Alaska Airlines is a well-known carrier at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). While this is the primary airport for the greater Seattle area, an alternative sprung up in 2019, when Paine Field (PAE) near Everett, Washington, opened up for passenger traffic. Alaska has traditionally used regional jets at PAE. However, soon, the airline will be putting Boeing 737s on some PAE routes. Here's a look at Alaska's Paine Field network and why those planes make sense.

Alaska's Paine Field network

In February 2022, Alaska Airlines has scheduled service to the following destinations out of Paine Field:

Alaska's network out of Paine Field this February. Photo: Cirium

Alaska has started 2022 with 12 peak-day daily departures. Three of these cities also see twice-daily service from PAE. This includes Boise (BOI), Portland (PDX), and Spokane (GEG). In January, all of Alaska's routes saw Embraer E175 service, though things will change in February.

The Boeing 737s are coming

Starting on February 17th, Alaska Airlines will start Boeing 737 service out of PAE. The first destination to see B737 service will be Phoenix (PHX), with the following schedule (all times are local):

  • Flights depart PHX at 12:00 and arrive in PAE at 14:08
  • Flights depart PAE 15:05 and arrive in PHX at 18:50

Starting on March 18th, Las Vegas (LAS) will then see Boeing 737 service, with the following schedule (all times are local):

  • Flights depart PAE at 15:05 and arrive in LAS at 17:35
  • Flights depart LAS at 19:25 and arrive in PAE at 22:05

Both of these cities will then see up to two daily operations. The Embraer E175 will continue to operate some flights to both destinations. However, this will be complemented by Boeing 737-900 service, though this will move to include Boeing 737-800 service as it gets closer to summer, though current schedules, as seen in Cirium, have the Boeing 737-800 as the only B737 aircraft flying from July onwards.

Alaska Airlines
Given Alaska's geographic structure, some of its Midwest and East Coast routes stretch to over four hours, meaning it needs to devote more aircraft and resources to building out frequencies in those markets. Photo: Getty Images

Alaska describes the Boeing 737 upgauge to be primarily a factor of demand. Especially in the winter, demand for these leisure, sunny gateways is strong, but it also continues throughout the year. While Phoenix is also a hub for Alaska's close partner, American Airlines, those connection opportunities are incremental as there is strong demand between the Seattle area and Phoenix.

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Alaska commits to Paine Field

Paine Field is an important market for Alaska Airlines. While United Airlines pulled out of the airport, Seattle's hometown airline has stuck with it and continued its growth out of the airport, and for a good reason.

According to Alaska Airlines, it has a sizable number of frequent flyer program members and elites living north of Seattle. For those travelers, Paine Field is much more convenient than SEA, and offering flights to a select number of top travel destinations out of PAE allows Alaska to offer more utility to those travelers and helps secure them more firmly in the Alaska ecosystem.

Alaska E175
The E175 is perfect for niche routes like AUS-PSP. Photo: Jay Singh | Simple Flying

Alaska has not ruled out upgauging other flights to the Boeing 737 out of PAE. However, the airline is still closely monitoring demand and will make decisions based on the overall travel environment.

However, Alaska is also gearing up for what could be another big round of expansion. On February 1st, the airline will be opening a full Horizon base for flight attendants and pilots at PAE. Horizon operates regional jets on behalf of Alaska Airlines, and the Embraer E175 has traditionally been Alaska's primary aircraft equipment used out of PAE. The base will allow the airline to be more flexible in terms of its scheduling, and it will give the airline's network and schedule team more flexibility to try some new routes out of PAE and see how they perform.

In short, Paine Field is not going anywhere in Alaska's network, and it will remain an integral component of broadening Alaska's offerings to customers and thus its market share in this competitive market.