If you live north of Seattle, flying is about to get a lot easier. Alaska Airlines has announced a major expansion at Seattle Paine Field International Airport (PAE) in Everett, boosting capacity at the small airport by roughly 50% by spring 2027. Given that Alaska is already the only scheduled commercial airline there since Frontier pulled out in January, that also cements its total hold on the airport.
The headline addition is a new twice-daily nonstop to San Jose, resuming April 14, 2027 and operated by Alaska's regional partner Horizon Air on Embraer E175s — a handy new link to the Bay Area. Existing routes get a shot of frequency too: Los Angeles moves to twice daily on 737s, Portland doubles from one to two flights a day, and San Francisco and San Diego both pick up extra seats.
The rest of the Everett map stays as it was. Year-round routes to Las Vegas, Orange County (John Wayne), Phoenix and the four California cities above remain on offer, while seasonal escapes to Honolulu and Palm Springs will come back on schedule.
So why is Alaska doubling down? The numbers explain it. Between May 2025 and April 2026, Alaska operated more than 94% of all flights at Paine Field even with Frontier in the market — a share that proved impossible for the budget carrier to dent. Frontier flew to Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas before shutting down its Everett operation in January. Alaska's busiest Everett route in that period was Phoenix, which carried over 96,000 passengers across both airlines, with Las Vegas close behind.
For travellers, the appeal of Paine Field is simple. It sits about 30 minutes from downtown Seattle — much closer for anyone in Snohomish County or North Seattle than Seattle-Tacoma International — and the boutique terminal means shorter security lines and a far less stressful pre-flight experience than the mega-hub to the south. Alaska's chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison framed the expansion as exactly that: a simpler, more convenient gateway to the airline's West Coast network for guests north of the city.
Fun fact for planespotters: Paine Field has two runways and sits right next to the enormous Boeing Everett factory, the building where 747s, 767s, 777s and 787s have long been assembled.
If you're planning a West Coast trip and live anywhere north of Seattle, it's worth comparing Everett departures against Sea-Tac. With more frequency to LA, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego and now San Jose, plus nonstops to Vegas, Phoenix, Orange County and seasonal Hawaii and Palm Springs flights, you can often skip the big-airport scrum entirely and be airside in minutes.
Story via Simple Flying.
