Flights From Paine Field Begin Next Year

EVERETT, WA — Puget Sound residents north of Seattle will soon have another option for flights to eight cities in the western United States thanks to a recently announced partnership between Everett's Paine Field and Alaska Airlines.

Marketed as a cheaper, less time-consuming option for North Sound residents who would otherwise need to travel to Sea-Tac, flight service from Paine Field will begin Feb. 11, 2019. The airfield will offer 18 daily nonstop flights to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, according to AlaskaAir.com.

The FAA reportedly estimates roughly 656,000 passenger boardings at Paine Field during the first year, which may increase to 736,000 over the following five years, The Seattle Times reported Thursday, noting the increase is "based on the possibility of Alaska Airlines and United Airlines — the other airline that’s expected to serve the terminal — replacing their initial Embraer 175 planes with bigger Boeing 737 to accommodate an anticipated growth in demand."

Previously, Southwest Airlines was reportedly involved in offering flights from Paine Field, but the company evidently backed out of that deal and transferred its slots to Alaska in a mostly unspecified private agreement.

Area residents and Everett city leaders reportedly tried to thwart the airfield's expansion with a lawsuit but in 2017 were thwarted themselves when the state Supreme Court dismissed the case.

Click here for the complete report from The Seattle Times.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Edmonds Patch)

Image via Google Maps