New flying out of Paine Field will ease commuting pain for many
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UPDATE 1/22/19: We’re postponing our scheduled start of service from Paine Field until March 4, 2019. Our latest post has all the details.
ORIGINAL POST 5/17/17: For most Seattle-area guests of Alaska Airlines, getting to the airport is relatively painless. But for the more than one million residents of northern King County, Snohomish County and surrounding communities, the extra distance and city congestion mean the drive can be longer than the flight itself.
That all changes by fall 2018, when Alaska begins regularly scheduled commercial flights from Snohomish County Airport, Paine Field.
George Tsoukalas is a Snohomish County resident who flies an average of 1.5 times each week. The Alaska MVP Gold and Million Miler says he is thrilled by the prospect of flying out of Paine Field.
“Personally, I’ve been looking forward to this,” he says. “It’s not just the traffic driving through Seattle, but the inconsistency of it. Some days it might take me 40 minutes to drive to the airport, other days it takes 70 minutes.”
Tsoukalas has even resorted to driving 65 minutes to Bellingham to catch flights. Though it’s a longer drive than it would be to Sea-Tac in good traffic conditions, the drive time is more consistent.
“Flying from Paine Field will allow me to schedule my time more efficiently,” he says. “As a business traveler, that makes a big difference.”
Paine Field is home to the Boeing Everett Factory, along with a major aviation maintenance facility and several flight schools, but the airport, originally constructed in 1936, does not currently host commercial flying. Subject to receipt of government approvals, Alaska plans to operate nine daily flights by fall 2018, using a mixture of Boeing 737 and Embraer 175 jets.
“We’re not quite ready to share details of the routes,” says John Kirby, Alaska’s vice president of capacity planning. “But I can tell you they won’t be limited to short, regional flights. We’re talking daily, nonstop flights to some of our most popular destinations.”
The new flying is expected to take hundreds of cars off the road each day, cutting greenhouse emissions while adding convenience for Alaska’s many guests living north of Seattle. Everett residents, for example, could reduce their airport commutes by up to 80 minutes during peak traffic congestion.
Groundbreaking on the new terminal is expected in early June, with full details of Alaska’s routes as well as ticket sale information to be announced in early 2018.
Comments
I’m afraid this is going to destroy my home’s value!
Your already next to an airport. The value was compensated when you purchased the home. If airport noise is that much of a factor to you, you should have considered that before purchasing the home. No airport anywhere is exempt form expansion – ever.
great news! please make a stop in Pasco, WA.
Hope you wil. Haveva non stop to JFK & EWR!
Starting next month June 2017 we are going to save for our Las Vegas vacation for next year which I know for sure is going to be one of their routes and plus my wife and live in Everett.
PAE to OGG: non-stop would fabulous!
This is amazing!!! Can’t wait for the new changes 🙂
I live across the street from Paine Field. Too bad I don’t have anywhere to go, but I think this is pretty awesome. It’s long overdo. I’m okay with the noise – it’s the extra traffic that’s gonna be a bear – but that’s okay too.
Sharon Lundstrom,
You have a wonderful attitude. Looking out for your fellowman and making their life a little more bearable, is only one of your characteristics, I’m sure.
I don’t know you, but, I like you.
Our family lives in Everett & the commute is the worst part of our trip; super excited about this possibility. Merci beaucoup & whoo-hoo!
Cindy N.
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Fly to Phoenix please.
I spoke to customer service rep a week ago and YES Phoenix is included – 5 cities only – I think it was SEATTLE – LAS VEGAS- LA- PHOENIX- cant remember the 5th- My husband and I just moved to Arizona so this will be so nice for my family in Everett and Lake Stevens to travel w/o that terrible commute to Sea Tac
Can’t wait for all the updates. This is going to be a great advancement. It will help so many of us from Southeast Alaska.
I’d love a PAE-EUG route. 🙂
It only make sense that a city the size of Seattle would have a North field and South field location. It will lighten the I-5 Burden until lite rail is completed. ONT, DEN, ORD, JFK, would be fantastic as long as the aircraft is 737. At 6-4 I just do not fit on smaller craft
Perhaps a few flight to our friends in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto Canada might be useful
Great to see Alaska Air Group continue to grow as Alaska is the home town airline for all of us in the Pacific Northwest 🙂
With so much business travel between tech hubs in the NW and Cali, please include a route to the Bay Area. I live in Arlington and commute weekly to the Bay. Departing from KPAE will save me tons of time!
This is great news, my hats off to you Alaska Airlines.
I would love a flight from SMF to PAE!!
As a GA private pilot and Everett resident, I wish to welcome Alaska to a great airport! Hope to see direct flights to PHX, my winter home.
Paine Field to RDU!
I would love to avoid the drive from Marysville to SeaTac but I fly to two locations, Walla Walla and the UK. I doubt either of those destinations will be on the Paine Field routes. But it will be awfully nice for a lot of travellers.
Great potential for frequent flyers.
Direct to ONT or DEN would be awesome. Regardless, as a former Alaska/Horizon employee now working for Boeing, I’m quite excited to not have to fly out of SEA for everything anymore!!!
Been waiting 5 yrs for this. Great news. thanks
Can’t wait for this to become a reality- 10 min to the airport would be a dream-
John Wayne Airport please!
Wow, you continue to break new territory. Sea to San and or Nashville would be great!
The very popular flight from SEA to FLL could use a sister flight from the new terminal. I meet many people flying from BLI to FLL who would be happy to go to the new terminal to make their very long travel day a bit shorter.
Can’t wait! You should have a promo specific to these departures–I’m sure once I take my first flight from Everett I’ll swear off drives to SeaTac for good!
Oh, goodie, more planes over the house!
Hopefully, you have direct flights to destinations and not connector flights to SEA or PDX like you do with too many flights from BLI. Alaska Airlines is my preferred airline.
PDX, LAX, SFO, SAN, HNL from PAE
Everett to Victoria, Vancouver, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles should be first next Atlanta, New York and Chicago if you can do that it would be amazing!!
Going to love seeing PAE/Everett at the airport display terminals when I fly home!!!
Lyft to PAE to LAS… Can’t wait…. when is the opening?
Will flights out of Bellingham be affected?
Hoping Great Falls is in the mix somewhere.
Hoping for direct flight to PHX!!
Happy about this, would be thrilled to even see a flight from PAE to SEA!
Agreed! Driving to see my family in Everett can be excoriating traffic. I would happily take a flight now and then just to avoid a 2hr drive!!!
PAE to LAS would be awesome. Not even a five minute drive to the terminal
This is AWESOME news!
What a great plan. Driving from Mt. Vernon to Sea-Tac is more than painful. This will cut, maybe, an 1-1/2 hr. from drive.
Can’t wait, for those of us who come from Whidbey, it will save time, money and added stress. Won’t have to pay for over night hotels, high price parking or worried we might not make last ferry of the night home, on those cross country flights or delays.
Do you have direct flights to Iowa from Denver?
Direct flight from PHX-SAN anytime soon??
Would be floored to see flights connecting to LAX and STS
Smart move Alaska Airlines. You will have business.
Direct flights to/from Bend, OR (RDM) would also be welcomed by many down here … for both personal and professional reasons!!!!
As a SnoCo resident who regularly travels and dreads dealing with SeaTac, this is great news! I’m hoping for direct flights to DFW or CLT, just my 2 cents!
Super exciting news! As a long time ALASKA Airlines guest, I do hope you consider your non-stop flights from Everett to Orlando!! That would make my year! Keep up the great work.
Direct flights to/from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) would be great!
ORD, IAD, EWR, DEN, LAX, IAH, ATL, ANC& (TOR, or YUL)
Many comments regarding “Direct” flights. Sometimes folks confuse the term with non-stop. A direct flight simply means staying on the same aircraft … which could have several in route stops.
so excited!!! Now it will take me only 5 minutes to get to an Alaskan Airlines Vacation!
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