Daily flights between Spokane and Everett announced

Alaska Airlines has announced a daily nonstop service between Spokane International Airport and Paine Field-Snohomish County Airport in Everett to begin this fall, which has already generated significant interest from travelers across the state.

New flights will begin just in time for holiday travel on Nov. 4 and tickets are now on sale. Beginning Nov. 4, flights from Everett to Spokane will depart at 7:55 p.m. with an estimated arrival-time of 9:10 p.m. daily, according to a news release. Beginning Nov. 5, a daily flight from Spokane to Everett will depart at 7:40 a.m. and arrive at 8:55 a.m.

“When it comes to flights at Paine Field, our guests have been eager for one city to be added above all others right now – they said make it Spokane,” Alaska Airlines’ manager of network planning David Besse said in a statement. “We believe this route will be very popular, easily connecting family and friends, workers and businesses, between two dynamic regions of the state.”

The flight will make Spokane the 10th destination to be reached from the new airport terminal at Paine Field. Alaska’s commercial service began at Paine Field on March 4 of this year, and is already proving a popular choice for west side travelers hoping to avoid the crowds and traffic associated with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. According to a news release, nearly 300,000 guests had flown Alaska’s flights at Paine Field as of late July.

“This new service to Paine Field will directly benefit the aerospace industry sector as it continues to expand in our region and create time-saving efficiencies for our business community overall,” CEO of Spokane International Airport Larry Krauter said. “We’re thankful to Alaska for its commitment to the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene region.”

All of Alaska’s Paine Field flights are operated by Horizon Air using the Embraer 175 aircraft, which features a three-class cabin.

From Paine Field, guests can currently fly to eight destinations: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. Alaska recently announced that Palm Springs will become its ninth destination from Everett. Tickets for those flights are already on sale.

“This is exciting news,” Paine Field Airport Director Arif Ghouse said in an Alaska Airlines statement. “One of the questions I’ve been asked the most over the past few months is when service might start to Spokane. There will be considerable interest in the new flight.”

Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.