Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday it will begin serving Paine Field in Everett in the fall of 2018.
The airline, which has long stated its interest in Paine, plans to offer up to nine flights a day.
Snohomish & North King County residents will have new nonstop flight options. Paine Field flights on the horizon. https://t.co/5ZVpG1VKU6 pic.twitter.com/6Qsyte5RJU
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) May 17, 2017
It has not announced routes coming out of Paine, yet. Brad Tilden, Alaska CEO, said in news release said Portland one logical destination.
“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," John Kirby, Alaska’s vice president of capacity planning, added in a statement.
Alaska plans to use Boeing 737s and Embraer 175 regional jets.
Alaska touted that the additional of Paine Field to its operations will cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion because people who live closer to Everett won't have to travel all the way to Sea-Tac Airport.
In 2016, Propeller Airports announced plans to build a two-gate terminal at Paine Field.
The city of Mukilteo considers the announcement to be premature. Mayor Jennifer Gregerson says the city is expecting that the state Supreme Court will hear another appeal to fight commercial air traffic based on what they say is a flawed environmental assessment, which gave propeller airports the ability to build the new terminal.
