Alaska Airlines to offer 13 daily flights to 8 cities from Everett

EVERETT, Wash. - Thousands of residents north of Seattle will soon have a new travel option for flying to out-of-state destinations along the West Coast.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines announced Tuesday it will offer 13 nonstop departures to eight cities every day from Everett's Paine Field beginning in fall 2018.

Alaska's new service will connect Everett to Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Orange County, California; Phoenix; Portland; San Diego; San Francisco; and San Jose, California.

Flight frequencies for each destination along with departure and arrival times will be announced later in 2018, subject to government approval.

Alaska Airlines officials say they hope to serve about a million customers a year out of Everett.

The new option is expected to save well over an hour of travel time for North Sound fliers who now need to get to Sea-Tac Airport for their flights.

Flights from Paine Field will offer three classes of service: first class, premium class and main cabin, Alaska Airline officials said.

"This is both a historic occasion and a great honor for Alaska Airlines," said Andrew Harrison, Alaska Airlines' chief commercial officer. "We believe this will bring increased opportunities to our communities."

Critics of the new Paine Field flights say they have been worried about increased traffic and noise. But supporters say the new flight option will take a lot of cars off an already congested Interstate 5.

A new passenger terminal already has been built at Paine Field, and Alaska Airlines is expected to announce more details about the flights later Tuesday.

Alaska isn't going to be alone.

United Airlines has also announced it will be flying six daily flights to its hubs in Denver and San Francisco - also starting this fall.