Hey, did you catch the flighty news? Seattle has a brand new airport — well, sorta. The facility formerly known as Paine Field recently added our city to its name and will henceforth be called Seattle Paine Field International Airport. Whew, that’s a mouthful.
The rebranding hopes to remind folks from outside the region that the lil’ old airport up in Everett is not too far from Seattle. But even locals may not be fully familiar with the smaller Sea-Tac alternative — so let’s take this in for a landing.
Paine’s gains
Established in 1936 and located near Boeing’s Everett factory, Paine — originally named Snohomish County Airport — was meant to be one of the country’s first “super airports.” But the field was needed for military operations and Boeing development, delaying the fun passenger stuff for many decades.
It wasn’t until 2019 that commercial flights took off from Paine for the first time with limited service to Portland, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and other West Coast destinations.
Oh, the places you’ll go
Paine is still boutiquey — the 30,000-sqft facility has just two gates, one wine bar, and a Beecher’s Handmade Cheese outpost. But it’s gradually increased its flight offerings over the past four years, including puddle jumpers to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, BC (ah, there’s the international aspect of the airport’s new name).
Alaska Airlines will soon fly nonstop to Honolulu in November out of Paine — so plan that vacay. Other notable destinations:
- Anchorage | Seven flights per week
- San Francisco | 20 flights per week
- San Diego | Seven flights per week
The airport may be a good option for Seattleites flying to SoCal who don’t want to trek all the way down to Sea-Tac — the drive is about 20 minutes from Northgate. There are hotel shuttles and bus service to Paine, too.
Be sure to check out our guide to Sea-Tac while you’re at it.