Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are changing what lands on the tray table in their international business cabins. The two carriers, now run together under Alaska Air Group, say they have rolled out new seasonal menus for Suites guests on flights to Asia, Europe and Oceania, along with a refreshed wine list built to match the food. The details are in the airlines' October 15 announcement.
The bigger practical change is on the Hawaiian side. Starting next week, Hawaiian's international Business Class passengers get the same expanded meal pre-order that Alaska flyers already use. Suites guests on eligible domestic and international flights can pick from up to five main courses ahead of time.
Who is cooking, and on which routes
Alaska is leaning further on Brady Ishiwata Williams, the Seattle chef and James Beard Award winner who has worked with the airline since 2025. His beef dish already runs on flights from Seattle to Tokyo, Seoul and London. The new menu adds a miso-glazed black cod with kimchi fried rice and banchan on Tokyo Narita flights, and a galbi-glazed chicken with fried rice and banchan on Seoul Incheon flights. Alaska says the Williams menu is open for pre-order now.
A second Seattle chef is on the way. Renee Erickson, also a James Beard winner, will design seasonal Suites menus for Seattle to London. Her food will also run on the Athens and Paris routes when they start in May 2027. Alaska has not given a start date for her menus beyond "coming soon."
On Hawaiian, Honolulu chef Dell Valdez takes over a refreshed international Suites menu from October 21. Dishes include ahi au poivre with celery root purée, huli huli barbecue chicken with kimchee fried rice, pork medallions with a soy-balsamic honey glaze, and a blackened tofu plate. Valdez also keeps cooking for First Class on flights from the mainland to Hawaiʻi.
Flights heading the other way get their own chef. From October 21, Keaka Lee of Kapa Hale in Honolulu cooks for First Class on departures from Hawaiʻi. His menu includes a loco moco at breakfast and braised beef with roasted breadfruit at dinner. Sheldon Simeon continues to supply pre-order meals for the Main Cabin.
The wine list and the pre-order window
Both airlines say their international Business Class wines have been refreshed for fall. The two bottles they name are Paul Hobbs West Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and the Viña Cobos Cocodrilo red blend from Argentina. The list rotates, so expect changes by season.
Pre-ordering works through the Alaska and Hawaiian apps. The window opens two weeks before departure and closes 20 hours before the flight. If you miss it, you choose from what is left on board, which on a full cabin may not include your first pick.
Mark Krolick, who runs inflight product at Alaska, framed it as a matter of place. The fall menu, he said, aims at "dishes that celebrate the flavors of our home communities."
How this fits the bigger premium push
This is one piece of a larger upgrade Alaska laid out at its investor day in September. That plan included new premium lounges in Seattle and Honolulu, which we covered in our story on the Aurora and Leihoku lounges. A dining refresh in the air is cheaper than a new lounge, but it is the part of the trip that long-haul business passengers notice most.
Alaska's own long-haul Suites product is still young. Catering is one of the places a new long-haul cabin can lag older rivals on the same routes. Naming well-known chefs and widening the pre-order choice is a quick way to close that gap.
For the main cabin, Alaska made separate changes last month, covered in our story on the new main cabin menu.
Where to wait before these flights
Alaska's long-haul flights leave from Seattle and Honolulu. In Seattle, Suites passengers can use the Alaska Lounges, and the Alaska Lounge in the North Satellite is the pick of the three, with showers and a full bar. The others are in Concourse C and Concourse D. In Honolulu, The Plumeria Lounge is the current option for premium Hawaiian travelers. Our Seattle and Honolulu airport pages list every lounge and who gets in.
