among high-yield business travellers and expanding the Atmos loyalty programme. The premium transcontinental product is the most visible element of that plan, because it addresses the one domestic segment where Alaska currently fields no answer to larger rivals.

The 2028 service-entry date for the first premium-configured Max 10 puts Alaska roughly a year behind the arrival of its initial standard-layout aircraft, reflecting the time needed for cabin installation and interior certification. American, Delta, JetBlue and United will have had dedicated premium transcontinental fleets in place for years by then, meaning Alaska enters the segment as a challenger rather than an incumbent.

Harrison's framing of the subfleet as a gap-closer underscores the calculus: Alaska is not chasing network breadth but yield quality, targeting travellers who currently have little reason to choose the carrier for coast-to-coast flying. Whether 12 lie-flat suites per aircraft on an as-yet-unnamed route set can win share from established premium operators will become clear once Alaska discloses the destinations and frequencies planned for the subfleet.