Alaska Air Starts Paine Field Flying

Alaska Airlines launched the first commercial services from Everett's Paine Field-Snohomish County Airport on Monday with a flight to Portland, Oregon.

The flight, a Horizon Air-operated service, took off just after 10am, with a full water cannon salute from the airport fire service.

Although Alaska launched with just three flights on the day, it will have 18 daily departures operating to eight West Coast cities by mid-March. Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose in California; Portland, Oregon; Las Vegas and Phoenix are the destinations to be served.

Alaska was scheduled to launch flights from Everett last month, but had to postpone because of the US federal government shutdown.

“The opening of a brand-new commercial air terminal at Paine Field is history in the making. We’re extremely proud to be a part of a growing, thriving Pacific Northwest and West Coast,” the airline's chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison said.

“From Everett, our guests can travel more easily and more quickly to eight terrific West Coast cities, and then continue on to nearly anywhere else they'd like to go.”

Alaska's Paine Field flights are operated by Alaska Air Group unit Horizon Air using Embraer 175 aircraft with a three-class layout.

United Airlines will also operate at Paine Field, with six daily flights, two to Denver and four to San Francisco starting March 31st.

Paine Field is the site of a major Boeing assembly plant, with 747, 777 and 787 airliners built there.