Alaska Air to begin service at second Seattle-area airport in 2018

Alaska Air Group said Wednesday it plans to begin scheduled flights from a second Seattle-area airport next year, giving it exclusive access to a growing part of the Pacific Northwest's Puget Sound region. Alaska Air's plan to fly Boeing 737 and Embraer 175 jets from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, starting in the fall of 2018 marks the first commercial service from the airfield, located 31 miles north of Seattle. Alaska plans to provide nine daily flights from the airfield, which is adjacent to Boeing's widebody aircraft factory. Alaska has not yet specified the destinations. "As our region continues to grow at a record pace and Sea-Tac Airport nears capacity, the time is right to bring air service to ... the North Sound," Alaska Airlines CE Brad Tilden said. The move will relieve the carrier's dependence on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is not expected to add capacity for 10 years, said Brett Smith, CE of Propeller Airports.<br/>