Alaska Airlines announced September 29 that it is introducing a new premium cabin brand called Aurora, featuring lie-flat suites on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners and, beginning in 2028, on at least 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft operating transcontinental routes.
The 737-10 configuration will include 12 Aurora Suites and 12 Premium Reserve seats, creating a four-cabin setup: Aurora Suites, Premium Reserve, Premium Class, and Main Cabin. Placing lie-flat suites on a narrowbody of that size is uncommon among U.S. carriers.
On the 787, Alaska plans to install 34 Aurora Suites per aircraft, with direct aisle access, privacy doors, 19-inch 4K displays, and Starlink connectivity for Atmos Rewards members. A new Premium Reserve cabin — positioned between the lie-flat product and existing Premium Class — will add 35 seats per 787-9 and 787-10, bringing the premium share of a redesigned 787-9 to roughly 46%, up from 38% today.
Premium Reserve seats will offer 38 inches of pitch, 16-inch 4K OLED screens, leg and calf rests, and enhanced dining. The product will also launch on Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330s in 2028.
Alaska currently operates five 787-9s. Its existing orders bring the firm future 787 fleet to 17 aircraft, with the additional jets expected to be 787-10s. The airline has said the widebody fleet will support at least 12 international destinations from Seattle by 2030. Current 787 routes include Seattle to London, Rome, Tokyo, and Seoul.
For the 737-10, Alaska holds 105 firm orders plus options on 35 more, giving it significant flexibility in how broadly it deploys the Aurora narrowbody product across domestic markets.
The Aurora rollout extends to the ground. Alaska plans a dedicated Aurora Lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, along with separate check-in and concierge services.
The announcement is also part of a dual-brand premium strategy following Alaska Air Group’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines. While Alaska develops Aurora, Hawaiian is building its own premium identity under the name Leihōkū, with both carriers receiving upgraded cabins, lounges, dining, and ground services.
CEO Ben Minicucci described the effort as redefining what premium means across the entire travel experience, not only in the air.
For crew, the cabin reconfigurations on both the 787 fleet and the 737-10s will change galley layouts, service flows, and passenger ratios across premium cabins — details that will matter when training and bidding catch up to the new aircraft configurations ahead of the 2028 entry into service.
